Where's The Oil Filter?

I don't have a manual yet and I've only had the bike about a week. I can't figure out where the oil filter is. My old yamaha seca550 had a canister in the front bottom of the engine, but my kz doesn't have this. Is the filter beneath the canister on top of the clutch/transmission area(on top of engine toward the back)?

under the motor on the oil pan youll fing a drain plug and another bolt holding a big round disc with fins on it,your filter is on top of the disc;)

Also be sure not to toss out the washer that goes between the oil filter and spring when you change the filter, as it's thin and tends to stick to the rubber grommet on the bottom of the filter.

Thanks for the help, I'm kinda slow but once I get it, I'm alright:blush:. What is the canister on top of the clutch housing area? Is it a crankcase filter? Or is there anyting at all beneath it?

If the canister you're refering to is the one I have pointed out below, that is the engine breather cover.


It should have a hose on the top of it that connects it to the bottom of the air filter box, and it basically vents the crankcase "fumes" in through the air box and carbs to be burned. It's there to comply with EPA regulations.
Folks that have removed the airbox and installed individual pod filters will usually install a small breather filter like the one shown below on there to keep it vented, and to prevent anything (dirt, mud, small critters, etc) from making their way into the transmission.

You can find these at just about every auto parts store listed as "transmission breather filters" with a plain rubber top, or various anodized colors to fit your fancy.
The standadrd rubber topped ones shouldn't run you more than about $10.
Whatever you do though, do NOT run without a filter here or cap it off. That's just asking for trouble IMHO.

BTW, if you want to see where I've been getting the diagram pics of your bike just check out Kawasaki.com .
It has all of the parts diagrams and descriptions of everything, and will make it easier for you to know the exact part name of a part you're inquiring on.

Post edited by: RetroRiceRocketRider, at: 2007/03/18 12:29

Yep, that's it. Apparently the PO installed the individual filters and left the chrome cap without the hose or the filter, so there is a chrome cap with a stub that is wide open. I'll cap it for now until I can get the breather filter.
Thanks for the info on the Kawasaki website, I'll check it out.