Well, saw lots of posts on this but did'nt see any pix so here's how I did it:

Pic1 Tools required

Pic2 Right side view

Pic3 w/seat and side cover removed

continuing on: Remove screws from cover and set cover out of the way.

continuing on:

continuing on:

continuing on:

Note: Tighten Step cover bolts (green circled) to 18ft-lbs 25N-m per manual

Brake cylinders bolts :if loosened or removed in error (red circled) to 17ft-lbs 23N-m per manual.

finishing up, reinstall side cover, tail cover and seat.

Thanks! Pictures say a thousand words

Nice one.
Maybe this could become a sticky?

Nice write-up. BTW, I've always been able to wrestle the bottle out without having to remove that lower cover. I think a good mod would be to either relocate the bottle or extend the lower tubing and route it so it would be easier to access. I rarely check mine because in almost 33K miles I've never had any oil to speak of in the bottle -- I guess I'm too easy on the engine.

I've never needed to undo the lower rightside panel to drain te bottle. I can just pull it out, and I push it in just on top of the lower panel. I drain it every month, there's allways something to come out, sometimes quit a lot of oil comes out. I guess i'm not soo soft on the engine...

I've never removed the covers or even moved the bottle much when draining it. A semi-long set of needle nose pliers going in along the swing arm to move the spring clip then pull the plug at the bottom of the bottle. Drain. Replug and reclip.

Thanks a lot for opening this topic! I'm a beginner when it comes to maintenance and didn't even know there was such a thing as a drain bottle . This kind of info is great for people like me.
So when preparing my bike for the better weather today, I drained the bottle. Without removing the panel by the way.
Here's the harvest:

idk, maybe I'm not as green as some of u guys. I just pulled the plug on mine and routed another hose over to the chain. my own oiler!

Originally Posted by Stormsmack

idk, maybe I'm not as green as some of u guys. I just pulled the plug on mine and routed another hose over to the chain. my own oiler!

Lol, Ive heard of this. Does it actually work the way its supposed to? I just lube the chain every 500 miles, since its got a centerstand, its wicked easy.

Look at the picture above. Would you run dirty black oil on your chain? I would think that a) there's very little oil actually getting on the chain so you still have to lube and clean it, and b) you'd be adding more dirt than oil which would shorten chain life. I'm on my 3rd set of chain and sprockets. Expensive enough as is without something shortening the lifespan.