If you're in it to win it and plan on keeping your bike for any length of time it's good practice to frequently change your oil and filter. Depending on the manufacturer's recommendations and how hard you ride, the replacement intervals (time and miles) will vary between changes-typically it's between 2,000 to 5,000 miles.
As with anything please refer to your owner's manual for oil viscosity weights, capacities, filter part numbers and oil recommendations (mineral base, blend or synthetic). In our case Yamaha recommends mineral-based oil until roughly 3,000 miles so we'll follow their words until she's fully broke-in.
I'm picky when it comes to maintenance and as such, I try use the factory filters whenever possible in addition to always using good oil like our Golden Spectro.
**Note that there are many ways to change your oil/filter and some choose to do so with only removing one fairing. In addition to installing other mods that required removing the fairing at the same time, I use it as a chance to thoroughly cleanout the inner fairings as well as the engine.
www.yamaha-motor.com
www.spectro-oils.com
Tools needed: Oil and oil filter, drain pan, box wrenches and possibly an oil-filter wrench
Difficulty: 1 of 5
Time: 1 hour
Removing the fairings
For a complete how-to on removing and installing your fairings check this out: http://www.superstreetbike.com/howtos/0904_sbkp_2009_yamaha_r6_fairing_removal/index.html
Changing the oil/filter
 The drain plug is located...  The drain plug is located on the left side of the oil pan. Use a box wrench to loosen it. |  Grab a drain pan and let the...  Grab a drain pan and let the old gunk spill out for 30mins or so. Try tipping the bike farther to the left to get every last drop out. |  To gain access to the oil...  To gain access to the oil filter we found it easiest to remove the shift linkage. Instead of removing the upper mount and having to worry about finding the same pedal position we removed the lower Allen bolt to make things easy. |
 Gently move the shift linkage...  Gently move the shift linkage out of your way. |  An oil filter wrench is a...  An oil filter wrench is a good tool for removing stubborn oil filters. |  If it's stuck like ours was,...  If it's stuck like ours was, gently using some pliers can work as well, but be prepared to destroy the old filter. |
 After the filer is removed...  After the filer is removed try tipping the bike to the left again, you'll see more oil drip out of the oil filter pickup. |  Once the oil is drained out,...  Once the oil is drained out, clean the oil filter area with some carb/brake cleaner. Be careful not to shoot any of it into the oil pickup, that could result in motor failure. |  Before reinstalling a new...  Before reinstalling a new oil filter always make sure you put a light layer of oil on the O-ring to ensure a good seal. |
 Tighten the oil filter by...  Tighten the oil filter by hand as tight as you can get it. If you're using a tool, be sure not to over tighten it or removal will suck! |  Now reinstall the drain plug...  Now reinstall the drain plug and shift linkage, then fill the bike with the appropriate amount of oil, reinstall the filler plug and fire it up while checking for leaks. If everything checks out well, go ahead and start reinstalling the fairings as seen in this article | |