Getting around to changing oil and filter in my 2019 model. Popped the filter cover off, there really should be a better way of doing this. Some flange or something that would extend out so you wouldn't possibly damage the the cover. Once off, the filter fell out, along with a little spring. Took me a few seconds and a visit to a Youtube video to reassure me that I was reinstalling the filter correctly. That is spring, the recommendation to dab some grease on it so it will stick the the engine case in the middle of the X or +, then the filter then replace the cover in the proper orientation so that oil channels line up. This is really a primitive set up. I'll have to make a note so that I don't have to go down this road again. It just occurred to me that if I lay the bike on the left side the spring should stay in position without the grease. Some engineer should have figured this out decades ago.

 

Yup. Had that experience changing the oil on my 2025 w230. Same set up. Went to Walmart and got some Vaseline to keep the spring in place

 

Interestingly. The Honda rebel 300 uses the same filter but it is backwards from how Kawasaki has it. The spring is in the cover on the Honda.