Yes Mike you must pull the gas tank to change spark plugs. The oil dip stick is up on the right hand side of the frame up by the front forks as the dip stick comes off the oil cooler, not down on the motor. In my opinion the best reason to buy a DRZ400SM is the 310 lbs weight of the bike lets you get through traffic like nothing. The bad side of the bike is (1) it´s not as easy to get all parts for as everybody tells you, (2) Not all Suzuki dealers are created equal, some are good, others are total zeros. My local Suzuki dealer only cares about big $$$ Cruisers, not my little DRZ. I found a Suzuki moto cross racer, this guy knows his stuff on my bike, him I can deal with.