Is there a trick to checking the oil level successfully? Whenever I check the viewing glass, I can never tell whether the oil is overfull (and therefore occupying the whole of the viewing glass), or too low (with no oil in the viewing glass). I have tried using a torch, making sure the bike is level, shaking the bike around but nothing seems to work; I can never tell what level the oil is at.
Any tips appreciated.
Oil Level
Moderators: Gromit, Paul, slparry
Lots of info on this via the search area.
Basically, run the bike up to normal temperature (go out for a run rather than leave it idling), turn off engine and leave for 15mins. Try and leave the bike upright during this 15mins. Then check the oil via the glass and it should be visible. If not then you probably have no oil in it so you should not have gone out for a run in the first place!
Best not to fill the oil up to the top but somewhere in between. You will get to know your own oil consumption and can take it from there.
Basically, run the bike up to normal temperature (go out for a run rather than leave it idling), turn off engine and leave for 15mins. Try and leave the bike upright during this 15mins. Then check the oil via the glass and it should be visible. If not then you probably have no oil in it so you should not have gone out for a run in the first place!
Best not to fill the oil up to the top but somewhere in between. You will get to know your own oil consumption and can take it from there.
No longer a motorcycle owner.
Lean a mirror against the garage wall. Sit on the bike with a warm engine 10 mins after the oil has settled. Remove oil cap and hold the bike level (whilst sitting on it) , you can then look into the mirror and view the oil level and top it up whilst in this position. Try it, doddle.
Watching you Focker!
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jltownshend
- Posts: 636
- Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 2:53 pm
- Location: Sarf London (just) 'innit?!
A while before Christmas I "topped up" early one Morning (in the dark) in a fit of pique (about something or other). I emptied the bottle (without thinking/registering how much was in it).
Some weeks passed, and I still couldn't see the silver...
I ran a search on here....
And waited. And waited...
I ran another search on here...and just as I was starting to really panic, the silver appeared...
This took several weeks. I have no idea how much I put in, but it only took a couple of weeks to use another half litre once the silver was visible...maybe because it was colder?
John
Some weeks passed, and I still couldn't see the silver...
I ran a search on here....
And waited. And waited...
I ran another search on here...and just as I was starting to really panic, the silver appeared...
This took several weeks. I have no idea how much I put in, but it only took a couple of weeks to use another half litre once the silver was visible...maybe because it was colder?
John
Thanks for the replies. I am never sure whether I am running on too full or empty (I just keep shoving more oil in every now and then!). The ideas about dark and silver will help though, and I'm sure that the glass is showing dark (good job eh?). I'll try the idea with the mirror, and at this time of year, INSIDE the garage sounds like a good idea. 
Girls just wanna' have fun!
Hi BoxerLass,
Basically, checking the oil level on one of these lumps is not an exact art. I should know I've had a few hair pulling moments over this one. The level fluctuates so much depending on conditions and so forth, that you never seem to get the same reading twice. As suggested go for a run to get the engine hot, then place it on the centre stand and wait for 15 mins or so. If after that if you have a level of oil above the bottom of the red perimeter line then your engine has sufficient oil in it. Anything below this and you will need to top up with a few mls. After a couple of hours you'll probably get a completely different reading as the oil leaves the cooler and heads south into the sump. The heads on these bikes are not like jap engines as they lie horizontally thus the oil tends to take its time to flow back to the bottom. You will get to know your bikes oil consumption as you put on the miles, again this varies so much that that you can't say exactly what it will be.
Hope this helps, as I said, I've been there!
Cobbster.
Basically, checking the oil level on one of these lumps is not an exact art. I should know I've had a few hair pulling moments over this one. The level fluctuates so much depending on conditions and so forth, that you never seem to get the same reading twice. As suggested go for a run to get the engine hot, then place it on the centre stand and wait for 15 mins or so. If after that if you have a level of oil above the bottom of the red perimeter line then your engine has sufficient oil in it. Anything below this and you will need to top up with a few mls. After a couple of hours you'll probably get a completely different reading as the oil leaves the cooler and heads south into the sump. The heads on these bikes are not like jap engines as they lie horizontally thus the oil tends to take its time to flow back to the bottom. You will get to know your bikes oil consumption as you put on the miles, again this varies so much that that you can't say exactly what it will be.
Hope this helps, as I said, I've been there!
Cobbster.
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