newbie oil level checking question

[cbesey]

So I run the bike until it's hot. I put it on the centerstand and wait five minutes. I peer into the site glass and see... nothing. Or more specifically, no dot in the middle, no oil level, just a solid color behind the glass that looks like... well, oil, actually.

I'll resist the urge to put it up as a poll, but do I have my head stuck up somewhere in a place of similar color?

[johno]

Everyone has a different opinion on checking oil level.
Does anyone bother to read the hand books that come with the bike??
Oil level should be at the top of the sight glass at the inner ring.
Between low and high mark is half a litre.
As long as the level is somewhere between the low, and high,
should be no problem.
I run mine on the high, and only ad when gets to the middle dot.

I will now wait for the barrage of opinions.

[socalrob]

cbesy,

If your bike is new most likely I would suspect that your dealer just dumped in a full 4 quarts of oil, which is a bit too much & may fill the sight glass entirely.

FWIW, I run my bike with the oil on the middle dot or below, adding when it gets to the bottom. Used to be alot of opinion that the bike would burn off oil higher than the middle dot faster. In any case, by bike, at 24,000 miles, is now down to burning about an ounce per 1,000 miles. Not bad in my book.

[DJ Downunder]

I run my bike with the oil on the middle dot or below, adding when it gets to the bottom.

Me too.......also try using the side stand for a few minutes and then put it on the center stand..this will make sure no oil is held up in the oil coolers.

DJ

[MIXR]

Also - History taught me that a slight overfill is no problem - The bike seems to just burn down to its correct level pretty quickly anyway. I made the mistake early on of continually topping mine up because I always thought it was a bit low at the half glass level.

Damn thing just kept burning back to the same spot. Then I stopped topping it up - Guess what? No more oil consumption! It simply stayed at the same level.

Many people who complain of excessive oil consumption are probably doing exactly the same thing - Overfilling. These things do burn oil in their early life, but I think some is an exagerated loss because of slight overfills.

If your glass stays full, and you don't have to add any oil, forget it. It's no problem unless grossly overfull and then the oil wil try and pressurize and blow out at the weakest point, be that past valves, rings, filler cap or one of the lines.

[boxermania]

johno....please don'y be offended, I just want to clear the air. One thing that most old folks like me have learned is not to believe everything that is written.

Remember that owner's manuals have to serve different owners at many diferent locations, hence, their content is a basic recomendation and certainly an owner in the Northwest will find that their bike responds better to a particular setting than that in a Southern State.

A lot has been written regarding the oil level, however, it is well known that when one brings the oil to the top of the circle essentially this quantity will be burned by the engine fairly quickly.

What happens is that the level of the oil in the crankcase gets very close to the bottom of the cylinders by splashing or the bike leaning, either running or on the side stand and once here it will be too much for the oil ring (scrapper) to contend with and some will get to the combustion chamber and burn.

The proper level and the one most of the people follow is the middle of the bullseye, and add acordingly to keep that level. One should be forewarned not to run the motor if there is no oil visible on the bullseye, or damage to the engine will result.

The measurement after a ride is entirely another subject and hinges on if the oil cooler thermostat openend during te ride, if so it is advisable to place the bike on the side stand to allow the oil to drain back into the carnkcase (5 minutes, to have something measurable). Then place the bike on the center stand and you should be able to get an accurate reading. I personally don't check the oil until I'm ready to ride, (like a pre-ride check) since if you have to add that would be the time.

Enjoy your ride.........

[Boxer]

I have a little monkey that I carry inside my tank bag and I have spent countless hours training him to hop down and take a look at the round oil window. If its right in the middle of the window, he does a back flip and then returns to my bag. If it is not visible, or is lower than the middle, he will scratch his head and squat down by the bike stubbornly staring at the little window. Once I had new fresh oil all the way to the top of the glass by mistake and he was so confused he sat there. I knew it had confused him so I just motioned for him to return to the bag. The little bugger gave me the middle finger and just continued staring at it.

I had to spank that monkey!

[cbesey]

Thanks everyone. Since I'm not staring into an empty chamber, I'll guessing it's full to the top and will keep an eye on it, waiting for it to burn off. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a new rear tire to go break in

[Lion_Lady]

So I run the bike until it's hot. I put it on the centerstand and wait five minutes. I peer into the site glass and see... nothing. Or more specifically, no dot in the middle, no oil level, just a solid color behind the glass that looks like... well, oil, actually.

I'll resist the urge to put it up as a poll, but do I have my head stuck up somewhere in a place of similar color?

Now, wait a minute. You put the bike directly on the CENTERSTAND once its warmed up?

I was 'taught' that you need to leave it on the SIDESTAND for five minutes THEN put it on the centerstand. (That's why we call it the checking the oil level DANCE).

Then a wise BMW mechanic told me that if you see oil at the center bubble a couple minutes after shutting off and side-standing the bike, you're just FINE.

>If you see a full sight glass when directly onto the centerstand, then you just might have too much oil in the bike.

P

[cbesey]

Not directly, it sat on the sidestand for a good five minutes before winding it's way to the back of the garage onto the centerstand. What strikes me as most odd is that I'm not even seeing a bubble/dot marker. Just looks like the bottom of a coke bottle, provided the bottle was filled with something the color of oil.

[BigC]

This whole oil change thing is like a right of passage for the newbies....me included. I rode the bike home from work, parked it the driveway, gave it it's dose of seafoam which it sorely needed, and then changed the oil. Apparently, I didn't let it drain long enough as I had oil to the top of the sight glass after filling it with the appropriate amount. Good luck...this is one of those gotta do it a few times to get it right type of things... I think

[jm1515]

I don't bother to check that often anymore.
I fill the case with a measured 3.75qts at oil change.
This brings the level to the middle of the sight glass when warm.
I just ride & ride & ride.
As long as I can see oil at least 3/4 up the sight glass when warm on the sidestand I'm good to go....
I just add some oil every now and then to keep it there....

[m@rco]

Nice to read all these somewhat different opinions. If you want to hear mine... I never place the bike on the side stand first, I just check after a good five to ten minutes on the centre stand. All oil should then have flowed back to the resevoir.

Anyway, I like to keep my oil level to the maximum. As you know, the oil serves as a lubricant but, equally important, as a cooling medium. Since our engine is air-to-oil cooled and cooling is less in slow traffic, I would like to make sure that I have the maximum cooling available.

Overfilling is not a good thing. Your crank shaft will become a mixer and your oil may start to form foam/froth.

[threebucks1996]

I am with Boxermania, do the oil check BEFORE the ride. No waiting, no sidestand, no dancing. I must admit ...I do like Boxers monkey technique!

[ProductUser]

I wasn't going to add anything, but I just luv these oil checking threads

This only applies to me:
There are times when it's really cold in the desert. Yes, it was actually in the low 30's for a few days last week. Back to my informative prose. When I exit the freeway on my way home from work (22 miles), it's another 2-3 miles to my house. During that time, the oil gets cold enough to close the oil return valve, thus the oil never gets hot enough to drain back down to the crankcase from the oil coolers. This can leave you with a false negative re oil level. At that time, you just have to walk away, knowing that the oil checks you've done each day for the last week or so will give you some sort of peace.

Just my thoughts

ProductUser

[boxermania]

Boxer.....so you had my monkey!!!! Could you please return it ASAP. I haven't checked the oil level on my bike since last summer and the engine is making a clic clic noise......Ahhhh....maybe now I found where those ball bearings that my son had went......