Oil level query

[cartejo5]

Evening folks, my 1100gs has been dormant in the garage over winter on the centre stand for at leat 3 months. I'm going out tomorrow and thought check tyres, oil etc etc. there is. No oil visible in the sight glass at all, I've leveled the bike up still the same no oil.

Popped onto side stand and left 15mins or so and oil is 3/4 up the glass, stood upright - no visible oil!! I'm loathe to just tip some oil in and have been unable to find any info on bikes that have been stood for some time - so do I just use it as is or pop some oil in maybes 1/4 of a litre?

 

[thefooleryoftom]

From memory the oil sight glass represents about 250 of oil, or that maybe from low > high. Regardless, chuck 250mls in and wait until it's visible. Run bike. Shut off. Add oil until happy. That's what I'd do, anyhow.

 

[Nick591]

How much was visible when you laid it up?

 

[Comfy Old Boots]

Turn it over at least!

 

[MarkShelley]

Take it for a spin for a few miles then check again. For some reason that I can`t fathom, once in a blue moon I get zero oil visible after a ride despite doing the sidestand then mainstand routine. Maybe yours was doing one when you laid it up.

 

[Slipperyeel]

Take it for a spin for a few miles then check again. For some reason that I can`t fathom, once in a blue moon I get zero oil visible after a ride despite doing the sidestand then mainstand routine. Maybe yours was doing one when you laid it up.

I think the oil (a quantity of) can get into the oil cooler system and not be yet released until the valve opens... meaning it can seem to have disappeared! It's my guess but if I'm right it makes me think the oil level is on the lower side of median...


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[ahutcheon]

There's oil in the bike, you're fine to run it then check again. It's probably low (I think its half a litre from bottom of sight glass to top), you're fine to throw in 250ml without any worry about overfilling. Me, I'd throw in enough oil to see in the window, ride, and check it again. That's what I did today, but I was going to be away from the oil bottle for a couple of hundred miles.

 

[Bryn]

I think the oil (a quantity of) can get into the oil cooler system and not be yet released until the valve opens... meaning it can seem to have disappeared! It's my guess but if I'm right it makes me think the oil level is on the lower side of median...
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In one Time's I've done an oil/filter change, gone for a ride, and then it looks over filled

 

[cartejo5]

Cheers guys, I briefly started it last night then propped it against the garage wall so it was sitting level.

Checked it again this morning no oil in sight so added 250ml waited a bit still no oil in sight glass added a further 100ml and it registered about a 1/4 of the way up the sight glass. So feeling happier about it I went for a run upto kielder castle 70 miles parked it on centre stand on level ground and had a coffee, went back to bike 20 mins later - it was showing 1/4 up the glasses same as in the garage.

I've propped it against the garage in a level position and will check it again tomorrow, seems strange as it hardly ever uses much oil and it was only serviced 2000 miles ago.

 

[bart2181]

The way I check my oil level is after a journey I,ll let the bike idle for a minute or so in an upright position sitting on the bike,I then leave the bike for an hour or so on the side stand,then lift the bike onto its centre stand and hey presto oil is there.don't really understand what this leaning against the garage business is all about........ride bike-side stand-centre stand-check-easy.

 

[cartejo5]

Your probably quite right, I just seem to remember reading somewhere the oil should be checked with the bike wheels on level ground as opposed to on centre stand where the bike tends to sit on the back wheel.

 

[david a hall]

I'd change the oil, due or not.

 

[Flipfly]

I haven't a feckin clue how to make sure the correct amount of oil is in the bike. I have heard so many ways to check it, it'd take 3 hours to do them all. I ride it and periodically check it on the centre stand after the bike has warmed up. Usually it's 1/2 to 3/4 up the sight glass, not had one go bang yet. I have overfilled them in the past, they didn't go bang either, but there was a little oil in the airbox drain plug.

 

[Slipperyeel]

Guys. Think about it. The sump is just a tray with most of the oil in it. The sight glass is at a point in the volume of oil. If the sump bottom is pretty much horizontal (so if you can get another bod to hold the bike while it's off any of the stands -will equal the same as it being on the centre stand if sump bottom is horizontal). Thanks to that little trick of physics the oil will always find is level.

In short, I'm saying that the if the oil is pretty much horizontal in the window and the bike isn't leaning to the left or right a daft amount then you need the oil roughly central on that sight glass. I wouldn't personally go with the side stand method mentioned above, but I can't see why it would matter tho, the oil should just drain into the sump anyway, but I'd argue lifting off the side stand means there'll be a lag before you get the true reading in the sight glass, so no real benefit?

I've read about deeper sumps being made to aid cooling. Makes a lot of sense and even in that scenario the sight glass remains the datum regardless...

 

[bart2181]

I haven't a feckin clue how to make sure the correct amount of oil is in the bike. I have heard so many ways to check it, it'd take 3 hours to do them all. I ride it and periodically check it on the centre stand after the bike has warmed up. Usually it's 1/2 to 3/4 up the sight glass, not had one go bang yet. I have overfilled them in the past, they didn't go bang either, but there was a little oil in the airbox drain plug.

They don't go bang,but they can pop the sight glass out if grossly overfilled

 

[bart2181]

I've checked my oil straight away after a long run on centre stand,no oil was seen in sight glass.checked again by allowing the bike to sit on its side stand for a while and oils up to the middle of the sight glass.guys there is a correct way of checking your oil......follow it or blow your bike up its up to you.

 

[Flipfly]

They don't go bang,but they can pop the sight glass out if grossly overfilled

You'd have to be pretty daft to overfill one that much though. Vern makes a sight glass holderinner that would prevent that