Oil level check on side stand or not?

08 TE 450

This is my first bike with a side stand, do you check the sight glass with the bike on the stand. Just did an oil an filter change, put in 1.7 liters.

The oil level is perfect with the bike on the stand.

Another question, I cleaned the metal screen with the two pieces, but where is the 3rd screen the service manual talks about.

Thanks

Bike should be upright, level, not on the sidestand. The 3rd filter is behind the black aluminum 6mm plug, further forward on the same side. Observe the direction the filter comes out, must go back the same but fits either way. Filter, then o-ring, then plug.

Good point. Apparently if you put it in the wrong way round you can still tighten up the plug but it crushes the screen filter, which is not a good thing.

Even with it the right way round I find I need to jiggle the filter about to get it to go all the way in because the far end has to fit into a slight recess. You need something roughly pencil-shaped which is just smaller than the inside diameter of the filter so you can put it inside the filter and use it to lift the far end of the filter a little as you push it home. I have an allen (hex) key in my toolbox which is just the right size. You'll feel the filter go in just a little further once it's lined up properly. I then use a much smaller allen key to press gently on the end of the filter while pulling out the larger allen key, as I found otherwise it tends to bring the filter back out with it and you have to start over again!

Mine's supposed to take 1.7L after an oil and filter change (less if you don't change the filter). However, I guess there must always be a little of the old oil I don't get out despite tipping the bike both ways while the drain plug and filter covers are off (and it's still warm), as it never quite needs the full 1.7L. I now put in about 1.5L then top up as necessary using the sight glass once the engine's warm again, as it's easier to do that than to remove oil once it's over-filled, so you may find yours is a little over-full at the moment when you check the level with it upright on level ground as lairpost said.