Hello. Just got my bike serviced for the first time and after a long ride home(3 hours), I decided to check the oil and it was way over 'max'. Next day, I checked the oil when the engine was cold and it was right in between. Then I let the engine idle for a bit(maybe 3 minutes, the fan hasn't kicked in yet like the manual states) and when checking the dipstick it was dry! Finally, I whip out the manual and let it idle 3 minutes after fan has kicked in and it was a little bit over the halfway mark between 'min' and 'max'. So the question is, is the oil level suppose to be way over 'max' after it has been ridden for longer periods? PS After riding it for a while and checking the oil, it was bubbly inside, so maybe those air bubbles covered in oil are leaving a mark on the dipstick higher than it needs to be?
The bubbles I believe are from the air in the filter housing when you change it no way to really it fill it full. Then the oil takes time to get to a settled level. it should be checked when the oil is hot because it will expand as well.
You'll get irregular and incorrect oil level readings if you start and stop the engine and check it frequently. Take it out for a good ride for 10 minutes or so and then turn it off and check the level. If you need to restart the bike don't trust any level reading you get till you've given it another good ride.
thanks for this post was a little crazy making to find dipstick dry with too short a warm up or cold engine. today after 15 min ride was full. think dipstick should be white though. deb
I could be wrong hear but I have heard you are meant to wait a few minutes to allow the oil to settle after the warm up to get a correct reading? I had a similar oil problem where I put in 2L as stated in the manual and the level was barely touching the bottom of the dipstick after it was warmed up. it ended up taking 2.9 in total to get it to where it was meant to be. any one else have that problem or find it as strange as I do it took so much?
Same thing here! I've had this same experience with an oil change. When I went on a good long ride I stopped at a Dollar Store parking lot to check oil level and found it way to high. Went inside store and bought a turkey baster then sucked out excess oil. After that oil level stayed at proper level. I still carry the Turkey baster with me, just in case.
There is no good method of checking the oil level visually after refilling the oil. The 'keep topping it up till it hits the mark' method you used was incorrect. The correct method, as stated in the workshop manual, is to drain the oil, then to add 1.5 litres, run the bike for 30 seconds, then add another 0.5 litres. 2 litres total. That's it. The only way to get an accurate oil level reading is to take the bike out for a good ride, then stop it and check the level when it's hot. Never rely on getting an accurate oil level reading unless you have just ridden the bike for 10 minutes and stopped it and checked it without restarting the engine. If you stop the engine then restart for a minute and stop it again, you will get a much different (inaccurate) reading.
Nev is spot on. I did this correctly the first service, then forgot on the second. It was a mess. Fill with 1.5 liters. Run the bike for a moment, then put the other liter in. It's the only way.
The other thing I did was to buy a 4lt oil bottle. Needing a full 2 litres of oil for a subsequent oil change was a good deterrent from using more than 2 litres on the first oil change, no matter how much I wanted to after looking at the level on the dipstick.
Old Thread, Sorry, But here is the suggested way to check the oil in the TR650. Oil level check The oil level must be checked with the vehicle in vertical position on a flat sur- face. 1 - Start the motorcycle and heat the engine until the cooling fan starts; wait for another 3 minutes and switch off the engine. - Check the level as follows: - Undo the cap (1) with the dipstick (2) and remove it from the frame. - Clean the dipstick (2) with a cloth. - Place the dipstick (2) in the hole (3) without screwing the cap on. - Remove the dipstick (2) from the hole (3) and check that the level is be- tween the two MIN and MAX marks. - To top up, pour oil into the hole (3); for the type of oil, see the section "Technical data".
