I know a proper oil fill reading is performed w/the bike standing upright, vertical, and off the kickstand, but when the bike is leaning on the stand, should there not still be some indication of oil in the glass? I just got an oil change and now while on the stand I can see into the sump perfectly… absolutely no indication of oil. I can also look down in through the fill cap and the sump appears to be practically bone dry. When stood up I get a reading. I remember looking into the sight glass previously on the stand and the glass still had an oil level visible, even if inaccurate. . The check engine light is now on too so this compounds my concerns. Thanks in advance…! -Gg
I’ve never, as far as I can recall, had a bike that has shown oil in the sight glass on the side stand. If it was a dealer oil change they are notorious for putting the “required” amount in regardless of whether the final level is where it should be on the dipstick or sight glass.
If it was my bike I would get a mate to hold the bike upright while I checked the level. It wouldn't be the first time a garage got the level wrong, either under or overfilling. On my bike, T509 Speed Triple, the level drops quite a lot on the side stand. Don't run the bike till you have made sure.
Good to know. It was indeed a dealer who did the work. So is a bit extra oil not a bad idea, even if it registers on the glass while parked/on the stand? I was returning home from the dealer after(yet another) warranty issue. I figured “what the hell” and had them do a change as it couldn’t hurt… Wound up costing $216 bucks. Check engine light came on and after determining it wasn’t going to correct itself I pulled into a station. That’s when I checked the sight glass. The bike went straight back to the dealer. They were good enough to dispatch a trailer and haul it back.
Sometimes its not easy to see the oil...but are you looking soon after the engine has ran.....needs to rest and let all the oil return to the sump. Dont start the motor till you have found out if the oil is ok.
Upright and warm surely? My owners manual says... An accurate indication of the level of oil in the engine is only shown when the engine is at normal operating temperature and the motorcycle is upright (not on the side stand). I have to get Mrs Mouse to sit on the bike to hold bike upright so I can check the level sight glass that's hidden behind the foot control mounts. Oh for the good old days of easy to use dipsticks that you could get at whilst sitting on bike... Edit: The full instructions from my owners manual (an probably yours ) is... To inspect the oil level: • Start the engine and run at idle for approximately five minutes. Stop the engine and wait for at least three minutes to allow the oil to settle. • Note the oil level visible in the sight glass. • When correct, oil should be visible in the sight glass at a point midway between the upper (maximum) and lower (minimum) markings on the sight glass. There's also a diagram showing what the minimum and maximum limits are.
Our bathroom mirror was shamelessly stolen by me. The circular base was removed and securely stored (binned) and the upright section with the mirror was zip tied to a piece of timber. I can now sit on the bike keeping it upright and angle the mirror so I can see the oil level. And yep, I was grumbled at but I thought it was a worthy cause
