Oil level ?

[joeb]

Morning all.

My 09 r1200gs specs 4 litres of oil w/filter change. 

I ran bike for 20 minutes  parked it for 1/2 hrs then let oil drain for 15 minutes.  I put in 3.8 litres of oil with a K&N 164 filter and noticed that the oil fill window is full. Should I drain off some oil or is it OK to run it that way ? Thanks 

[dirtrider]

17 minutes ago, joeb said:

Morning all.

My 09 r1200gs specs 4 litres of oil w/filter change. 

I ran bike for 20 minutes  parked it for 1/2 hrs then let oil drain for 15 minutes.  I put in 3.8 litres of oil with a K&N 164 filter and noticed that the oil fill window is full. Should I drain off some oil or is it OK to run it that way ? Thanks 

Morning Joeb

 

You need the check the oil level hot (after riding for a while), THEN on center stand, then wait  5 minutes, then check oil level. 

 

Top of sight glass is the max level.

 

Look on or around page 101/102 in your riders manual.

 

 

 

 

[joeb]

Thanks for reply. Did the warmup ride as spec'd and as I can't see any space on sight glass think I'll drain off a little.

[wbw6cos]

The simplest way to drain a little oil at a time is to take off the oil filter and let it empty out.   

[Red]

also make sure the surface that your bike is parked on while checking oil is level.  I've been sent down the wrong fill level path more than once because I checked on a seaminly level surface.

[joeb]

+1

[joeb]

+1

[Yuro]

Guys:  This isn't rocket-science.    

 

The bike doesn't need to be filled to the tippy-top.   Shoot for the middle of the site-glass at first.  Then add a little and WAIT.   It will gradually rise.  Don't fill to the top of the red circle.    Just leave a little space there and it'll be fine.    There's no advantage to having it at exactly Max.   

 

When I change oil, I leave the bike cold....70 or 80 degrees.  So shoot me, I don't get every bit of the dirty oil out.   I also don't burn my hands on hot oil and exhaust.  

 

I pull the lower oil plug and the filter, put a sticker on the start button so I don't forget it's got no oil in it.  Then I go do something else.  

 

1 to 72 hours later, I come back, put the plug and filter in.   I put 3.5 quarts in the bike, then WAIT.  ...then check the site glass.   It's usually near the bottom.  Then, it's a matter of topping it up and WAITING.  and NOT trying to reach the very top of the red circle.  I shoot for half-way between middle and top of red circle.   If I'm off a little either way, no blood.   

 

Remember, it's cold and cold oil will read lower than hot oil.  Get it above half-way and you are DONE.   

 

Over-filling will cause engine to shoot oil up in your air-filter box.   Ewww!.   It can blow the site-glass out on older BMWs.    It can cause higher pressure inside the engine case.  This can cause engine case gaskets to leak oil.   If oil level is too high, the crank splashes in the sump oil.   That robs power from the engine.    

 

....So just don't do go there.  You can be half a quart down all the time without ANY ill effects.  So why would you strive for Max engine oil level?     That said, you can fill to slightly above the red circle and nothing really bad happens.   If oil is totally filling the window with no oil line at all, that's probably too much oil.   I would let a bit out.   Again, this isn't a precision operation.  Shoot for ¾ of the red circle and end it.  

 

If your bike starts to get low on oil, like near the bottom of the red circle, you hear more valve ticking.   Time to to add.    

 

All this rigamarole with starting the engine and going for a ride, then center stand, wait 5 minutes....Yikes!  Don't you have anything better to do?  It's not critical to get it to the tippy top.  Why scare yourselves with this sort of anal retentive maintenance?  Do you think the dealer does all that?    How many bikes have been ruined due to not enough oil put in at an oil change?   I would guess none.   

 

What I really want to know, is how to uniformly polish the spokes on my GS.   There always seems to be a spot or two on one or more of them.  One time, I even saw a crushed bug.  I'm concerned that an uneven polish may be affecting the wheel balance.   

 

Don't worry. Be happy!

 

 

 

 

[dirtrider]

49 minutes ago, Yuro said:

 

 

1 to 72 hours later, I come back, put the plug and filter in.   I put 3.5 quarts in the bike, then WAIT.  ...then check the site glass.   It's usually near the bottom.  Then, it's a matter of topping it up and WAITING.  and NOT trying to reach the very top of the red circle.  I shoot for half-way between middle and top of red circle.   If I'm off a little either way, no blood.   

 

Remember, it's cold and cold oil will read lower than hot oil.  Get it above half-way and you are DONE.   

 

Over-filling will cause engine to shoot oil up in your air-filter box.   Ewww!.   It can blow the site-glass out on older BMWs.    It can cause higher pressure inside the engine case.  This can cause engine case gaskets to leak oil.   If oil level is too high, the crank splashes in the sump oil.   That robs power from the engine.    

 

Evening  Yuro

 

That is definitely under thinking it, I have no idea how you can set the proper oil level without running it long enough to fill the oil filter before setting the final level. 

 

joeb's 2009 hexhead would really have to be overfull for the crankshaft to splash in the sump oil as the crankshaft is way above the oil level. 

 

 

  

[Yuro]

It works.  My oil level is at ¾ every time I check.   Suit yourself.