Is that "dangerous" for the bike ?

Electrolyse

Active Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
215
Location
Switzerland
Hello Folks,

this morning I went to the local dealer shop to get back my bike. As you may know I wanted a full service because the bike is not new and was stored outside for months.
I went back home and checked oil level and found that .. Is that a problem for the bike to have more oil than necessary ?

There is a MIN/MAX level not for nothing I guess. What do you think, should I go back there to remove oil, or can I ride it without any problem ?

Thanks for the answer, I almost know nothing about mechanics.
 

Attachments

Sierra1

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
15,015
Location
Joshua TX
. . . . Short answer: Don't worry about it.
+1.

1) She doesn't use any oil between oil changes. 2) Factory says the capacity is 3.6L with an filter change. 3) I put the entire 4L bottle in, because she goes from "too low" to your picture if you chase the "middle of the window". 4) because of having two oil chambers, it would be hard to actually "overfill" the oil.

If you start doing the oil changes yourself, just make sure you pull both drain plugs. If you only pull one plug, and then put 3.6L back, that's about the only way to overfill her.
 

Top Ten

Active Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2018
Messages
105
Location
Rockwall, Texas
Most guys on this forum might say "don't worry about it" because they do their own oil changes. They know they added the right amount of oil. This is a well known topic among ST owners.

But in this case I might disagree with the don't-worry-about-it attitude. The only way I could not worry about it is if I was the one that did the oil change myself; I drained the old oil properly, I measured the new oil properly, and I filled it myself. Although the odds are everything is OK, and my bike occasionally shows too much oil also, I can relax knowing it has the proper amount of oil because I did the oil change myself. As mentioned above, the oil-sight windows on the ST seem to be very inconsistent. Motorcycle shops can, and do, make mistakes. Now, you might ride it today and it shows too much oil. Tomorrow you might ride it and it shows too little. If that is the case, your oil level is probably about right. If it always shows too much, you can't be sure what you are dealing with unless you check it. The trouble is, to check or fix this problem requires you to drain the oil, measure the amount, then return it to the crankcase. You can also look for tell-tale signs of oil over-fill, such as finding an excessive amount of oil in your airbox.

I would ride the bike, look for signs of over-fill, check the oil level frequently for awhile. See if the oil level fluctuates up and down. If it runs good and doesn't do anything strange, you are probably OK.
 
Last edited:
B

ballisticexchris

Guest
I remember getting this cheap Toyota station wagon once. It smoked and had spongy brakes. I almost was going to get a motor out of the junk yard. My uncle pulled the dipstick and it was way overfilled. The brakes were an easy fix. As soon as I pulled off the cap I noticed a rainbow colored fluid in there. Power steering fluid was mixed with the brake fluid. Flushed out the fluid and all was good. It ran good for a few more years.....
 

Electrolyse

Active Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
215
Location
Switzerland
Thank you very much for all your answers. So I am not doing anything, I'll just drive drive and drive ! (and from time to time inspect the oil level)

cheers -
 

PhilPhilippines

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2020
Messages
952
Location
Philippines
My Husky TR650 has a dry sump. Are oil level inconsistencies/awkwardness of checking a peculiarity of this type of sump?

I have to drain the upper, then drain the sump and change oil filter. Fill with 1.5 liters, run for a few minutes and top up with 0.5 liter. Then, run until the fan cycles, or even better, ride for10 minutes. Check again and adjust.

I am sure at some point I have to point the bike due north, stand on my left leg and shout "hallelujah", but I'll have to check the 500 page instructions on "Oil Changing" for small print.

Luckily I have done it enough times to laugh about it. Even the "how to" dipstick instructions (yes...., really) don't faze me any more lolololol
 

EricV

Riding, farkling, riding...
2011 Site Supporter
2012 Site Supporter
2013 Site Supporter
2014 Site Supporter
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
8,292
Location
Tupelo, MS
@Electrolyse - Sadly, no one asked you if you know how to check the oil level at the sight glass using the correct factory procedure outlined in the owner's manual?

Do you have an owner's manual? If so, read up on the oil check procedure, then try that and see what happens to the oil sight glass level.

Just looking at the window at some random point in time tells you nothing. Never mind side stand Vs center stand, cold Vs hot, etc.

It's a dry sump design. This means that no matter what you do, there is only about a quart of oil in the actual engine at any given time. The sump holds all the rest. When the motor is running it pumps oil thru the engine and returns it back to the sump. If the sump is low, the volume of oil flows thru the engine at a faster rate, meaning you cycle the same oil more times, but there is still only the same quart or so of oil in the engine at any given time.

If the sump is over filled, you still only have the same quart or so of oil in the engine at any given time. The total volume of oil would be cycled thru slightly slower since there is more oil present. At high rpms, say over 8k rpms, you may get a little more blow-by and find some excess oil in the bottom of the airbox. There is a drain there with a hose on the clutch side rear corner that you can un-plug and drain w/o taking the bike apart too.

If you don't have an owner's manual, order one online. Or ask the dealer to get you one. They are not expensive and can be kept under the seat. It's a handy reference. I make lines on empty pages and write down when I do service to the bike like oil changes, repairs, etc. I also make a tire log and write down the date & mileage I put a tire on, and the date and mileage I take the tire off and some comments on what I liked or didn't like about that tire. Something like this:

Date on F/R Brand/Type Mileage on Mileage off Total miles Comments
02/15/20 R Metzler Anakee III 22365 33458 11093 Resisted flat spotting, good road traction, still had some life left. Would buy again.
02/15/20 F Anakee III 22365 33458 11093 Horrible tri-band wear pattern, cupping, awful tire in the rain. Not worn out, but couldn't take it off soon enough. Never buy again!

Bonus, the next owner of your bike gets to see a nice record of what was done and when, plus your experience with tires.
 

fac191

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2016
Messages
2,846
Location
London
To be honest changing the oil and filter is relatively easy. The hardest part is getting the old filter off. If you can get into doing it yourself you save money and have a better understanding of your bike. And after doing it and knowing its done correct when you start the bike and its warmed up listen to the engine and you get to know it. I dont check the oil i listen. This engine is noisy i cant ride it without earplugs. But its normal so i dont worry about it. There is also the warning light aswell.
 

Electrolyse

Active Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2020
Messages
215
Location
Switzerland
@Electrolyse - Sadly, no one asked you if you know how to check the oil level at the sight glass using the correct factory procedure outlined in the owner's manual?

Do you have an owner's manual? If so, read up on the oil check procedure, then try that and see what happens to the oil sight glass level.
Thank you for your post Eric, and no I don't, that is why I checked and found that :

I will read that carefully ;)
 

thughes317

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 27, 2018
Messages
1,072
Location
The Bluegrass, KY
Thank you for your post Eric, and no I don't, that is why I checked and found that :

I will read that carefully ;)
Owners manual, direct from mama Yama for view and/or download:

 
Top