Questions from a noob rider (oil light)

[pprider]

should my oil light be in when i turn the key to the on position? an dto check the oil you have to twist the cap.. .doesnt that knock off all the oil before it comes out? or should i just stick the dipstick in and pull it out rather then twist it all the way on?

sorry  guys noob questions but i have sooo mcuh going through my head!

and OUCH do my thighs hurt my legs arent used to straddling a vibrator for 2 hour lol  ncan you say soar!

[spdracer75]

If you have the ignition set to on, but the bike isn't running, then yes, the oil light should be on.

The oil light is there to tell you there is no oil pressure.

If you ever see that light come on, pop the clutch, put her into neutral and pull over.  a seized engine isn't fun.



As for the dipstick, no, twisting it out won't affect the reading. if it's immersed in oil, the only way you'd sling enough oil off of it would be if you had it chucked into a drill.

[John Bates]

..... to check the oil you have to twist the cap.. .doesnt that knock off all the oil before it comes out? or should i just stick the dipstick in and pull it out rather then twist it all the way on?

Check out pantablo's post:

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5023&highlight=dipstick

which agrees with my owners manual for 92 GS.

[cernunos]

When you check your oil, unscrew the dip-stick, wipe it off, and then place it back in the hole but DO NOT screw it back in. The threaded part should just rest on the outside of the hole. Then pull the dip-stick back out and read the oil level. As long as the level is in the hatched area you are ok. Also, if the oil is just slightly over don't worry, but if it is way over, like about 1/8 inch too high, drain a little out. You are gonna love that bike and you'll love this forum too...I do.

C........

[proudlom]

Check out pantablo's post:

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5023&highlight=dipstick

which agrees with my owners manual for 92 GS.

My owner's manual says not to put the bike on the center stand when checking the oil.
It says:
[list=1]

• Hold the motorcycle vertically without the center stand.
  
• The oil filler cap threads are not run in but touching the filler hole upper edge.[/list:o]

[Kerry]

I've been meaning to do this for a LONG time....  The photos aren't the best, but here's some empirical evidence gathered out in the parking lot just now:

Centerstand	Vertical on both wheels	Sidestand

My conclusion?

There is a negligible difference between measuring the oil level with the bike on the centerstand vs with the bike vertical (with both wheels on the ground).  But there is a BIG difference between either of those and measuring with the bike on the sidestand.  (And that's not even with the sidestand fully "extended"!)

For me, the security and the repeatability of the centerstand position outweigh the small difference in the reading.

EDIT: Added [ table ] code to align captions with images

[kyzee]

Kerry from you pics, it seems that your oil level is slightly above the F line. Do you always keep your oil level above the F mark? I wonder at what level is considered overfilled.

[Dave Fowler]

If you are holding the bike lightly, just to balance it, you can be pretty sure that its vertical to well within a degree. On the centre stand, the bike is exactly perpundicular to the (possibly cambered) pavement. So I can understand why general advice would dictate supporting the bike without the centre stand.

I suppose the discrepency on the dipstick would be d x tan(a) where d is the distance of the dipstick from the centre of the bike and a is the angle of lean from the vertical. I'm guessing (from memory) that the dipstick is ~7" from the centre of the bike, so lean angle of 1 degree would equate to about 1/8th of an inch, 2 degrees would be about 1/4 of an inch.

I reckon my dodgy garage floor slopes 2 degrees in places!

[Kerry]

Do you always keep your oil level above the F mark?

NO.  This level is thanks to my brother who stayed with us a few weeks ago and rode the bike to a seminar in Salt Lake one day.  While he was out and about he somehow determined that the oil level was too low, added some straight dino juice (I think) and ended up overfilling it.

It wasn't so overfilled that I bothered to suck any out though.

I wonder at what level is considered overfilled.

I consider it overfilled when it comes up past the hatched-line box on the dipstick.

[The Buddha]

Also screwed in side stand = placed on center stand.
Cool.
Srinath.

[pprider]

what oil is best for my little beast?

[alexXx]

here we go...this recent and ongoing thread is all about oil...

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12062


- alex

[kyzee]

Do you always keep your oil level above the F mark?

NO.  This level is thanks to my brother who stayed with us a few weeks ago and rode the bike to a seminar in Salt Lake one day.  While he was out and about he somehow determined that the oil level was too low, added some straight dino juice (I think) and ended up overfilling it.

It wasn't so overfilled that I bothered to suck any out though.

I wonder at what level is considered overfilled.

I consider it overfilled when it comes up past the hatched-line box on the dipstick.

I have the same problem. Some dude friend of mine decided my oil level is low and added some juice into my gearbox. Slightly ovefilled, but i won't worry too much about it. I remeber someone posted  in a thread stating that most engine design will allow a tolerence of up to 1 qt of oil over the F mark. (i'll try to find the thread) Hope he/she is right.  :dunno:

[Kerry]

Do you always keep your oil level above the F mark?

NO.  This level is thanks to my brother who stayed with us a few weeks ago and rode the bike to a seminar in Salt Lake one day.  While he was out and about he somehow determined that the oil level was too low, added some straight dino juice (I think) and ended up overfilling it.

This was the same brother who had me believing that he had gotten 75 mpg while riding my bike.  (I got about 55 mpg before and after his visit.)

It took me a whole tankful to realize that he hadn't used my "special technique" when he filled the tank, and therefore had not put in as much as I would have.  (Whew!)