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Is this normal?


Jord

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Got the bike out today, haven’t used it for 3 weeks. I can remember reading somewhere on here that when the engine is running and the bike is on the stand the oil level in the glass should be at about half level, and it was so happy days. But then after it run for about 10 min still on the stand I checked the glass again and oil level was up past the full line like you’re expect to see if engine wasn’t running but the engine was?!? Just made me think it can’t be pumping oil around anymore?  Is this normal? 

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You got me worried when you replied with that so I have just been back out and had a another look. When it’s running and on the stand it only takes a slight nudge up off the stand and the level drops. When the engine isn’t running the bike is almost upright before the level starts to drop so I think I’m fine. Maybe it’s because I’m nearly at the full line when level is checked the correct way with engine off and bike level 

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Trying to gauge oil level with the bike on the side stand is not consistent or accurate, and you're only going to make yourself worry over nothing.

For one thing, parking the bike in different places will result on more or less of a lean because the ground is not always perfectly flat.

 

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Hold the bike up, on level ground (off the kick stand). You can either hold the bike upright at the "balance point", bend down and look at the sight glass, or have a friend hold the bike up for you. Never check the bike on the side stand. It will alway give a false reading.

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""W.O.T. until you see god, then brake"

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5 hours ago, Jord said:

Got the bike out today, haven’t used it for 3 weeks. I can remember reading somewhere on here that when the engine is running and the bike is on the stand the oil level in the glass should be at about half level, and it was so happy days. But then after it run for about 10 min still on the stand I checked the glass again and oil level was up past the full line like you’re expect to see if engine wasn’t running but the engine was?!? Just made me think it can’t be pumping oil around anymore?  Is this normal? 

Heat causes things to expand, oil is no different

It's volume will increase slightly as the engine warms up. 

And as @cornerslider mentioned, bike should be vertical

 A piece of 2x4 or similar under the kickstand in a level garage can help

Screenshot_20191130-120635.png

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ATGATT... ATTATT, two acronyms I live by.
 

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Thank you all for your sound advice, it’s much appreciated. I always normally just hold it at the balance point and get on my knees and check it. It was only by chance I remembered today someone on here said that when it’s running and on the stand it normally shows the correct level, when I looked it did exactly that and I thought happy days, but like I said.. after 10 min warming up on the stand it was no longer showing half but over full and I shat myself a tiny bit 🙄

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9 minutes ago, Jord said:

Thank you all for your sound advice, it’s much appreciated. I always normally just hold it at the balance point and get on my knees and check it. It was only by chance I remembered today someone on here said that when it’s running and on the stand it normally shows the correct level, when I looked it did exactly that and I thought happy days, but like I said.. after 10 min warming up on the stand it was no longer showing half but over full and I shat myself a tiny bit 🙄

Just a heads up when you do an oil change..... wait a minute or so after putting in new oil for it to settle into the pan before assuming it needs more. 👍

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DewMan
 
Just shut up and ride.

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6 hours ago, Jord said:

I can remember reading somewhere on here that when the engine is running and the bike is on the stand the oil level in the glass should be at about half level, and it was so happy days. 

Never check oil level with bike running

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18 hours ago, twf said:

Never check oil level with bike running

That's what I was getting at. That's why I initially responded with, "seriously?" I thought it was a rather obvious mistake that required no explanation.

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Beemer

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5 hours ago, Beemer said:

That's what I was getting at. That's why I initially responded with, "seriously?" I thought it was a rather obvious mistake that required no explanation.

I wasn’t asking how to check oil level, I was asking was it normal for the level to change after it has been running for awhile , which sorkyah kindly explained. The answer wasn’t obvious to me. 

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When bike is running oil level is below window and no way to tell. What you get is oil splashing over the window and it can appear full or empty and you simply can't tell how much oil is in there. 

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On 11/30/2019 at 2:15 PM, Jord said:

I remembered today someone on here said that when it’s running and on the stand it normally shows the correct level, when I looked it did exactly that and I thought happy days, but like I said.. after 10 min warming up on the stand it was no longer showing half but over full and I shat myself a tiny bit

While this forum has a TON of great information, it's worth your time to compare it to the manual for things as important as oil level. The manual is pretty straight forward as it tells you to

"Make sure the vehicle is upright"

"Start the engine, warm it up for several minutes, and then shut it off"

"Before checking the engine oil level, wait a few minutes until the oil has settled"

Just like any forum, there are people here who are great and have very good info, but sadly there are people who don't know what they are talking about which can cause some folks problems. When in doubt, do more research or post a question. Typically a number of people will respond, and usually the most consistent response is the correct one.

 

Edited by FZ07R WaNaB
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You mean Yamaha actually knows more about their engines than the internet?   Who'da thunk it!  

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In case your just wondering, with correct level of course, mine will show way overfull on stand and not running (overfull as in I cannot see the level because the whole glass is full of oil). And with bike level, I can start it and watch the oil level go down in the glass as it pumps it up/around.

This is not how to check oil, I was curious. 

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Yeh the theory I read was that when it’s on the stand and engine is running the level should be between the min and max, that turns out to be false too. Never mind. Live and learn 

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18 hours ago, Jord said:

I wasn’t asking how to check oil level, I was asking was it normal for the level to change after it has been running for awhile , which sorkyah kindly explained. The answer wasn’t obvious to me. 

"Maybe it’s because I’m nearly at the full line when level is checked the correct way with engine off and bike level.

It's good to see you understand why my surprised response and know now how to check your oil level. If you need anymore help just ask, that's what we're here for.  

 

 

Beemer

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“It's good to see you understand why my surprised response and know now how to check your oil level.”

its not the case that I didn’t know how to check my oil level. My concern was that the oil level in the window changed over time when it was running. 

 

 

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5 minutes ago, Jord said:

“It's good to see you understand why my surprised response and know now how to check your oil level.”

its not the case that I didn’t know how to check my oil level. My concern was that the oil level in the window changed over time when it was running. 

 

 

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On 11/30/2019 at 6:51 AM, Beemer said:

Seriously?

Yer killin' me man!  yer killin' me!  😂

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This is a repeat, but worth repeating:  Sometimes folks like to bring their engine oil to the very tip-top or perhaps a bit over full in their car/truck engines.  As long as that practice is not too extreme, I've never even heard of it causing a problem.  HOWEVER:  A motorcycle is not a normal car/truck engine.  The transmission is lubricated by the same oil as the engine.  I've found out that having the oil just a tad over the full mark will absolutely cause hard shifting.  When oil expands as it gets heated up, the problem will get worse.  Or it may not show up at all until the oil is hot. In the case of my prior bike, that is what happened.  Shifting was difficult once the oil was at full temp; it expanded.  From my own experience, the best place for the oil level is right smack between the low level and the high level on the site glass, while the oil is still at ambient temp.  When it warms up and expands, there has never been a problem.  Some owner's manuals specify exact oil amounts required but that assumes nothing is left in the heads or in any cracks or crevices, because when those OEM amounts are followed to the letter, the oil level is too high on the sight glass, and result is hard shifting.

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10 hours ago, rfmueller said:

This is a repeat, but worth repeating:  Sometimes folks like to bring their engine oil to the very tip-top or perhaps a bit over full in their car/truck engines.  As long as that practice is not too extreme, I've never even heard of it causing a problem.  HOWEVER:  A motorcycle is not a normal car/truck engine.  The transmission is lubricated by the same oil as the engine.  I've found out that having the oil just a tad over the full mark will absolutely cause hard shifting.  When oil expands as it gets heated up, the problem will get worse.  Or it may not show up at all until the oil is hot. In the case of my prior bike, that is what happened.  Shifting was difficult once the oil was at full temp; it expanded.  From my own experience, the best place for the oil level is right smack between the low level and the high level on the site glass, while the oil is still at ambient temp.  When it warms up and expands, there has never been a problem.  Some owner's manuals specify exact oil amounts required but that assumes nothing is left in the heads or in any cracks or crevices, because when those OEM amounts are followed to the letter, the oil level is too high on the sight glass, and result is hard shifting.

I never thought of that and that's exactly how my bike behaves, I always fill mine by way of ounces prescribed in the manual, I only look at the window afterwards just to see where the level came up to and it always reaches the top. Your tip makes sense, I'll give it a try and see if my hard shifting when the oil is hot goes away. Thanks for the tip! 🤞

Beemer

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