Hey all,

Just a quick question. I've had my V for a week now and I've noticed that there is no oil in the sight glass when the bike isn't running. When it runs, it fills up to the "full" mark.

Is this normal? It seems weird to me that I'd have to check the oil level with the bike running. However, this is my first bike so there's a good chance I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.

Thanks,
David

That is bass-ackwards.

Make sure the bike is straight up and down, and NOT running and the level should be somewhere in the sight window (the oil is in the sump, not the engine).

When running, the sight window should be empty because all that oil is now working its way through all your moving parts. You will see some oil being thrown around through the sight glass, but it shouldn't look full.

David,

I have similar results. When I did my oil change, I added oil to the filter before installing it and then I added oil such that it was about 2/3 the way between the low mark and the high mark in the glass. After running the bike a bit, I now see very little oil in the glass when the bike is cold, but when I fire it up, it pretty much covers the window.

I'd say what you're seeing is normal.

Either that or we're both in trouble. :eek:

Ride safe.

dragon..its sounds like u don't have enough oil in your bike......when the bike is cold and standing upright the oil level should be between the two marks in the glass lens....I like to keep mine just above the halfway mark...its a good idea to add oil while the bike is standing up straight that way u can see the level easier.....

I was a bit freaked out to walking up to my bike and noticing no oil in the window. Then I stood it up straight and all was right with the world.

Now I have oil in the sight glass. Apparently, the parking lot at work is more level than the parking lot at home.

I am no longer feeling concern. :cool:

dragon..its sounds like u don't have enough oil in your bike......when the bike is cold and standing upright the oil level should be between the two marks in the glass lens....I like to keep mine just above the halfway mark...its a good idea to add oil while the bike is standing up straight that way u can see the level easier.....

Thanks crazydave58. I'll top it off this morning before I get on the road. :thumb:

The manual does state to start the bike and let it run a bit , then turn it off and check the level with the bike standing upright .

The level will also show in the glass when the bike idles and standing upright .

So whats the verdict Hugerider? Did standing it up while not running do the trick?

I had tried it at home and it didn't work. I checked when I was at work, and there is oil in the sight glass. I park on a bit of a slant at home and may not have straightened the bike up enough.

No problems here. Thanks guys.

Note "upright" means not leaning on it's side stand...stating the obvious maybe...but just in case.

Yeah, I know, I just didn't tilt it enough at home the first time (I was afraid of tipping it over).

Also stating the obvious, but it shouldn't be tilted. It should be standing straight and balanced. It is better checked when cold and settled with the engine stopped. The level does appear higher when the engine is still hot.
It should be started, let run for a up to a minute then stopped when checking if enough oil was put in when doing an oil change... If level is too high, remove any excess at the drain plug. My new V was actually delived with about half a quart too much oil in it, so I removed excess right away before I ever started it to prevent foaming and engine damage.