If you see oil in the glass, while its resting on the side stand, the crank case is WAY overfilled.

The oil should come up to the top of the 'good' zone only when it is held vertical.

You can damage the engine by riding with the crank case overfilled.  Drain it ALL out and refill it to the correct level.

Reelthing wrote on 04/04/08 at 06:08:40:


I just don't want the mess of changing the filter in someones driveway and don't want to do a full change without a new filter.  I'll probably bleed some out and do the full change at home.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 04/04/08 at 20:32:42:
yes cause best done with oil up to temp!!!

Yoiu know, when an angine is cold, the iol has all, I mean ALL run down into the sump. So, it doesnt drain from the sump as well, but, all I gotta do is let it drain longer. I am not a service man at a dealership, making a paycheck, so I dont mind popping the drain out, p[ulling the filter, cleaning that oil out, popping a new filter in, I can lean the bike over & let it drain. I haven't ever drained an engine cold & torn it down & compared that to draining an engine warmed up & tore it down, to see which has the most "Old Oil" left in it, BUT, I would venture a guess that the difference in negligible. Who has the scoop to convince me I should drain it warm?

Errrm,, ahhh, uhhhh, weelll,, actuallly,, ya see, I didnt GET no danged brownie, so I have Nothing to blame my mistake on. Crud, ehh? Floating while oil is hot, but settling to the sump when cold crud.. very sneaky crud. Man, I just pretty much blew it,, yea, 15 w would drain cold better thaN warm, which gets me thnking. Since all the oil, & its attendant "crud" as Verslagen calls it, has drained to the sump, would draining the oil, installing the plug & dumping a pint O diesel or liquid Berrymans in & sloshing it around a bit be a decent idea?

Keith_T wrote on 04/04/08 at 05:25:12:


keithert,
    Yes, oil level is checked with bike level....  or closed to level.  A std 2x4 is almost the right size, makes the bike just off level.  I use a Rough cut 2x4 oak stud from an old house.  It's almost level and is at the point where I keep an eye on it so it does not tip over.

 Next, being overfilled shouldn't do damage, but could be messy. To qualify my comment, ....  I've had the engine apart.  Heck, that's how I got it, a $500 eBay special.  I split the case to make sure it was clean.  It's a little surpirsing how simple the engine is.

http://www.users.fast.net/~tommack/100_1946.JPG

You most likely won't blow any oil seals since it's a low oil pressure engine.   What will happen is you will get a bunch more "splash".   That means more oil vapor in the case so it will come out the breather.   That can eventually get messy.  You should be able to drive it home...... might be good to drain a tiny bit though....

Hey..... you sound more & more that you're leaning to the savage.....  

If I put gasoline in oil & stir, will it seperate if I leave it alone? I know it is different viscosities, but it will stay a homogenous mix, right?
So, even if oil is drained from the bottom, it will be just as poluted as the top oil in the sump? Should be able to smell it if thers much gas, if not, a match at 1/4 inch should do the trick, Huh? Make sure thats a LONG stick on that match, dont scorch a finger.