justin_o_guy2 wrote on 06/06/13 at 05:07:25:According to the handbook you should run the engine for a few minutes and then stop it for a few minutes before checking the level.
& To Me, that makes exactly NO sense..
I agree, and here's why:
Two cases.
The first case is that you go out to the bike, that's been sitting outside all night, to check the oil level. You do what the book says and start the engine and let it idle for a few minutes. You interpret "a few" to mean two. You shut it down and wait the prescribed three minutes. You then take your measurement. Did I mention that the outside air temperature was -10 deg F when you did your check?
Two minutes of idling in this case will change to oil from having a consistency of asphalt to that of molasses. Your check will seem to indicate that the engine oil is low, everything else being equal.
For the second case, the factors remain the same, except that the bike has been sitting in the hot sun all day. The outside air temperature is 120 deg F.
For this case, you will most likely get an accurate oil level reading.
What do I do? Well, if I want to check the oil level, I just check it before the first startup of the day.
Works for me!