Did you start it and let it run for a bit before you checked the level?  Oil can drain back into the sump from the oil passages and filter over time.  I am not sure it woudl make a lot of difference.....but the manual cliams you should run it before checking the oil level.

My thoughts do differ. Over filling can cause the oil to foam. Foamy oil does not pump well by the oil pump.

The engineers who designed the engine ran thousand of miles of test to see what worked well. I don't believe they pulled the oil level recommendation out of the air just to put something down.

I follow the recommended oil level. Others have free will to do as they see fit.

AS

Doug wrote on 06/05/13 at 11:27:43:


Doug, the question is: Is the oil level higher than it was the last time you checked it? If so then Routy is right on track, the float needle is not fully seating and allowing the float bowl to overfill and seep into the crankcase. Do you leave the raptor in the on position all the time?

I'm still trying to get the hang of holding the bike upright while getting down to eyeball the oil level in the window. It was a bit low when I added last night, but still visible in the window. I tried pouring oil in slowly and did get a bit above the top mark, but the window above oil line is still visible. This is with the bike both upright and engine warmed up a bit as recommended. I imagine this is still within the safe zone and doesn't fall into over filling range. Thoughts? Is there some tolerance either way on oil level?

Get a block of wood six to eight inches square and about two and three quarter inches thick, put it under the stand, the bike should be close to vertical then. 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.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 06/06/13 at 05:07:25:


The only thing I think this does....is make sure the oil filter and passages are full of oil when you check the level in the sump.  If the bike is parked for a long period of time, the oil can slowly flow past the oil pump and drain most of the oil out of the passages, top half of the oil filter, and all the lines leading up to the cylinder head.  By startng the bike and running it a few minutes the air is purged out and the lines and filter are filled.  Shutting it off and letting it sit for a few mintues won't allow these passages to drain - but it will allow the foam to dissipate and the oil thrown around the inside of the engine to settle down.

Not sure if it makes much difference on a bike that is run regularly.  Out of curiosity I will have to look at my oil level now that I haven't ridden since Monday night......then start the bike and shut if off.....and see if the level changed....I bet it doesn't make 1/16" difference in the window.

Routy wrote on 06/06/13 at 05:33:22:


Now that is a thought.  I have had 3 really nasty burns from hot chrome exhaust pipes.....2 of them occurred while chaning oil.