Hitchcocks Forum

OK, I've read the manual BUT my new Classic 500 had the glass full of oil all the time from delivery. The only way to get the oil on the glass is to lean her over. OK. I thought the dealer has overfilled but this would soon correct itself with running in. Now done 280 miles and still the glass is full. And yes the engine is warmed up with the bike of level ground on centre stand.: glass is full, switch off, glass still full. Rev engine to suck up oil - still full.
I'll be going for the first service soon and I wondered if things have changes since the manual instructions so I'll know what I'm talking about with the dealer.
On the positive side there is no smoke or leaks or fouled plug like I've read could happen so why is the "full" level so critical?

If the bike is running ok then there is no need to worry, you are coming up to a 300 mile service so ask your dealer to refill the oil so the level is between low and high marks on window. Checking the oil level thru the window on these EFI engines is difficult because the level will show high one day and low the next. It would seem that oil gets trapped in the engine somewhere and gives a false reading, if the correct amount of oil is put in at its service and you can see oil in the window then all is well.

Shouldn`t there be a drain hole at the bottom of the sight glass? So the oil can drain out when the level is low. Maybe there is something blocking it.

The usual "problem" is that the oil level looks too low because the oil is trapped in one or more of the compartments in the crankcase, so owners add more oil and overfill the engine. If the sight glass is full but the level appears when the bike is leaned over on the prop stand then it won't be drastically overfilled and can safely be ignored until the first service by the apparently incompetent dealer. It does matter if it is significantly overfilled because there is a risk of blowing an oil seal if the breather cannot cope. Putting a drain screw below the sight glass to drain the oil when the level is low strikes me as an eminently sensible idea.....not.

There are several internal holes to let the oil flow in and out of the sight glass cavity

There seems to be some confusion about the drain hole position in the sight glass; as ric says, the drain hole/holes are inside.

easy picture upload

The only way I can get an accurate reading in the oil sight glass on the ball and chain's VS800 Suzuki is to use a "cruiser" jack and a spirit level. (Any deviation from plumb upright makes a very big difference to the level in the sight glass.)

I did my 600 service myself as the dealers mechanic went on paternity leave the day I hit 600 miles. I measured the oil out and got 200 ml more than expected. When I put the measured manual quantity in the glass was still totally full but using a spirit level or rocking the bike I could now get a visible level where as previously this was impossible. Its a rubbish design. I wouldn't worry too much, they don't seem to use any oil.

Andy

That's all I do, just put the specified amount in after taking time leaning the bike over both ways and fore and aft to get as much old oil out as I can. I don't bother about what the sight glass says as it'll tell me something different next time anyway.