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[Perorec]

Hello, can you please tell me what's the minimum oil level for RE bullet, iron cast 500, 5 speed, year 2006, that's still safe for bullet to ride (not just idling)? I'm asking because I was riding my bullet by not knowing it had little oil in. I'm afraid some damage might happen to machine. Thanks

[Leon Novello]

Usually, as long as there is oil showing on the dipstick, it will only need about 500 ml to top up. If your motorcycle uses a lot of oil, I would recommend fitting an oil temperature gauge, the sensor is through the reservoir drain plug. Oil never gets hotter than 60c, which is way below the optimum around 80C, even on the hottest Summer days.
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[Perorec]

Oil level was just under dipstick.

[Leon Novello]

I carry an old 500ml plastic tomato sauce bottle of oil on long trips, never needed more than that even if the oil was below the dipstick. Enough to get more oil at the next petrol stop on very long journeys. If it does get very low, the temperature gauge will rapidly start to move across the dial.

[Bullet Whisperer]

Hi Perorec, The oil pumps are a good bit lower than the end of the dipstick, so the feed pump will be gravity fed for some way after the oil does not reach the end of the dipstick, in fact, owing to the internal layout of the feed passageway from the 'tank' to the feed pump, this pump would in all probability be able to draw oil up from below its' own level, just as the scavenge pump has to do, although I wouldn't want to chance that one for too long! If you 'eye in' the level of oil you had, against the level of the feed pump and find the oil was higher than it, then all should be well. Regards, Paul.

[jefrs]

If when doing an oil change one was to start the engine to circulate the oil with it partially filled, one would hear the oil pumps start to suck oil; the engine notes changes very obviously - you should be able to hear when the engine stops sucking oil.



As Bullet Whisperer says, the pumps are below the bottom dipstick mark. I have no idea myself how far below on this 2006 cast iron but on the current EFI it seems to be at least 1 litre below full, in other words, a lot.



What I'm getting at I think is there is no need to panic if the oil disappears below the low mark, and the engine will let you know when it is in distress by rapidly getting very hot and making strange noises; switch off, top it up, let it cool and find cause.



Temperature gauge - the rocker cover keeps fairly cool, when the engine is at 60°C you can keep your hand on the rocker cover, at 80° you can touch it but it will feel too hot to hold, if you cannot touch it then it is over heating. I got a little infrared thermometer from Maplins for a few bob, useful tool bag toy.

[Perorec]

Thank you. I didn't hear any strange noises while driving. But when I got home and parked bike I heard some little extra noise, sounded like some banging inside barrel (maybe near Bottom). After one hour I started bike and everything was fine. Next day I filled oil, did a 150km ride and bike was running without extra noises.