06-03-2017, 04:35 PM
(06-03-2017, 02:42 PM)ohiorider_imp Wrote: Is this sight glass Honda 'retro?'
How long should the bike sit on the center stand after a ride before checking the oil level? Or put another way, if the bike is on the center stand cold, and oil appears to be toward the low side of the window, is this the time to add a bit of oil?
I've ridden for over 500,000 miles, and aside from one early Oilhead ('95 R1100RS) never had an issue determining oil level before starting out on a ride, or during a ride.
A dipstick would have been nice.
I don't have the manual in front of me, but I recall that it says to wait 2 or 3 minutes after shutting down the engine before checking the window.
If it's near the bottom of the window after sitting overnight, I'd add a half quart and check it again. It doesn't take much oil to go from the bottom of the window to the top.
My old Kawasaki KZ bikes all had the sight glass (and I hated them), but I think Honda has favored dipsticks for the models I've owned (except of course the CB11). Not sure why they went with the sight glass, but I suspect the design of the bottom end didn't allow direct access from the filler to the sump.