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Thank you all for your your replies. I am almost following Mr Ferret's recommendation of not checking the oil level between oil changes (I do oil changes every 3,000 miles), but occasionally I do a quick check just to be on the safe side. I don't believe my CB1100 has ever burned a drop of oil in 30,000 miles because I have never observed a drop in the oil level, when measured through the sightglass. In 116,000+ miles I have never added a drop of oil between oil changes on my VFR800, but I have also never observed an inconsistent or low oil level when using the oil sight glass either, like on my CB1100. I'll drain out the excess oil I just put in, and keep riding. Hopefully, somebody on this forum will have a solution to why an inconsistent amount of oil drains into the crankcase when the motor is turned off; I don't believe I am the only member who has encountered this situation.
Posts: 994
Threads: 61
Likes Received: 43 in 16 posts
Likes Given: 8
Joined: Dec 2013
I performed a test today to try and get to the bottom of why my engine oil level changed unexplainably. I used a carpenter's level to measure exactly how level my bike sits by laying the level across the frame members located beneath the seat; this will indicate if the bike is tilted side-to-side. Much to my surprise, my driveway is not as level as I thought, and moving the bike just a couple of feet will produce a different reading in the sight glass. I discovered just how sensitive my bike is to perceived oil level when tilting it just slightly. So I take back everything I said about my bike producing inaccurate oil level measurements and place the blame totally on me. What I thought looked like an acceptable, vertical orientation of my bike when examining the oil level actually was not. I never experienced this problem on other bikes I have owned before; I assume they're just not as sensitive to slight tilting when checking the oil as the CB1100 is. From now on I think I'll use my carpenter's level to ensure my bike is properly oriented whenever I change the oil, or when I check it.
