I am sure this will have been addressed before, but the search didn`t bring it up.
The manual says to check the oil when hot, immediately after a ride. This seems a bit weird to me. What is the concensus on this?Mark Shelley2014-05-08 12:25:09
Mark at Twiggers advised me to ignore the manual on this one, and check the oil after the Breva has been standing for a night, so that the all the oil has settled, to avoid the risk of overfilling. So that’s what I do.
My lil’Breva says to check hot.I do as Graham UK and leave overnight.
Yes, I thought it made little sense. Maybe it got lost in translation somewhere when the manual was produced
Whatever the vehicle, my rule has always been check oil level when cold, drain when hot.
In my humble opinion the oil level should always be checked with the vehicle on a level ground, upright and with engine having been run for at least a few minutes.Given that the dipstick is designed to give an indication of the amount of oil which is sitting in the sump; the level should be sufficient to ensure that the “reservoir” of available oil is up to but not beyond the maximum fill level.Large quantities of oil may be generally distributed throughout the engine; in oil-ways and cylinder head rocker spaces etc…during normal running and to ensure that there is always a sufficient supply, the sump level should be maintained.During braking, acceleration and spirited cornering the sump level would fluctuate and one would not want there to be a lack of cooling-cleaning and lubrication.Given that some earlier models definitely suffered from excessive crankcase pressure if there was too much oil added; the level in the sump( i.e. below the pistons) is critical. The after market sump extensions were designed to alleviate this on the T3, Spada, G5 and early Le Mans.In the 35 years I have owned many different Guzzi machines I have used this method and have not been disappointed with the result.
The way to check a bike’s oil level varies wildly from bike to bike so I can only assume the handbook is correct. The common theme though is that all of the bikes I have owned have required the engine to be hot.
Examples;
My 955i Tiger had to be hot, then the engine switched off and the bike left for ten minutes before checking the oil with the bike upright. Many dealers don’t bother to do this properly and over-fill them.
My wife has 2 Buells, one of which the oil is checked on the sidestand with the engine switched off, the other is checked with the engine running and upright.
My Guzzi needs a hot engine switched off but the bike upright and there’s no ten minute wait.
So - not so ‘simples’ is it?
JonSquarepants2014-06-23 06:52:04
I couldn’t be asked! Check it cold, is it between max. and min., yes, that’ll do. I agree bike has to be upright and on level ground.