Where's my oil going ?

[catdna]

Hi All

Yet another problem with my XS11 (2 wheeler) - I appear to be losing oil - randomly.

The bike has been parked in the same spot, and there's not a spot of oil to be found on the floor or under the engine - yet the level seems to drop off ramdomly.

My wife followed me while riding the other day and said occasionally there was the odd puff of smoke (she said it looked like it happened when I changed gear, but not all the time). Another friend followed me on his bike last week and said he didn't see anything.

Last sunday I checked my oil and it had dropped below the 'minimum' level in the sightglass - I must have added about 1/4 of a liter to top it back up. I just checked the oil today and again, it was below the minimum level - again, about another 1/4 of a liter to top it up. (It was fine on thursday when I last checked - and I only used the bike once since then - a 30 mile ride at night - no major speeds or anything untoward on that journey).

Weird -the bike runs fine, no odd noises, no smoke at start up / idle - so where's all the oil going ? and *when* exactly is it happening ?

... and more importantly ... what can I do about it ?

Cheers
Chris

[mason79]

same thing with my car, what brand and viscosity of oil are you using?

[DenyP]

My 1100E does the same when I push it for extended periods. I use Castrol 20/50 which has always searved me well. I would suggest checking compression. This is what I intend to do again when I return from the trip I am on.

Deny

[gareth]

Do you park your bike on the side-stand or the center-stand.?

I only ask because I have a very slow leak just under the oil level sight glass that doesn't weep until the bike is upright and runnning, or on the center-stand..

If I park it on the center-stand, run the bike for a while, let the oil heat up, thin out, etc...then I can see where the leak is coming from..

[catdna]

I haven't actually changed the oil on the bike since I've had it (3 weeks now) - it's being done next week when the new clutch goes in (it's still a bit 'slippy' - could this be burning it ?)

I'll be using 20/50 in there (same as I use on the trike - non synthetic - that's right yes ?)

I've been parking my bike on the center stand since I've had it (figured it's cheaper than going to the gym ) and been watching the level closely. There's no oil anywhere on the crankcases that I can spot (only usual road-muck underneath) - I did spot about half a teaspoon of oil inside the timing cover... which I thought was odd)

It first happened a couple of weeks ago - before a ride out (of about 70 miles) - perfectly within the lines, yet after a bit of 'hard' riding (on a private road, honest officer), when I got home, it was below the minimum level).

Same thing today - I checked the level on thursday night and it was fine, took it out for a run (again, about 50-70 miles, some 'hard' riding again) and it had dropped almost to minimum level) - it appears the harder I ride the bike, the more it uses.... sometimes !

I'll get hold of a compression tester this week - maybe pull the crankcase hose out and see how smoky it is ?

Also - this model has an oil cooler (which I understand is unusual for UK models) - does having an oil cooler mean you have to put more oil in the bike than the usual 3.5 (or whatever it is) liters ?

Any more thoughts ?

Cheers
Chris

[MrOzz]

When you have a oil cooler you will need more oil than what is listed in the repair manuals. Around 1 quart I would guess.

[catdna]

When you have a oil cooler you will need more oil than what is listed in the repair manuals. Around 1 quart I would guess.

Aha !

So with the oil cooler fitted - how do I know when I've added enough oil - surely the site glass will just fill to the normal level, even though I've not got enough in there for the cooler as well ? or is there somewhere on the cooler to add extra oil ? (I've got to admit, I've barely looked at the cooler since I've had the bike - except for running my hands around it looking for oil leaks)

Ta

Chris

[mstic2000]

I know when I checked the oil thru the glass in my garage it was different than when I checked it in the driveway. Although they both seem to be level there is a slight difference and hence the different oil levels. JAT

[TopCatGr58]

Depending on the size of the radiator, length of cooling lines, it can take another 1/2 quart or so compared to regular non-cooled bike. And it may be that sometimes the oil doesn't drain back down from the radiator back into the tranny pan as much. Manual says ~3.5 quarts for oil/filter change, so I'd start with that, fire it up, then turn it off, let it sit a few minutes, check and then add as indicated by siteglass. However, with the oil cooler, I would lean towards the FULL indicator or even a little over vs. the minimum indicator. It takes more oil to fill the cooler and lines, and so there will be less in the tranny if it's not full enough while it's running.

Also, you may be getting some leakage around the left crank seal. The timing cover has a vent at the bottom, and so oil can be leaked out to the ground/road when it leaks around the crank seal. Also you can loose some from the front cam chain tensioner if the plug has gotten loose.
T.C.