Oil Sight Glass Level

[snoone]

Did I read somewhere (maybe here) that it is 4 oz's from the bottom of the sight glass to the middle of the glass and another 4 oz to the top? And thats why many people add oil in 4 oz increments? Or not

[Mr. Frank]

Double that. It's about 16 oz. top to bottom. People add small amounts because consistent readings aren't always easy. You don't want to over fill.

[glwestcott]

Consistent readings are very hard to do. My first long ride on my 2001 R1100RT was through Oregon, Nevada, and Utah. I kept checking the oil because the bike had 25000 miles on it. Always looked good at each gas stop, but one morning in Utah, we waited to get gas until the morning. Long and short was the bike only ran for a couple of minutes twixt motel and gas station. You guessed it, no gas in the sight glass! I bought oil and added little at a time until I could see the oil again and ran it up to the middle of the glass. We headed out for California and I started having oil coming out of the filler plug. This led to having to reseat the part that the plug screws into with some gasket sealer once we had drained some oil. Certainly learned to make sure I have ridden at least 10 to 15 minutes before checking the oil. Typically check it in the morning if I have ridden long enough before parking, but if I haven't it doesn't show up yet I know from now having had the bike for another 43000 miles myself that its ok, I just didn't run it long enough. I do take a look later in the day after running, though just to make sure.

[rinty]

If I'm on a trip, I check the sight glass on my oiler after it has been sitting on the centre stand for a while, such as in the morning, or after lunch. As long as I can see oil, I leave it alone. A few days before I go on a long trip, I start adding a few ounces at a time and let the oil drain for several hours, or overnight, gradually filling to the top of the glass. Then I don't have to carry oil.
The huge oil capacities that these bikes have (as much as some cars) is assuring.

Rinty