SV650 lost some oil

[stranger12]

Hellooo,

Bike: SV650S red 2005

I am struggling on how to check my engine oil.
while straight I did ask a friend to have a look at it and it was just above L . when sat on it, it did raise a bit above L. while on stand it was below L so confused over all

How do you guys check it , sat on it, on jack just raise it or how ?


They bike oil was full only about 1 month ago and seems strange to loose about maybe 500ml or more. it has dropped from F to just above L.

no blue smoke nothing so not sure how it has burned it . they engine revs perfectly and I infact rev it hard and it never complains.

what do you think could have caused the oil to drop below F?


as always many thank for all inputs

[Fallout]

I always check my oil on a paddock stand when it's cold. You can't see it properly if you check it while you're sat on it. You need to look at the sight glass from the side, otherwise the lines will be out, plus you'll probably lean the bike a bit when you look at it. So really you need to get yourself an auxiliary stand, or if you're brave, lean it against a wall, or always get a mate round to help you. (Easiest to get a stand).

How many miles have you done in that month? I doubt F to L is 500ml. I never measured with my SV, but my gixxer is 300ml F to L.

[Bibio]

i use an axle stand set at the hight so when the right foot peg bracket (same side as sight glass) is resting on it the bike is straight up and down. then i just gently lower it onto the side stand again. you could use a bit of wood or anything as long as its at the right hight.

[Tomor]

A brick works quite well :D

[stranger12]

so take it it is not possible to stand on it and test ? i can sit on it and ask someone to check but the level differs from when i just hold it and ask someone to look at it

what do you think the oil loss would have been for ?

[Mauler]

I can't comment on the oil loss apart from suggesting looking for leaks around the engine casing, but if you're on the bike your weight pushes the rear of the bike down which can affect the oil level in the viewing window.

Best to do it as the other guys have said; with the bike up on a stand or held upright by a wall/friend.

[Fallout]

All bikes use oil. If you tell us the total mileage of the bike and how many miles you've done since it went from F to L, we can speculate on if it's reasonable or not.

[ChrisCurvyS]

If you've not got a paddock stand, it's pretty easy to hold the bike from the right hand side and find the point where it's completely balanced - that's when you should be checking the oil.

It will always show a lower level if you tilt the bike to the left and a higher level when tilted to the right, hence falling below L when you put it on the sidestand.

I always find the difficult bit is seeing through the sight glass - bright sunlight or a torch helps.

[Biker Biggles]

If you've not got a paddock stand, it's pretty easy to hold the bike from the right hand side and find the point where it's completely balanced - that's when you should be checking the oil.

It will always show a lower level if you tilt the bike to the left and a higher level when tilted to the right, hence falling below L when you put it on the sidestand.

I always find the difficult bit is seeing through the sight glass - bright sunlight or a torch helps.

Or not having those useless fairings that get in the way;)

[stranger12]

it did lost 250 ml after around 1 month or 1000 milesh, has this happened to you guys?

[yorkie_chris]

so take it it is not possible to stand on it and test ? i can sit on it and ask someone to check but the level differs from when i just hold it and ask someone to look at it

what do you think the oil loss would have been for ?

Reason being (fairly obvious if you think about it) you have a different idea of what level is.

Kneel down beside it, lift it up, you can feel where "level" is because that is balanced. Observe oil level.

250ml in 1000 mile is nothing to worry about just top it up

[wideguy]

it did lost 250 ml after around 1 month or 1000 milesh, has this happened to you guys?
There are oil control rings on the pistons. They do a good job, but not perfect. There are oil seals on the valve guides, same thing for them. Pressure pulses in the crankcase blow oil mist out the breather, where it is routed into the airbox and then either burned in the combustion chambers or drained. There are a variety of sealed areas where rotating parts stick through the crankcase, and the crankcase halves themselves are sealed, as well as the clutch cover.
Depending on how well everything that is supposed to be sealed is actually sealed, engines normally burn some oil, and sometimes leak some too.
250ml/1000 miles is good. If it gets up to a quart/1000 miles, you might want to think about corrective action, though of course obvious leaks should be fixed as soon as possible.
And even at a quart/1000 miles, oil is cheap compared to an engine tear down and re-ringing.

[_Stretchie_]

Listen to Yorkie_Chris

Only thing I can add is how do you ride the bike? If you caine it then chances are some of oil that has disappeared is in your air box. Just keep an eye on it

[stranger12]

thanks for this posts. so take it that this is normal rather than a fault ?

[Serdna]

thanks for this posts. so take it that this is normal rather than a fault ?

With an SV, yes but KEEP AN EYE ON IT!

[yorkie_chris]

thanks for this posts. so take it that this is normal rather than a fault ?
Some use some, some don't. Not a big deal, just do not let it run out!

I check mine every time I get on it TBH, it's not hard to do once you get into the habit.