SV650 lost some oil

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

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

Or not having those useless fairings that get in the way

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