| Author | Message | ||
     Hkwan |
All, I need some comment from you XB12 owners (BTW, I do "hot check" the oil level): 1) The oil level always stays right at the lower mark even I'd add oil up to the middle of the upper & lower mark 1 week before. I've seen at least one person experiencing that. Do some of you people see that as well? 2) The oil reservoir at the swingarm is just, well, a reservoir. As long the oil pressure is kept correctly, there should be enough oil for the engine's vital parts. Am I correct here? meaning a +/- 10oz oil in the reservoir is no big deal? 3) The manual says it takes ~4 oz to fill from lower mark to the upper mark, I've added about that amount but the level shown on the dip stick hardly moves, what gives? Should I be that worry about the oil level as long it is touching the lower mark? | ||
| Wyckedflesh  |
1) Are you sure you aren't going through that much oil in one week, or is that how it checks out through out the week? 2)+10oz is no biggie, -10oz could be a problem if you were leaned away from the pick up and that -10oz uncovered the pickup. 3)Are you certain you are measuring/cleaning off the stick well enough? Could you in fact be lower on oil, but the residue from when you initially pulled the stick is showing? Are you putting the stick back in after cleaning it off totally and twist it back snug before pulling it back out to check? Are you doing this consistently? | ||
| Stealthxb  |
Hkwan... Mine is a complete pain in the @ss too! It is near impossible to get a decent reading. | ||
| Mesafirebolt |
I just finished breaking in my XB12R. It has a strange noise from the front of the engine. kinda like a ratle. It also will backfire if your not careful with the throttle. I haven't had to add oil yet. level is ok. Kinda funky dipstick though | ||
| Glitch  |
Hkwan, if that's a consistent reading, that's more than likely *your* full mark. If you end up overfilling it a few ounces, it will just blow out the vent tubes inside the air box. | ||
| M1combat  |
"It has a strange noise from the front of the engine. kinda like a ratle" I'm pretty sure that's normal (although I obviously haven't heard yours). I think all HD style valve trains do that. | ||
| Glitch |
It has a strange noise from the front of the engine. Is this your first Harley engined bike? | ||
| Glitch |
Great minds think alike, and post at the same time! | ||
| Hkwan |
I'm pretty sure it isn't burning oil. I don't have to add oil every week. It stays SOLIDLY at the lower mark over time. As a matter of fact, even if I add ~5oz, I don't even see an increase in the level when I check for it right after adding. Very weird. Where does your oil level rest at when you Hot Check the level? | ||
| Reepicheep  |
My cyclone always did that. Fill it up, and it spit it out, until it was back at the bottom of the dipstick, where it would sit unchanged until the next oil change. Never made sense. | ||
| Hkwan |
Oh, btw, I didn't spot any extra oil in the air intake compartment (I've the FORCE intake kit). Also, I am doing all the basic steps correctly and carefully when checking oil - clean, re-inserting the dip stick, etc. I've around 3950 miles on the bike. (Message edited by hkwan on February 04, 2005) | ||
| Mesafirebolt |
Yeah, first harley engine. I was just concerned about the active exhaust valve and/or the tappets.. The bike has a funny idle. I see those dipsticks for sale 50 bucks though? I like the shrink wrap. use some medium sand paper on it to make some placed for the oil to accumulate. | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Shane, check your idle and make sure its 1050-1150. Below that and the bike itself gets grumpy. Chandler HD/Buell is the closest to you and I am not sure how much longer Hacienda is going to be Buell involved. Check out AZbuellers in the storm fronts section for the rest of us AZers. As far as the valve, you shouldn't hear anything from it as it sits more towards the middle bottom of the engine. The tappets are located as well towards the middle of the motor. If your hearing a sound high up on the front, its the valve clatter and its commor. | ||
| Hkwan |
So, what about the oil level? How did the post got change from engine oil to sound anyways?  | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
Try going for a long ride. Check the oil level before you leave, then at your first fuel stop, then the next then when you get back home and check how the level moves. As Glitch mentioned for your bike that could be the sweet spot of the level. If at each stop you notice the level being at a different point then you know it isn't and need to work some more to figure out the sweetspot. | ||
| Mesafirebolt  |
Thanks Wycked!} | ||
| Cyko_bob  |
Sorry Hkwan, but I feel compelled to respond to Mesafirebolt about the engine sounds. I want our fellow riders to have an enjoyable riding experience without worrying about it. Most Harley engines sound like thrashing machines to me unless they have a loud exhaust. I think part of it is the primary for all Harley engines. For the Sportster derived engines you have four cams, and it seems to me the more cam lift you have the noisier they are...the pushrod guides coming off the ramps from the cams. My Sportster Sport is really loud, noisier than the previous Sportster I had which had a milder cam. My XB sounds noisy when I am sitting on it, but does not sound so noisy when I am standing beside it. I am really surprised it does not sound as noisy as my Sportster, but still noisy. Like so many on the board have said, glad you have a Buell, now enjoy the heck out of it...Fun Bike! Cyko Bob | ||
| Blake |
Henry, If the level stays no lower than the low mark, you are fine. | ||
| Dale |
I have to touch the dip stick to tell were the level is, even with yellow shrink tube. Oh and please tell me again how the loud noises do not mean the motor is self destructing. | ||
| Charlieboy6649  |
Welcome Mesa and congrats on your bike. See you in AZ BUELLERS???! |
