Greetings (SilverGrin)

[SilverGrin]

Howdy, I'm new to the bored and thought I'd introduce meself with a question.
My wife has an ACE Honda Shadow 750, and before touring the south island last fortnight, I thought I'd check her (bikes) oil level (49,000 Km's clocked).

My question is; Should I check the oil level while the bike is on the stand, or while it's upright, and do I take the dipstick reading while it's fully screwed in, or resting in its ...erm...hole?

Thanks in advance.

PS: Nice place you got here, and yes, the misspelling was intentional.

[Trudes]

Hi SilverGrin, welcome to KB!!
Check the oil level while upright, as for a dip stick, I didn't know they had one......
Anyway, hope someone comes forth with the answers to your questions!!

[kiwifruit]

welcome to the site :)

my guesses;
with the bike upright, with the dipstick screwed in

[jrandom]

I thought I'd check her (bikes) oil level (49,000 Km's clocked).

One assumes that this is not the first time in said 49,000 kilometers that the oil level has been checked!

:laugh:

[mstriumph]

scarey thought, that, mr Random :confused:

[SilverGrin]

One assumes that this is not the first time in said 49,000 kilometers that the oil level has been checked!

:laugh:

Correct assumption, the bike was recently purchased.



welcome to the site :)

my guesses;
with the bike upright, with the dipstick screwed in

They were my guesses too, but alas, that's all they were - guesses.
Seems to have worked though, the old girl neither leaks from the breather, nor is it grinding itself into oblivion.

[jrandom]

scarey thought, that, mr Random :confused:

Come to think of it, I wouldn't be all that surprised if there were motorcycles being made at the moment that would manage a softly-ridden 50,000km on their first fill of engine oil without self-destructing.

:yes:

[cowboy]

Welcome to the sit. I check my 1300 upright & with dip stick screwed in

[Headbanger]

Can't say I have ever screwed in a dipstick to check the level...

[Blue Velvet]

...the old girl neither leaks from the breather, nor is it grinding itself into oblivion.

Oarsome. Leaking and grinding are not FTW.

Welcome to KB. May it provide you with hours of entertainment...

But not too much.

Cos sitting in front of a PC is not FTW.

But motorcycling is :yes:

[martybabe]

Can't say I have ever screwed in a dipstick to check the level...

I'm with HB, upright with the dippy resting atop the hole.:confused:

Don't sue me though I am to mechanics what sundays are to pigs.

Nice to have you with us. :niceone:

[woodboats]

Congrats on your wife's new purchase.
Great bike and just broken in at that milage.
Yes, as others have said, upright with the cap not screwed in.
When I check mine i just undo and clean the stick while on the side stand, then put it back in and stand the bike upright, then let it back down on the stand again and take the reading.
For carefree cruising I have both my wife and my own bike on 5-6000 klm services.

[mstriumph]

Welcome to the sit. I check my 1300 upright & with dip stick screwed in
sitting upright, no doubt? :msn-wink:

[Swoop]

I'm an upright, dip-and-screw type of guy.
:ride:

[vifferman]

What's a dipstick? :spudwhat:

The Ace might be a bit different (being basically Mrkn), but with most/many/some/all Hondas, the level is usually measured after the engine has been running, then left for 1-2 minutes after being turned off. Measure it with the bike upright - this ensures that there isn't variations in the angle of lean when it's on the sidestand.

[SilverGrin]

Many thanks for the replies and the welcomes.
Very helpful.

Shortly I will be upgrading my scooter to an 08 Superglide, and the missus will get the Sportster - which brings me to another question - since her legs are so short, we will have to lower the ride for her to flat-foot the ground.
Would it be advisable to lower the bike with shorter shocks, or by other methods IE: purchasing a lower profile seat, and/or stretching her on a rack?

Cheers.