Hdegan Posted June 24, 2009 Posted June 24, 2009 hi i checked the oil on my xvs dragstar tonight,there was no dipstick on it so i stuck in a clean plastic straw to see the level.it was showing there was no oil in it,so i put 1 litre in it,it is still showing with no oil in it when i stick the straw in. so...how much do they hold? should i drain completly now and start again or??
Ttaskmaster Posted June 25, 2009 Posted June 25, 2009 There is no dipstick, you dipstick!! There should be a sight glass on the side of the engine casing. Knowing Yamaha, it'll probably be somewhere around the side stand pivot. There should also be upper and lower level marks - The oil level should be somewhere between these. You'll need the bike upright, so use a proper bike jack on level ground, or have someone sit on it.
Jim659 Posted June 25, 2009 Posted June 25, 2009 Now then on my xvs125 my veiw glass is on the right hand side under the exhaust near the front. as taskmaster said make sure the bike is supported. no worries
oldtimer Posted June 26, 2009 Posted June 26, 2009 hi i checked the oil on my xvs dragstar tonight,there was no dipstick on it so i stuck in a clean plastic straw to see the level.it was showing there was no oil in it,so i put 1 litre in it,it is still showing with no oil in it when i stick the straw in. so...how much do they hold? should i drain completly now and start again or?? jesus mate the total amount of oil in your bike if not changing the oil filter is only 1.4litre so if you have put 1litre in without draining the oil you have major problems. having to much oil in can cause as many problems as to little. the sight glass is on the right hand side of the bike behind the exhaust it is a bastard to see, when the bike is level the level of oil should be no more than half way up the sight glass,there are no marks on the sight glass. if you drain the oil and replace the oil filter it should take 1.75litre but as said oil only 1.4litre,to much and the first problem you will notice will be from the clutch before far worse problems happen.
clarke Posted September 6, 2009 Posted September 6, 2009 I've just changed my oil & filter on my XVS125 (put oil back in but hard to know exactly how much as a lot went down the side of the case - bugger to clean ) I had a problem to check my levels as the exhaust runs across the sight glass if you look at it square on, so you have to look either from above or below the exhaust. This in turn means that it's either in between the min/max or just below the min depending on how you look at it. Should I be looking at the sight glass from above the exhaust or below it? I added a table spoon or two more oil so it was def above the min, but the other view now shows just above the max... Figured having slightly too much is the lesser of two evils, but haven't ridden it yet in case I'm wrong! If anyone could advise it would be appreciated. Thanks
clarke Posted October 18, 2009 Posted October 18, 2009 To answer my own question, I drained the oil out, got a proper funnel (tesco sell one with a bendy spout which also has a mesh filter at the top) and added the correct amount as specified in the manual. The oil goes between just over half way between the min & max as viewed from underneath the exhaust. The min/max marks are on the chrome surrounding to the right of the sight glass (2x raised lines) Beggers belief that Yamaha or anyone would think it's a good idea to place an exhaust over the sight glass - reckon a genuis came up with that idea!
clown abg Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 Just spent 15 minutes on the floor of my shed shining a torch onto the gauge under the exhaust and I'm still philosophising about whether the oil is half full or half empty. I have a dstar 250. Problem is the gauge is reading either empty or full with very very small movements of the bike. Can't really tell because when the bike is centred, a degree either way (too small to tell if bike is not centred)changes the reading completely. Is my best option to just drain and refill, and if so does anyone know the recommended amount for a 250 dstar?
Moderator Airhead Posted December 2, 2009 Moderator Posted December 2, 2009 Just spent 15 minutes on the floor of my shed shining a torch onto the gauge under the exhaust and I'm still philosophising about whether the oil is half full or half empty. I have a dstar 250. Problem is the gauge is reading either empty or full with very very small movements of the bike. Can't really tell because when the bike is centred, a degree either way (too small to tell if bike is not centred)changes the reading completely. Is my best option to just drain and refill, and if so does anyone know the recommended amount for a 250 dstar? This 'gauge' you mention, is it the glass window type that is common to many bikes? the usual way is to have the bike on the centre stand on a level surface, if no centre stand is fitted then get someone to sit on the bike for you whilst you look. Also sometimes the oil quantity is written in the casting near to the fill hole. or it should be in the owners manual. ...Paul
clarke Posted December 3, 2009 Posted December 3, 2009 It's a right pain to get the oil level right on the Dragstar. I changed my oil + ended up having to refil twice to get it right as I spilt quite a bit the 1st time due to awkward access to the oil plug (you can get a funnel with a long flexible spout from Tesco for about £2 - £3 which I found invaluable). Even though I know I filled the right amount of oil as stated in the manual, it still looks odd when you look through the sight glass. If you don't have a manual check out http://www.yamaha-motor.co.uk/community/service/manuals.jsp - you should be able to find it here
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