I have a 1994 Virago XV 535 that I bought as a starter bike.

I was in the process of diagnosing a starter problem. As I progressed through the electrical system with my trusty Haynes and Clymer manuals and and a multimeter, I reached a point where I wanted to see if the starter motor was functional and decided to pop it off.

At this point, 2.5 Quarts of Oil (Litres, if you prefer!) spill onto my patio. The guy who was helping me is a "Harley" guy who proceeded to announce "Harley's don't do that..." Neither manual suggests this would normally occur when you pop off the starter motor. I am curious if this is a totally normal thing that is not at all noted in the book or if I have a serious problem that I need to run down. If it is a serious problem, a point in roughly the right direction would be helpful!

I asked my local parts shop...they seemed puzzled. They were nice enough to hook my starter up to 12 Volts DC and inform me that it works fine and my trouble is likely a switch. They have no clue about the oil though.

I am hoping one of you can give me a 1 liner!

Thanks!

no probs, the starter motor runs into the left side casing which has oil in it, if you need to remove starter motor in the future remove fixings and lean bike to the right before pulling it out. hope this helpes trevor

Thanks!

I am going to get oil back in it and see if I can get back on the road!