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Tourer
Posts: 494
Akron Ohio area | donetracy, I owned a Suzuki motorcycle that would consume(?) nearly a quart of oil during a high speed 1,000 plus ride in a single day.
No smoke, no odor, no spot on the ground, no discoloration at the exhaust tip, no hint at all that this was happening.
I put 38,000 trouble free miles on that bike in 3 years time. (Oil changes and tires)
You have been very lucky to never having ruined an engine or transmission from lack of oil.
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | bigfoot - 2011-10-16 1:53 PM
donetracy, I owned a Suzuki motorcycle that would consume(?) nearly a quart of oil during a high speed 1,000 plus ride in a single day.
No smoke, no odor, no spot on the ground, no discoloration at the exhaust tip, no hint at all that this was happening.
I put 38,000 trouble free miles on that bike in 3 years time. (Oil changes and tires)
You have been very lucky to never having ruined an engine or transmission from lack of oil.
i used to have a kawaski vulcan 2000 and one time on a trip from pittsburgh to the Dragon (500+ miles) i used 1.3qts of oil ! i about crapped my pants. i thought, there has to be a leak! but there wasnt. that model of bike was known for oil usage issues. it didnt do it all the time, but that one time scared me as i knew i checked it before i left my house |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | I just remembered another thing about my 4 Viragos - they had a Warning Light - that meant LOW OIL LEVEL (not oil pressure).
Makes me wonder why other makers can't do that? And also, a 'kill switch' if you put the bike in gear with the sidestand down. Why not that?
OH - and oil obeys the laws of physics. It does not just 'vanish'. It either leaks or burns (or both). Leaks are visible. And burning will result in loss of performance - also noticible. Working 4 years in a service station doing oil changes and tune ups while in university taught me how to observe oil problems. If my engine gets damage from 'low' oil levels - you can bet my Dealer will be repairing/rebuilding under WARRRRANTY! That goes for my cars as well as bikes.
I did my share of checking levels (oil/water/battery acid/wiper fluids) when I was a Pup. Now as an Old Fart - I let Pups do my checking for me ...
And I get full services when recommended. $270 Oil Changes - they better fricken well check things. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | donetracey - 2011-10-16 6:52 PM
I just remembered another thing about my 4 Viragos - they had a Warning Light - that meant LOW OIL LEVEL (not oil pressure).
Makes me wonder why other makers can't do that? And also, a 'kill switch' if you put the bike in gear with the sidestand down. Why not that?
OH - and oil obeys the laws of physics. It does not just 'vanish'. It either leaks or burns (or both). Leaks are visible. And burning will result in loss of performance - also noticible. Working 4 years in a service station doing oil changes and tune ups while in university taught me how to observe oil problems. If my engine gets damage from 'low' oil levels - you can bet my Dealer will be repairing/rebuilding under WARRRRANTY! That goes for my cars as well as bikes.
I did my share of checking levels (oil/water/battery acid/wiper fluids) when I was a Pup. Now as an Old Fart - I let Pups do my checking for me ...
And I get full services when recommended. $270 Oil Changes - they better fricken well check things.
kawasaki's had alot of issues in this area of kickstand switches. personally im glad we dont have one more thing to have a risk of failure with... When i was on the kawasaki forums you would read about people being on trips and having to find a way to bypass the kickstand kill switch because their bikes wouldnt start. or when their bikes would turn off while riding down the street. |
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Checking oil
