2002 R1150RT high oil consumption?

[allemande]

Hello fellow riders,
here is a question about oil consumption of an oilhead (2002 R1150RT with 56K miles). I have been riding this bike for the last 7500 miles- it runs great. No drips, no wet spots (except a sweaty oil filler cap, but that seems to be normal), no blue smoke, no odor of burnt oil- and yet, the oil level seems to drop slowly but surely after 100-200 miles.
How do I check the oil level? Bike goes on center stand, let it sit for a few minutes before getting a reading. I changed the oil about 6 weeks ago at mileage 55266 and today, after passing 56000 miles I noticed a significantly lower oil level in the sight glass. I am using Castrol full synthetic oil.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Hans

 

[pglaves]

That bike has an oil cooler that captures and retains some oil for a while, messing up the oil readings. And if you think it is low and isn't and add oil which overfiils it it will use some oil. There are lots of ways folks do the dance but the most common recommendation is to put the bike on the sidestand for a while and then put it on the centerstand to check the oil. My experience is that you can't get a reliable reading within 30 minutes of turning the engine off. I usually park on the sidestand and then the next morning or so pop it on the centerstand. I want the oil level at the dot (center) in the sight glass engine cold. From cold to hot the oil level goes up about 1/4 the diameter of the sight glass, but it is hard to get a reliable reading with the oil hot unless you wait a half hour or so.

 

[gsaddict]

This is a reliable way to check oil level on an oilhead

Bike at 5 bars RID running on sidestand
Oil cooler hot to the touch (this confirms the thermostat is open)
Turn off
Wait 3-5 minutes for cooler to drain into sump
Put bike on the centerstand
Check level on the sight glass

 

[allemande]

That bike has an oil cooler that captures and retains some oil for a while, messing up the oil readings. And if you think it is low and isn't and add oil which overfiils it it will use some oil. There are lots of ways folks do the dance but the most common recommendation is to put the bike on the sidestand for a while and then put it on the centerstand to check the oil. My experience is that you can't get a reliable reading within 30 minutes of turning the engine off. I usually park on the sidestand and then the next morning or so pop it on the centerstand. I want the oil level at the dot (center) in the sight glass engine cold. From cold to hot the oil level goes up about 1/4 the diameter of the sight glass, but it is hard to get a reliable reading with the oil hot unless you wait a half hour or so.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[allemande]

This is a reliable way to check oil level on an oilhead

Bike at 5 bars RID running on sidestand
Oil cooler hot to the touch (this confirms the thermostat is open)
Turn off
Wait 3-5 minutes for cooler to drain into sump
Put bike on the centerstand
Check level on the sight glass

Thank you GS addict. Much appreciated.