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no more sight glass paranoia

M

marbil

Guest
While the bike is apart I thought I would take the opportunity to put a new sight glass in and make it stay
I picked the beefy areaÔÇÖs drilled about 3/8 deep and tapped with a 4-40 local hardware store did not have anything metric smaller than 4mm so I went SAE .small stainless socket head a flat washer and a little locktite
I donÔÇÖt think it will leave its home now
I am pretty sure I saw someone else on this site do the same thing it was quick and simple.
Still need to make up my mind what to do with my tranny ( who to send it to for rebuild )
 

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Nice fix to a potential problem. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose the sight glass while on a trip. Most of the threads I've read about this issue have addressed RT owners suffering the loss close to home. Regardless, is there a mileage milestone one must be concerned about or is this a matter of the problem arising only on certain bikes? Aside from that this is one of the reasons I always ride with my BMWMOA Anonymous book.:)
 
My rule has been if the sight window shows any seepage, it's time to replace. I also carry a spare.

Good point and a good reminder to check it regularly. However, by carrying a spare you're insinuating that replacing the sight glass can be done "on the road." Can it?
 
Good point and a good reminder to check it regularly. However, by carrying a spare you're insinuating that replacing the sight glass can be done "on the road." Can it?

If it blows out, a new one is easily tapped in place with either the old one or the right sized socket and a handy rock.
 
Several have simply drilled holes in the lip and run a strip of safety wire across it.

It may be just the photo, but yours does not look pushed in far enough to me.

Jim :brow
 
Most of the threads I've read about this issue have addressed RT owners suffering the loss close to home. Regardless, is there a mileage milestone one must be concerned about or is this a matter of the problem arising only on certain bikes?

the motors, and sight glasses, are all basically the same. none is more or less prone than another.
signs of seepage, or inability to see thru the window clearly, are the 2 signs that say "replace me".
 
While the bike is apart I thought I would take the opportunity to put a new sight glass in and make it stay
I picked the beefy areaÔÇÖs drilled about 3/8 deep and tapped with a 4-40 local hardware store did not have anything metric smaller than 4mm so I went SAE .small stainless socket head a flat washer and a little locktite
I donÔÇÖt think it will leave its home now
I am pretty sure I saw someone else on this site do the same thing it was quick and simple.
Still need to make up my mind what to do with my tranny ( who to send it to for rebuild )

do you ever clean your header pipes? LOL
 
While the bike is apart I thought I would take the opportunity to put a new sight glass in and make it stay
I picked the beefy areaÔÇÖs drilled about 3/8 deep and tapped with a 4-40 local hardware store did not have anything metric smaller than 4mm so I went SAE .small stainless socket head a flat washer and a little locktite
I donÔÇÖt think it will leave its home now
I am pretty sure I saw someone else on this site do the same thing it was quick and simple.
Still need to make up my mind what to do with my tranny ( who to send it to for rebuild )

YES,that was me with a 98 rt that I modified with the same set-up.Nice copy,looks very nice and professionally done.So I am not the only one with big balls. LOL
 
I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose the sight glass while on a trip.

I carry a spare along with 3 fuel line quick-disconnect O-rings and an oil filler cap...all in a tiny Nalgene jar the diameter of the sight glass...takes up no room.
 
do you ever clean your header pipes? LOL

I have not found anything that will clean the headers yet tried chrome polish havent tried polishing compound yet, only had the bike one season so far.
Thought about jet coating
any comments would be appreciated
the new sight glass is in as far in as the old one it was flush with the block also I will double check that one
thanks
 
I have not found anything that will clean the headers yet tried chrome polish havent tried polishing compound yet, only had the bike one season so far.
Thought about jet coating
any comments would be appreciated
the new sight glass is in as far in as the old one it was flush with the block also I will double check that one
thanks

steel wool gets the same looking mud-crud off my ceramic coated headers. Hi Performance Coatings did mine.
 
While the bike is apart I thought I would take the opportunity to put a new sight glass in and make it stay
I picked the beefy areaÔÇÖs drilled about 3/8 deep and tapped with a 4-40 local hardware store did not have anything metric smaller than 4mm so I went SAE .small stainless socket head a flat washer and a little locktite
I donÔÇÖt think it will leave its home now
I am pretty sure I saw someone else on this site do the same thing it was quick and simple.
Still need to make up my mind what to do with my tranny ( who to send it to for rebuild )


I am having a hard time understanding what you did... wish you had photos of the parts before. What is a 4-40? What are those red round things?
I am very serious by the way just in case you might think it is a joke.
Thanks and be well. Ara & Spirit
 
red thingees

Hey Asa - the original poster got paranoid about the oil sight glass popping out, so he drilled two holes alongside the hole the oil sight glass presses into, and put two screws into the metal to keep the sight glass from popping out. I know of a couple of reports of that happening, but it is EXTREMELY rare. Usually the sight glass starts weeping a little around the edge, and when that happens, you should replace it quick. I replaced mine around 85000 miles because it was weeping. Just a five minute job on the RS and GS since no plastic had to come off.
The red thingees are just the seals inside the sight glass.

Scritch Spirit behind the ears for me.
Michael
 
OK, so how does one get the old sight glass out?
Is it plastic so I can drill a hole and tap it for a slide hammer?
JimV.
 
I replaced one on a friend's R1200ST because it clouded up so bad that you couldn't see the oil level in it. I drilled a small hole into the center of the plastic window (be careful, there is a metal backing about 1/2" behind it). I then used a cotter pin puller to gently pry it out. Wasn't hard to do at all. A scribe with a 90?? bend would probably work too.
 
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