how much oil do I put in my motor, not the swing arm

[Frank]

This is my first oil change on my new xb12 and I don't know if I added enough oil, I put 3qt in the swing arm and .80qt in my motor.

 

[FIDOSOL]

Check the service manual...Got one? Also, get your bike level and check the fluid levels, that's the best way to know for sure.

 

[dave_xb12r]

It should be 3qt for engine oil and .75qt for the tranny. Check it hot(10 min after a good ride) with it on level ground with the bike on the side stand.

Find some Royal Purple synthetic bike oil. 20w50 for engine, 10w30 for tranny.

 

[FIDOSOL]

2.5 qt for the engine oil, that is per the manual... also says not to overfill it.

BUT

In my personal experience with all things mechanical, there's a dipstick for a reason, so us dipsticks can get it right! Just like dave said though, fill it up 2.5-3 qts and .75-.80qt for the tranny, then check it hot, have someone hold the bike level for you, best way is for them to either straddle the bike seat and hold it up, or if they can't reach the ground with both feet (like me) then just straddle the front tire and hold the bike straight by the handle bars, if you are worried about the person not being able to hold the bike up, then ask them if they know how to check a dipstick...
hope we've been of some assistance.

 

[dave_xb12r]

wait wait..... I'm 100% sure the oil is to be checked with the bike not fully vertical, but on the side stand. That is a common mistake made even by dealers.

This is right out of the manual

"Ride motorcycle for approximately 10 minutes to ensure the
oil is hot and the engine is at normal operating temperature.
1. The motorcycle must be on level ground, on the side-stand, with the engine off. "

Sorry about my mistake on engine oil capacity, I guess I was just thinking of how much I bought, not used. It is 2.5qts

And the tranny is approximately 1qt

 

[FIDOSOL]

hmm...now I have to check my service manual when I get home...oh well, my bad...

 

[dans03firebolt]

There is no doubt you check the oil level on the side stand not standing straight up. You put 2.5 quarts in the swing arm and that is it. Don't overfill it. Plus you can't just put oil in the motor there is no fill place to do that.

Then you put 1qt in the primary for the tranny. Pour the entire quart in there no more no less. You can use 20w50 in the primary as well. Don't use the less weight oil in the primary as previously stated.

 

[firechickenXB9R]

only the Jap bike have to be in the upright possition. are Buell's stay on there side.

 

[dave_xb12r]

As previously stated was talking about the "Royal Purple" brand. They recommend 20W50 in the engine, and 10w30 in the tranny. Read it yourself link

 

[firechickenXB9R]

Here is what the service manual say.
Table 1-5. Recommended Oil Grades
HARLEY-DAVIDSON TYPE VISCOSITY HARLEY-DAVIDSON
RATING
LOWEST AMBIENT TEMP
°F
COLD WEATHER
STARTS BELOW
50° F
H.D. Multi-Grade SAE 10W40 HD 360 Below 40° (4°C) Excellent
H.D. Multi-Grade SAE 20W50 HD 360 Above 40° (4°C) Good
H.D. Regular Heavy SAE 50 HD 360 Above 60° (16°C) Poor
H.D. Extra Heavy SAE 60 HD 360 Above 80° (27°C) Poor

Has you can see if you ride BELOW 40 deg's then you 10W40

 

[Devlsmurf]

Definitely on the sidestand. My dealer made the mistake of filling it vertically and it was extremely overfilled.
warm and on the sidestand.

 

[Frank]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, I really learned a lot of this forum

 

[Furball]

Hey guys I have an 09 12R. It is about a month old. Just got the 1,000 mile service done not too long ago. Checked the oil. It showed a low condition. Called the dealer. He swears by the fact he put in 2.5 qts. as per the service manual. I own the same service manual and follow it to the T as to checking the oil. He added like 4 oz to put it in the middle margin. checked it a couple weeks later, and it is low again, a little bit lower than the low mark. Where is my oil going? It is not dripping anywhere, and there is nothing coming out of the exhaust. My bike is completely stock.

My bike also cold starts and idles very rough. it will dip below 1,000 rpms and almost die a few times. most times it does and i have to restart it. i do not touch the throttle at all before or during start-up. until it reaches operating temperature, it will cough, sputter, and minutely backfire through the exhaust, and it will hiccup through the intake. the exhaust headers will also glow a dull orange if it idles for about 60 seconds. once it is at temp, it runs great. this started at about 400 miles. before it didn't do this.

The bike has been in the dealer about 5 times now, and they put it on the computer. each time they say nothing is wrong blah blah blah. Baloney! a brand new $10,000 machine should not run like this!

Thanks guys, i love my bike, but i am getting really frustrated with it. not even two months old now....

 

[Trill]

just check the oil at every fuel up and add when needed. My bike went through a little bit of oil when I changed to synthetic.

 

[Furball]

does that mean yours stopped using it then?

 

[dave_xb12r]

Well in your manual, it does say to check it at every fill up.

Do the breather reroute. It will help with the rough idle. Plus, if you get a actual oil catch, you can see how much oil is coming out. Have you checked inside your airbox? I bet there's lots of oil inside. Your bike is still pretty new. Let it mature a bit and get more miles on it, it will run better

 

[oxygen151]

Furball, take your bike out and run it at 3200-3500 rpms for a few miles. Your bike will re-learn for the conditions. This should smooth your bike out a bit as your break it in. Breather re-route will defintely help as well.

 

[Trill]

I havnt been able to put many miles on lately but i havnt had to add more than a few ounces ever 100 miles or so.

The breather re-route.. lol... All you have to do is run a hose down and splice in a filter.. i drained mine today and there was quite a bit of clear liquid in the line.

 

[Furball]

Ok, I will try those couple things... But c'mon guys, i have been riding motorcycles for 14 years.... never had issues like these, am I supposed to carry a quart of oil with me wherever i go? ridiculous.

I am very mechanically inclined. My profession is not a mechanic, but i do electrical engineering type things in the Air Force. What I am trying to say is that i dont know this bike by the back of my hand, but i am not an idiot. if i have the service manual (i do) i can strip the bike down to the frame and put it back together with no problems.

Dave, I take off my airbox and clean the clear fluid that accumulates there once a week. My ghost oil does not appear there. I will definitely do the breather re-route.

Also, remember how i said my headers glow orange? starting a few days ago, my plastic trim (airbox and the rear plactic tail starting after the seat) does not line up anymore with the frame! they both are pulled in a bit. maybe the heat warped the plastic? i will take pics later and post them up. this wasnt like this when i bought it.

Which brings me to my next point. Why on earth doesnt buell sell the ceramic coated headers with the bike, as it has them in the pictures of the new bike, on their website? i would rather have paid $10,300 to get it with them already on it. my rear-end and the back of my right thigh are always burning.

Why should i have to pay ANOTHER 500-700 dollars to make a brand new bike IDLE NORMALLY, and NOT BURN ME?

i am split 50-50 now. i love this bike, but it is such a freaking headache.

 

[Thaloc]

Buells take a bit to get used to, specially if you got off a 4banger. The heat REALLY threw me for a loop for a while before I found this site. If your headers are glowing orange your letting it warm up too long. My headers glowed orange once when I let it warm up for like 5 mins before I hit 1k mile service. And keep in mind its going to run hotter for the first 1k miles + because of break in period of course. Keep it till 5k miles and everything will smooth out.