Wheelies & oil starvation.

[morehpforme]

I bought my XB12r back in January to replace my Yamaha R1. Recently I've gotten comfortable enough on the Buell to start "serious" wheelies again. Over the last week I've been able to balance and shift so my single-tire escapades are really taking off.

My question is: Can I starve the motor of oil? If I'm correct, the line that runs oil to the motor is at the FRONT and bottom of the swingarm, which concerns me a bit. Anyone have some solid knowledge about this?

Please don't flog me with "squid" and such... I don't do them anywhere someone else can get hurt, only myself!

 

[Fock347]

you can have the bike at 12oclock doin a burnout and it wont starve of oil. the buell is dry sump so it will allways get oil.

 

[LeFox]

nope, that's the good thing of a dry sump, the oil is always getting pumped to the engine.

thing graig said something about that in his video's...

 

[morehpforme]

Thanks guys, much appreciated! [up]

 

[tuneport67ss]

The only way youll starve it for oil is if you run it almost completely low on oil. Keep it safe and keep the shiney side up.

 

[xtremelow]

????Even if you are at a high angle for an extended period the oil level will always remain as high as the oil line pulling oil to the engine????

I have heard of guys running their bikes high on oil to help with this issue, but that is on Jap bikes which I don't know what oil setup they have.

My question would be, Would it hurt to run your bike a 1/2 quart or even 1 quart high on oil to keep from pulling air into the oil lines during high angle wheel stands??

I would think not since it is a dry sump but I am far from knowing everything.

 

[stopie20]

dry sump = no need to run extra oil.

Metric bikes store all the oil in the crankcase/transmission so when you are in any wheelie gravity pulls the oil to the back of the engine which is usually away from the oil pump pick-up tube, but this depends on the bike some have the pick-up tube at the rear of the engine oil sump so even at 12 o'clock they will still get oil... The next issue with a metric bike is that the crankcase breather is also at the rear of the engine in the top of the trans this breather is routed to the air box (post air filter) and in long wheelies you will push oil through this tube and into the air box then you end up with a smokey ride, but it goes away after you cleane the oil from the air box.

 

[xtremelow]

Cool.

??? Would there be any negatives to running a Buell a little high on oil since it is a dry sump and the oil is stored in a secondary "tank"???

 

[oxygen151]

If you overfill, most of the excess oil will be blown out into your air box through your breather tubes.

 

[horseplay]

A friend of mine had a Honda Superhawk (VTR1000) It was on one wheel more than two. Followed him for at least 10 miles on one wheel and the bike never had any oiling problems. I was always kind of wondering with a 90 degree VTwin what the oil situation would be with the bike at near 12 o'clock. Ill pass this knowledge onto him as Im trying to talk him into a Buell lol

Heres an old video if anyones interested. Never seen anyone so comfortable on one wheel...especially since hes been riding street for...2 years maybe? (the guy on the red Honda had been riding maybe a month at this time) Its not a professional video so spare me...lol..I shot most of it and I suck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWKh2b_f7f4

 

[stopie20]

yeah honda learned they're lesson with the 93, 94 and 95 900RR those were great wheelie bikes, but if you kept them up for a while the oil pick-up would run dry and thus so would the motor then you would hear a rod and you had about a day maybe 2 until it locked up all togeather... I had a friend go through four motors in his.