How to check your motorcycle's engine oil level

Modern motorcycles come as pretty reliable compared to the old models. However, despite these machines being reliable enough, they still require the owner to check a few things to make sure everything runs smooth and at its full potential. Many of us who love riding tend to care for our motorcycles pretty well. One of the elements one should always check for is engine oil, which shouldn't be neglected. The engine that propels the motorcycle is a key component, and it comes as a high-revving, manufactured-to-aerospace-tolerances and extremely expensive-to-replace unit. To function properly at its fullest potential, the engine requires proper lubrication, which is done by the engine oil. The engine oil level and colour can also tell a good bit of information about the condition of the motor's internals.

The engine oil level can be checked at home without major assistance from the mechanics. You can consult the owner's manual provided with the motorcycle to check the engine oil level. The owner's manual outlines the specifics that the manufacturer recommends. Usually, these techniques vary slightly from motorcycle to motorcycle. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to check a motorcycle's engine oil level. Interestingly, the process is quite similar to checking the engine oil level on a car.

The first thing to do is park the motorcycle on a flat surface. Use the centre stand if the motorcycle has one. If there is no centre stand, the paddock stand should work fine. Keep the engine in idle mode for 10 minutes and then turn off the ignition and allow it to cool down for 15 minutes. This is to warm up the engine oil and cool it down to get an idea about the quality of the engine oil. However, if you are not checking the quality of the engine oil, you can skip this step of idling and cooling down the engine.

To check the engine oil level, remove the oil gauge from the motorcycle. It can be removed using a plier. After removing the oil gauge, clean the gauge as the oil level reflected won't be correct enough as it will show at full levels. This is because the engine oil flows under pressure inside the machine and makes the entire oil gauge wet. You can check the oil gauge is marked with two levels. The top marking is for full, and the bottom marking is for low. The oil level in the engine should be between full and low markings.

After cleaning the oil gauge, place it back but don't screw it. Placing the oil gauge back will allow it to get wet at the current level. Now, remove the oil gauge and check the wet marking, which will provide you with the engine oil level in the motorcycle.

How to check a motorcycle's engine oil level

Step 1 :

Park the motorcycle on a flat surface.

Step 2 :

Remove the oil gauge from the motorcycle.

Step 3 :

Clean and dry the oil gauge completely.

Step 4 :

Dip the oil gauge fully into its socket.

Step 5 :

Take it out and check the oil level.

Step 6 :

The oil level should be between Full and Low markings.