I have a 1990 FXR with 60,000 plus miles. I bought the bike used with around 55,000 on the clock. The previous owner told me the engine had been rebuilt around 53,000 miles. The bike seems to use a lot of oil but I do not have any leaks anywhere. It used half a quart on a 700 mile trip and this was going easy on the throttle. What are possible problems and solutions? Thanks.

 

I have no idea what that COLOR=green stuff is on my post.

 

Is your bike smoking at all?

Open your primary and see if it went over there.

 

A half quart in 700 miles is not that much. That's a quart in like 1500 miles. That's about normal.

 

Don't know what weight oil your using, or how hot it is where you've been riding. But I 'm betting it's been over 90f, so if that the case and your running 20/50 wt it should be ok. But, you can try running straight 60 wt . The manual states it's what you should use when riding in temps over 80f. May not cure all the consumption, but should slow it some.,,

 

I'm not very mechanically inclined so what am I looking for in regards to checking the primary and if it is going in there what might be the problem/ fix. A little white smoke comes out of the exhaust from time to time.

 

Stand your bike upright, remove the derby cover (the round cover with 3 screws) and check to see if the oil level is just touching the clutch basket ring (thin, shiny ring). If it is very far above the bottom of the ring, it's one of 2 things, it has been overfilled or the crank seal is allowing oil to migrate from the crankcase to the primary.
If the primary oil level checks OK, then do a compression test.
You could do these checks in reverse, but checking the primary oil level doesn't require anything other than hand tools.

 

Do I need to start the bike and let the oil warm up before I check it in the primary or is it o.k. to check it cold?

 

Cold is fine.

Get a 6X6 or even and 8X8, and put it under the bike, use wood shims to get it straight. Three machine screws hold the derby cover on. There will be a large o-ring under the cover. If the level is well above the clutch basket, there's your problem.

Pull the spark plugs and see if they are all cruddy. That's an indication that you might be burning too much oil. Oh, don't over tighten them when you re-install.

 

DBLJ if your going to work on your own bike you really need an OEM service repair manual.

There is a bunch of great information in there and it pays for itself the first time you use it.