I've had the 48 for 2 months now and have 2600 miles logged. Whenever I attempt to put oil in the tank so that the hot check brings the level up to the "F" mark on the dipstick, the oil seems to quickly disappear. The oil always seems to settle halfway between the "Add" mark and the "F" mark, checked hot, with the bike on the jiffy stand, on level ground.

When I do the cold check, the oil is on the end of the stick, just up to the "Add" mark. The bike just doesn't seem to want any more oil than that. I read that a lot of owners just keep the oil on the low side because any more than that gets evaporated off and drawn into the air breather system. Does anyone actually fill the oil up so that the hot check brings the oil level up to the "F" mark?

The bike is running very well and does not smoke. I got concerned because I could not figure out why the oil level would drop so quickly. There is no oil leaking out anywhere, including from the AC.

I should say that I am using HD non-synthetic, but plan to switch to full synthetic at the 5000 service. (Although, I think I may change the oil a little sooner, say 3500 miles.)

I talked to Nightster owner the other day and he confirmed that he is careful about keeping the oil low enough to prevent loss into the breather system. He said he does add a little oil between changes, about 10 oz in 1500 miles. Does that sound weird? The last thread I started about oil consumption got a lot of replies - but every one of the replies said the bike should use no oil at all between changes. Really, no oil in 5000 mile?

Mike

 

I;ve never had to add oil before the 8000 km oil change and still dont after another 8000km.

 

I alwasy check my oil when the bike is warm/hot After a ride I let it sit for about 5-10 mins then check it on the side stand. I always run my bikes in the middle of the add and full mark on the dip stick-that is the best when warm. If you have too much oil like when it reads Full when hot they you can have oil blow by into your air filter out the breahers and too much oil is hard on the seals and gaskets. When there is no leaks my bikes does not need oil between changes. I change my oil about every 3500-5000 miles.

 

The oil level being about halfway between the Add mark and the Full marks is normal when tested hot and on the jiffy stand.

Next time you check the oil level hot, clean the dipstick and reinstall, stand the bike upright for a few seconds (after-all, upright is the normal operating position), then rest the bike back on the jiffy stand and recheck the oil level. It should measure close to the Full mark.

 

Well, I've decided to not add any more oil and see what happens. So far, after 400 miles, the oil level when checked hot seems to be staying dead center between the "F" and "Add" marks. So, perhaps it will stay there and I won't need to add oil anymore.

Thanks for you replies.

Mike

P.S. this is my first Harley - I love it! What a wonderful motor. I don't care about dragging a sportbike. That 1200 is awesome in its own right.