I bought my 94 883 in late summer last year...rode until it got cold and parked it. Anyway, I took off the cam cover and hardly any oil came out...the housing was pretty mich just glazed...but then when I took my oil tank off it was absolutely full. Does the oil syphon back up to the tank when these bikes sit?

 

I took my '03 cover off to install new cams....hardly any oil, I think its normal...

 

Oil will not pour out like you are thinking it will. Oil does not siphon back up, it takes a pump for that. Oil can drain into your crankcase sometimes after sitting for long periods.

 

So does the oil pump push the oil back up to the tank and then it drains back down into the motor? I'm not familiar with the direction of oil travel and am just curious

 

yes - XL engines are "dry sump" engines, in which the oil is pumped both into and out of the engine. most cars use a "wet sump", in which the oil pan holds the oil under the engine, the oil pump pressures the oil INTO the engine, and gravity handles drainage back into the oil pump.

Not seeing puddles in your cam chest is a good thing.