When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
jrat69, the 'quart' referred to as trans capacity is a guide, not the absolute quantity. We get a steady trickle of similar threads about what is the correct amount of oil, when the answer is to fill it in accordance with the level recommended - however much that requires! Sometimes it is a little less than the quoted amount, sometimes a little more.
Anybody have enough knowledge to hazard a guess as to whether the drilled holes might weaken the dip stick and allow vibration to cause a piece to break off? Back in 08 there were a few threads about unmodified dip sticks breaking off and causing havoc in the transmissions. Perhaps I worry too much, but those threads convinced me to cut off the dip stick, now that piece is just a plug. I fabricated a maintenance dip stick with an equivalent level reference which I keep with the other specialized maintenance stuff.
We have no idea what you are riding but we will assume for the moment it is a touring bike. If you set the stick on the top of the threads and it does not show full, then add lube until it does show full. My experience has been that it is really hard to see new gear lube on that shiny stick. I paint mine black.
Sorry, I should have mentioned what I painted it with. This does not have to be a complicated procedure to work well. I pulled the dipstick out and wiped it down using some paint thinner. Rubbing alcohol would work just as well, but I would have had to go into the house to get that. After a few minutes of drying time I sprayed the stick with some rattle can primer. You could use any color. primer is just what was handy at the moment. It has held up good for 4 years and makes it a lot easier to see transmission lube on the stick.
Bye the way, I think the Harley engineering department went a little overboard when they chromed the dipstick.
2012 Road King, and the redline does show up real well on the very bottom of the stick. I assumed (yes I Know what that means) that posting in the Touring bike section, but one never knows.
Thanks for all the replies, I'll add a little more.
Originally Posted by texaswiz
We have no idea what you are riding but we will assume for the moment it is a touring bike. If you set the stick on the top of the threads and it does not show full, then add lube until it does show full. My experience has been that it is really hard to see new gear lube on that shiny stick. I paint mine primer color.
Anybody have enough knowledge to hazard a guess as to whether the drilled holes might weaken the dip stick and allow vibration to cause a piece to break off?
I highly doubt that would ever happen.. the stick is thick enough in those areas not drilled. The only way it would break off MAYBE would be if there was SEVERE vibration and it was whipping back & forth.. MAYBE.....
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.