Using Oil

[Stuart109]

Hi
I have a 2001 Baghira with 8000ks on the clock (although I have no idea if this is genuine). It stars and runs fine but uses a considerable amount of oil. I estimate some 200mls for every 100 or so miles. It has done this since I got it.
There is no evidence of smoke and the plug looks good. There is no evidence of a leak. Anyone got any ideas?
Stu

[DAVID THOMPSON]

4972 miles ? sounds like you and the past owners have not ran it hard enough to break it in
or it has some kind of slick oil in it that has not let the rings seat

what oil do you use

i use shell rotella t in every thing but my enemy's tank and who wants that to run right

but my 1974 bmw r90s used a qt in 1000 for all 28 years i had it ????
dave

[rodge70]

i take it your using the method of checking as in the manual?warm up for about 4-5mins at medium rpm,then idle for 30sec,stand upright and level,turn off,remove stick,replace then check,good luck

[Stuart109]

Thanks for your answers.

I check the oil when it is hot. After a run I let it idle for 30 seconds or so and then check with the bike upright.

I am using a semi-synthectic motor oil 5-40.

What do you think?

Stuart

[Bill Jurgenson]

any decent oil is fine. Car oils can cause problems with the clutch but if you don't have any, then OK, too.
The Yamaha engine is touchy about how much oil is in the tank. More than minimum is too much and the system just throws the surplus into the airbox where it more or less gets used up eventually. Part of the cause of this is the airvent hose between the crankcase and the oiltank. After I put the vent hose for the tank into the iarbox and blocked off the crankcase end, Things were fine. This is a roughly 3/8"ID rubber hose going from the top of the crankcae under the starter to the oiltank. Don't confuse it with the larger actual crankcase vent which leads directly to the airbox.
I don't know how you arrive at your figures for oil consumption. Obviously, you check how much you need to add to fill it back up to a certian point. If that point is the max line on the dipstick, that is the reason for your oil consumption. Use Min instead.
The Skorpion has a different tank and I don't use the dipstick at all. As long as I can see oil under the hole in the tank, that's fine.

[Stuart109]

Thanks for the info. Bill, I check the oil and fill up to max. If I leave it long enough the level does get off the end of the dipstick.
If as you suggest excess oil is being directed to the airbox would I see any evidence of oil there?
What with the small petrol tank and the oil all I seem to do is fill it up. Could put you off riding it but it always make me smile once I'm on board.
Stuart

[Bill Jurgenson]

the bottom will be oil-wet, but then it weill be in any event since the vent goes there. theoretically, the oil vapor is supoosed to be inducted and burnt and it is as long as i is not too much. Some, however, pump so much that there is actually oil in the airbox. That happens at high RPM and in a sort time. 10mls at top speed (close the the RPM limiter) on the autobahn are enuf for those which have the problem. You don't seem to have this, however, and so you are probably consuming the oil as it should be.

[roeleman]

Hello,

I recently noticed oil-consumption on my Baghira (appr 10000km). The first time I noticed it was after a session on circuit (croix-en-ternois in France). Second tim was on my recent trip to the Eifel in Germany (very nice twisty roads there). As Bill says I had lot of oil in the airfilter box (I already wondered where the oil came from) and I drove the bike on high rpm. I will check if I can do the mod as described by Bill on my Baghira.

Roel