I meant to say this: I run the engine for 2 minutes after adding the right amount of oil, and oil filter plus the engine cases are still warm after a ride , but won't burn my fingers when I try to remove the oil plug. I then shut the engine off. Right after I do this, I then check the oil level on the dip stick.
Then you're doing it wrong. It takes a little bit for the oil to drain back down into the sump. The hotter the oil the quicker it drains down.
Red X because you need to check your oil level after allowing the bike to warm up. If you wait overnight to check your oil it will appear to be low because the oil will be cold/room temp. Oil thins out when at temp, which is why you should always check the level after warming the engine up to operating temperature.
Ah I think if you had phrased your initial post differently I would not have had to disagree. Maybe edit it and say something like, Once you know your oil is at the right level let the bike sit overnight then check it again such that you can place a hash mark on your dipstick as to where the level is when both full and cold.
That works with post 2005 Vic's. Prior to 2006 they might use up to 6 qts.
Hmm, so if you change your oil you wait until the next morning before you check the oil level and go for a ride? Also, how do you think every shop in the world would do it? They aren't going to keep someones bike overnight to let it cool down to check the oil. I guess in your view all of those shops are inexperienced mechanics?
I posted how I checked my oil level wrong. When I've been riding and I've reached 3,000 miles that's when I change my oil and oil filter. Because the oil drain plug is too hot to touch after I get back from riding, I wait a while until the oil is still really warm and the bottom of the engine is still really warm too, but not hot enough to burn my fingers when I try to insert and allen head wrench into the drain plug. After I've filled to oil filter with oi and installed it, I then add 4 quarts of oil and 1/4 of a quart of oil also. I then start up the engine and let if run for 2 minutes to see if I have leak around the drain plug or the oil filter. Because the metal on the engine is still warm, and running the oil that I've poured into the engine and ran the engine for a couple of minutes I assumed that the oil warm warm enough to properly check the oil level. Now I see that I should check the oil level when the cylinder fins are really hot to touch. Because my oil level hasn't change on several times that I've let the engine cool down for a while and then checked the oil level while it's still warm to the touch, I only check my level now when I do an oil change.
If you're really anal about it you could check it when super hot. It's not like it matters to the oil level very much between super hot, hot, warm, or room temperature. Oil doesn't expand and contract that much. Some; but not so much that it's going to make a huge difference. Gas expands a lot. I know because I've filled my tank up to the rim only to see it start coming out the overflow when the sun beats on it for a while on a hot day. I saw it ruin a friends paint job once too. Man was he pissed. He did the paint job himself and was quite proud of it. We were young and not too bright back then so we at least learned something. Always fill your tank up on the way out of town; not when you first stop. If you stop for lunch; wait till you leave before filling up. That kind of thing. Sure never forgot that lesson...
I fired the engine up when it was cold,and let it idle until the cylinders were really hot touch, Then waited 15 minutes to check the oil level again on the dip stick ,and with me sitting on the bike at vertical, the oil level was just a 1/4 of an inch above the full mark line.
So if I understand you correctly; the oil was at the full mark at ambient temperature then when you warmed it up to hot it was 1/4" above the full mark so now you know the difference between hot and ambient (cold) and no longer need to warm it up to hot to check it.
