[menosabe]

So I took the bike to dealer to do the 600 mile break in oil change. The dealer guaranties the oil change was done to spec. (All good)
Then, I went to change the Oil at the 5000 mile mark and there was no oil in the sight glass. My first thought was they didn't do the oil change correctly. I bought the extended warranty and wasn't about to give the dealer a reason to void it. So I took the bike as is to the dealer a they documented that the motor has consumed 1 Qt in 5000 miles. I told the dealer that I have never heard of a Honda leaking like a Harley. His comment was"Honda factory allows 1qt. per 5000 miles for burn off" I though he was pulling my leg since it was April fools day.
Has anybody has a problem with your bike burning oil?

 

[bob]

Uh... NO.


Doesn't sound right. Maybe in a 15-20 year old bike but not a new modern one. Same engine as the ST1300 and I don't recall reading on the ST-Owners.com forum about any issues with using oil like that. Been a rock solid bullet proof motor for over 12+ years.

 

[Lazelod]

Menosabe -Is there a chance it could be leaking out, and not burning oil? I say this because when mine gets hot (riding for 30 minutes or longer), I have a faint smell of burning oil; as if there was a drip on the exhaust. I notice the smell even after cutting the engine for a few minutes. I just took mine in for the 600 mile service (I normally do maintenance myself, but I figured I'd let the dealer give it the first once-over). Luckily, the smell was present when I dropped it off, and there was a very slight residual on the front of the right head just above the exhaust header. The service guy was able to smell the oil, and saw the residual as well, and noted to take a look at it while in service. I'll know when I pick up the bike tomorrow what they found.

 

[HansenCTX]

I did my first oil change at 600miles. Put Mobil 1 full synthetic for motorcycles in with a K&N oil filter. I am at 3900 miles now. After reading your post I ran out into the garage and checked the oil level. I rode the bike to work today, got home at 8pm. It is now 11:06pm. The bike is still warm, not hot, and on the center-stand. My oil level is between the two lines, dead center.

In all my years of riding I have never had a Honda that burned a quart of oil between oil changes.

 

[richroiz]

nope. not a Honda. My beemers did for the first 10K . But thats the boxer legacy.

 

[bruceb]

"I told the dealer that I have never heard of a Honda leaking like a Harley. His comment was"Honda factory allows 1qt. per 5000 miles for burn off" I though he was pulling my leg since it was April fools day."

Tell him to show this to you in writing. Otherwise, he is the fool. And make him document the "burn off" for future warranty claims.

 

[kniterider]

I have well over 15,000 miles on my CTX1300 and not a drop lost. I changed the oild at 600 miles then again 5000. just before I left for my USA 4 corners ride . Hard miles at high speed and loys of stop and go traffic in the cities.. DID NOT use enough to show a difference on the site glass after a 11650 mile ride

 

[Miks]

I wonder if the oil filter was on completely tight. If you have the center-stand, it is a little difficult to set the torque just right. I would look just aft of the engine oil pan, and see if there is any discoloration around the exhaust cross over sections. The oil would evaporate before any leak would be detected on the ground.

Looking at the Honda service manual, your dealer is right, it appears that 1 qt per 5,000 is max spec for burn or something close to it. I would change oil and watch it the first 1,000 miles. My question is - all the sudden you noted no oil in the sight glass just prior to servicing? What was daily check? I don't check the oil level daily, but I do take a glance frequent enough to monitor it.

 

[TennesseeSmith]

Checking the sight glass on a bike without a center stand is a lot of work. This bike should have a dip stick.

 

[willajabir]

Checking the sight glass on a bike without a center stand is a lot of work. This bike should have a dip stick.

Mine does, but it is in the seat most of the time :rotfl9:
I have a block of wood I put under the side stand for checking the oil.

 

[bob]

Same here... uh, the block of wood under the side stand that is. I use a 2x4 block plus a 3/4" plywood block and that's enough to see the oil level in the site glass. I figure if it's in the middle or at least above the lower line it will be fine. I mainly look for any change. Haven't seen any change since last oil and filter replacement.

 

[flytrap]

Mine hasn't burned a single drop. I've quit checking the oil level.

 

[Lazelod]

Picked mine up from the dealer yesterday, and he noted that mine was leaking from the O-ring around the filler cap.. O-ring replaced and no more leaks..

 

[Barrettmusicman1]

Menosabe -Is there a chance it could be leaking out, and not burning oil? I say this because when mine gets hot (riding for 30 minutes or longer), I have a faint smell of burning oil; as if there was a drip on the exhaust. I notice the smell even after cutting the engine for a few minutes. I just took mine in for the 600 mile service (I normally do maintenance myself, but I figured I'd let the dealer give it the first once-over). Luckily, the smell was present when I dropped it off, and there was a very slight residual on the front of the right head just above the exhaust header. The service guy was able to smell the oil, and saw the residual as well, and noted to take a look at it while in service. I'll know when I pick up the bike tomorrow what they found.

What was the result? I'm going to call my dealer on Tuesday and inquire about a smell I noticed last weekend after riding for 3.5 hours in 96 degree heat. Whenever I would come to a stop I would get a burning smell (not electrical, more oilish/fuelish). On the 3.5 hour drive home at night when it was cooler...no smell. Would the heat cause it to vent or something? Also, earlier that day I had the throttle get jerky a few times when I wasn't even moving the throttle. I was cruising at 65 mph, no bumps, then suddenly about four times the bike quickly jerked intermittently. Never did it anymore, only after did I notice the smell. Later on the ride home all was well. I didn't notice the tach jump at all either. Hmm...

 

[bobber]

hey all got a question the sight glass i looked and cant tell if i see oil does the sight glass have a metal shield and a small hole in the middle i know everyone is going to say da but have to ask people who no more than me

 

[TennesseeSmith]

Whenever I would come to a stop I would get a burning smell (not electrical, more oilish/fuelish). On the 3.5 hour drive home at night when it was cooler...no smell. .

This bike has a massive catalytic converter. It gets extremely hot. It will make smells you wouldn't normally get.

The complicated and cramped exhaust routing also makes it easy to get oil on stuff when you drain the old oil. Anything that hits the pipes will burn off right away. But oil that hangs around on adjacent surfaces won't make a smell until things get really hot under there.

 

[togojeff]

I had this burning oil smell after I went through some construction zones
and came to the conclusion that a piece of tar had gotten thrown on top of the
converters as smell disappeared after a while.

 

[Barrettmusicman1]

Thanks for the replies, yeah maybe something was burning off. I'll pay closer attention to it this week and see if it does it again.

 

[bob]

When changing the oil I wrap the left exhaust pipe pair with aluminum foil. That way the oil can drip off the filter as I remove it all it wants and only the foil gets it. Keeps the pipes clean.

 

[Barrettmusicman1]

When changing the oil I wrap the left exhaust pipe pair with aluminum foil. That way the oil can drip off the filter as I remove it all it wants and only the foil gets it. Keeps the pipes clean.

Good idea! I had the oil changed a couple weeks ago, maybe it finally got hot enough to burn.