Hi all,

I have a UK spec NC30 engine in my bike, and wondered if i am burning oil?
I had the engine apart and changed the heads for my RVF ported ones about 3 months ago, so it was filled with oil as per Heinz manual (total strip and rebuild) + i added 100ml for the oil cooler, seemed to be fine, run the bike, no overheating problems, have adjusted the carbs so it runs about right, there is a little bit of a sooty deposit in the end can i am guessing this is cos it is running rich at idle as i have 122 dynojet mains and + 0.5mm washer on the needles. There dosen't seem to be any smoke out of the can, and i cant see any sine of an oil leak. But i just warmed the bike up and let it stand for 5 mins pulled out the dip stick wiped it put it in, and it was bone dry
From the manual it says not to screw in the dip stick for the reading, is this how you all do it? (i normally screw it in for a reading)
Should i have used more oil in the engine as it is UK spec?
The piston crowns seemed fine when i had the heads off, no excessive deposits, the engine has done 20k Miles.
P.S. the bike was level front wheel in a chock so it was straight and true.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance

Just stick some in it til it is in the middle of the marks without it being screwed in.

One of the only things that will kill one of these motors is low oil pressure and level......

CMSMJ1 wrote:Just stick some in it til it is in the middle of the marks without it being screwed in.

One of the only things that will kill one of these motors is low oil pressure and level......

Cheers, I have topped it up and it is reading fine, i am just a little worried that there may be an underlying issue? Should i be on the look out for anything other than smoking and overheating?

skinnydog0_0 wrote:

CMSMJ1 wrote:Just stick some in it til it is in the middle of the marks without it being screwed in.

One of the only things that will kill one of these motors is low oil pressure and level......

Cheers, I have topped it up and it is reading fine, i am just a little worried that there may be an underlying issue? Should i be on the look out for anything other than smoking and overheating?

Did you not check it originally after you filled it up?

Ignore the haynes manual and just fill it up with oil (bike level not on stand) until the oil is at the max mark on the dipstick.

Check it before / after everyride (after the ride you'll need to let the bike stand for a few minutes to allow the oil to drain back into the sump.

Your mains and needle shimming shouldn't affect the idle running as these are for part and wide open throttle.. the mains will be closed by the needle at idle.

Your idle mixture is set by pilot screws.

Neosophist wrote:

skinnydog0_0 wrote:

CMSMJ1 wrote:Just stick some in it til it is in the middle of the marks without it being screwed in.

One of the only things that will kill one of these motors is low oil pressure and level......

Cheers, I have topped it up and it is reading fine, i am just a little worried that there may be an underlying issue? Should i be on the look out for anything other than smoking and overheating?

Did you not check it originally after you filled it up?

Ignore the haynes manual and just fill it up with oil (bike level not on stand) until the oil is at the max mark on the dipstick.

Check it before / after everyride (after the ride you'll need to let the bike stand for a few minutes to allow the oil to drain back into the sump.

Your mains and needle shimming shouldn't affect the idle running as these are for part and wide open throttle.. the mains will be closed by the needle at idle.

Your idle mixture is set by pilot screws.

Hi Neo,
Yes i did check it after i filled it and it seemed fine. I put 3 litres in, as per manual but i might just do as you say and put in what i think and keep topping it up till i get to the right level.
I have only been out on it a couple of times, and i must admit i didn't check the level last time out , as i thought it would have been fine from before. I mentioned the main jet size and needles to give an idea of the set up i am running and possibly point to why i may have sooty deposits in the end can. If the engine was burning oil, would it leave the same sooty deposits in the end as that when it's running rich?
Cheers
P.S. i am also going to go and buy another measuring jug, as i cant be sure the one i have is accurate.

You don't really need the jug for oil.. just keep adding a bit at a time until you reach the max mark on the dipstick (don't screw it in, just rest it on)

You'll know then if it's burning oil as the level will go down.

It depends on your air-filter / exhaust / pilot settings.

What do the plugs look like, are they tan coloured or black? You can get an idea of the running characteristics of the bike by looking at these and progress accordingly. :)

It might be running a bit rich but as long as it's running ok and the plugs look good I wouldn't worry too much.

They don't burn oil very often unless knackered so it's probably fine :)

Thanks Mark and Neo,
I think i have found the problem. I got a pyrex jug from Tesco, and measured into the jug i used for oil, and the oil one was short by about 175ml per litre. So when i thought i had used 3litres i had only actually used just over 2.5 and i must have been slack with my measuring the oil level the first time
Moral of the story, don't use cheap jugs from Lidl and go by the dipstick.
Thanks again.