Looking for tech advice

I’ve got a Suzuki Bandit 600, I love the bitch to death, but…

She drinks oil like its going out of fashion. I’ve only done 1000 miles in about 2 months and so far I’ve put more than 8 liters of oil into her…is that normal? Plus every time I look into the (show my newbie status here) oil holding thingy (what’s it called anyone? it ALWAYS Looks empty.

Question is, do I have a prob on my hands? SHould the oil reservoir window appear as dark as it does cos that just seems wrong?

I’m using 10-40 Synth as specified…what’s up? Anyone? All help appreciated and returned in pints next Cubana! Cheers

Sounds like excessive consumtion to me… my honda at 32,000 miles barley uses a drop in 4,000 miles

Way too excessive consumption. The oil reservoir window should be clear and you should be able to see the level quite happily. If its black you will need to remover the engine cover and clean it to get visibility back. Are you sure that you are not overfilling the bike and its just dirty oil that you are looking at? Are there visible signs of smoke coming from the exhaust? Do you have a puddle of oil underneath the bike after its been parked up?

There is something not right somewhere, its just a case of finding out what it is.

No smoke, no oil puddles, Last time I filled her to the full mark on the window (which was clear then) whilst the bike was in the vertical/upright position on the centre stand. I have since done a trip down to Portsmouth and back and the window is now black, then interior of the oil reservoir again looks empty but the parts inside all seem clean and undamaged from what little I can see through the oil you put the oil in…s’got me totally stumped cos I don’t know if I’m buggering things up when nothing seems to be going wrong…but you know that voice that says…if I cahnge up just one more gear somethings gonna seize…

Still seeking solutions…help…advice…

Mmmm … definitely something not quite right there … if oil is going down, it must be going somewhere … the thing is, where?! … knowing that will most likely reveal the problem. Eight litres in 1000 miles is very very wrong indeed!!

Ok, I know its a 600 but does riding it hard consume oil?

Also, I have a problem remembering I’m already in 5th gear (brain jsut goes, “more speed”), so occassionally I go to change up a gear, and I’m already at the top…is that bad? Damaging to the engine? Or not really a prob…

They’re the only 2 things I can think of that strike me as amateur…

Eight litres in 1000 miles sounds like a BMW…
If you’re not sure about things engine wise it might be best to take it to someone who knows…Was this a brand new bike - get it looked at there?
Is there a mechanic you trust? If not is there someone on here who has a mechanic you trust?

Cheers Macp

that’s kinda the conclusion I’m coming to, I’m going to pootle (grrrr) down to Brighton and see if I can find this guy Craig chuffster mentioned and get her checked out by someone that knows more bout bikes than I do…

I know a couple of fellas here in London as well…which is handy.

Cheers all, if anyone knows what’s going on please post

and to all who’ve been in touch, pints on me at Cubana next time!

Neither of those things are going to do any damage. Bikes take that all the time!

As Macp says, you’ll have to get someone knowledgeable to have a look at it. Perhaps one of us lot can have a look at it for you over the next few days?

Where are you based?

Could be piston rings…how old is the bike and what is the total mileage?- fully synthetic in a brand new engine can glaze the rings.

If it smoked on start-up, then I would say valve caps (older bike- kept outside)

I presume that there is no oil leak- rocker cover, oil filter- clean off all of the areas around gaskets and sump, take it for a ride ( put positive pressure inside the engine) and have a look.

Have you fiddled with anything on the bike recently? I removed my air box on the SV and forgot to attach the front crank breather hose and i was loosing oil fairly quickly, i did not notice for a couple of weeks.

Ok, the oil hole thingy is (I’m prosuming) the the filler hole at the top of the clutch cover, with the filler cap covering it, you don’t need to fill this up as it’s only access to the inside of the engine.

Gte the bike on level ground, hold the bike up straight and fill to just below the top line in the sight glass.

If as you say the bike has needed that much oil then something is wrong, I cover about 1,000 miles a week and my lump has 70,000 miles on it and only use splash in that time.

Excessive oil consumption is normally one of three things.

  1. physical leaks, this can be a leeking gasket,oil line, oil cooler or even casing damage.

Park the bike up on a dry evening and place some clean news paper under it, give it an hour or so and check, you should spot if any is leeking and approx from where.

  1. Burning it, this can be either passed the valve stem seals or passed the rings, both of these will be beyond you ability to rectify, but you should be able to tell if you’re burning oil by cleaning the inside of the tail pipe (when cold) and going for a run and checking how black it gets.

  2. pressurised internally, if for some reason you engine internal pressure is higher than normal you may find this will either force the oil passed the seals or rings, but in most cases will back it up to the airbox.

To check remove the airbox cover (lid) and check where the breather hoses come in (rubber hoses from the engine) , if you find anything more than a light oil covering you have a problem.

You should be checking your oil level before each and every ride anyway, if the sightglass has suddenly got very dirty then you could be pressurising the oil by leeking combustion passed a damaged ring ( that’s just a guess though).

Cheap it topped up (don’t over fill), do the checks above and report back.

Cheers Mark.

http://www.themotorcyclecentre.com/

Is the web address for the Lot in Brighton. I do suggest you get it checked as running when low on oil will cause damage. If you were at the Cubana tonight I am sure that there are many people that would have a look at it for you.

Prob solved guys.

Huge thanks for all help and suggestions.

Turned out I’d over-filled the lady in question. I kept putting it in and putting it in…not realising that she was full already. Met a chap in brighton who took one look and went…oooh, put her on a diet! I emptied her out and it turns out I had almost double the oil in her than she should have had. Topped her up with fresh and she’s running Suh-weeeeeeeeeeeeet now. Played a little keep up with a TVR on the country road back from Brighton. He had me on the straights but I lost him in the corners…veery veerrry NICE!!! God I love biking!

Thanks again all and tap me up for a pint next Wednesday at the Cubana.

Nice one! You’re banned from filling her with oil for a bit…
…But don’t stop checking the levels!!!