Check the Oil - Too Much of a Good Thing

Critical oil check – even when it comes back from the shop.

A while back I got a call from a friend who was cleaning house and wanted to rid himself of a couple “projects.” Being unable to resist a “deal” I became the new owner of a Suzuki GSX-R that I promptly named George and which came to me with oil issues. Buying the bikes over the phone as projects/parts, I was unsure of exactly what was coming though apparently George’s big issues were burning oil and leaky forks.

Turns out George went to a local shop for a tune and oil change and returned smoking like crazy, something it did not do before going in. Looking in the sight glass window with the bike on the level—as it should be—I could see there was too much oil, and took out 3.6 litres. On the sidestand it looked okay, but that’s not counting the oil filter, some spillage, and whatever my buddy burned running the engine.

There is supposed to be three litres total. Looks like it was not drained completely and there was obviously some dirty old oil partly mixed with the new. This could cause smoke, much more likely than the “Your valve seals need replacing” he got when phoning the shop where the work was done. Needless to say they lost his future business because they blew off his issue. Everybody knows “stuff” happens; it’s how you handle the stuff that really matters.

by Rich Burgess Canadian Biker Issue #329

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Check the Oil – Too Much of a Good Thing

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