Make a dipstick ??

OK .... as a newish member I'm sticking my neck out .... has anyone made a useful dipstick for an 1100?

I have had many other hondas with sight glasses but I'm old and stiff and the up and down thing isn't popular with my wrists and so I've used a 'work around' mostly on old (4cyl) goldwings but also with old in line 4s.

At oil change time, after I've added the correct amount off oil I take a zip tie, preferably white, and slide it down through the oil filler hole into the crankcase, then I withdraw it carefully and mark the oil level with a nick in the plastic, now I have a dipstick .... I tried this approach on my 'new' 2001 and it seems to work altho its a bit trickier to get the zip tie to slide down it does go.

You do have to be consistent with how much is sticking out the top of course.

Am I missing something .... shouldn't this work with the 1100 ?

Gord

I believe the problem is there's no way to get the stick down to the sump from the oil cap. I'm guessing any other mechanical option is too drastic.

Maybe shine a flashlight on a mirror at the end of a stick?

+1 mirror on a stick, they're all over the interweb etc. Cost about as much as a zip tie.
Or if it's that hard to do your maintenance you need a bike lift.
Upt'North.

A dipstick from valve cover filler cap to oil pan.......never gonna happen my friend. Since ST uses absolutely no oil between 6,000mi. oli changes, initially fill to correct level and forget about it till next oil change.

Gord,

Got a missus there? Get her down on her knees to check your level.

Surplus periscope from an old submarine? Flexible bore scope (Milwaukee, Rigid, other tool companies sell these). Fiber optic scope for your smart phone?

Just turn your smartphone light on, then take a picture.

You can look at it whenever it is convenient for you.

Dale_I said:

Just turn your smartphone light on, then take a picture.

Click to expand...

I do that all the time for a number of things. I was playing fetch with my GW buddy's Lab when she let the ball get by and under some wooded steps. She couldn't get it so she looked at me and barked. Made me laugh like crazy.

A long stick could roll it out if I just new where it was. Took some video with the phone and new exactly were it was.

Yeah - I feel your pain TR.

In my view, the sightglass oil window arrangement is the sort of stupid, impractical idea that comes from what, in the auto industry are referred to as the Cost Police. These are often, but not always, useless gits with MBAs who develop answers to questions that nobody was asking - but are intended to save a bit of money.

Unfortunately, while it is likely cheaper than a dipstick, the sightglass is enormously inconvenient for those of us with sore knees and I just hate it.

Anyhow, the mirror on a stick idea is likely the best option - or mount your smart phone on a selfie stick and use that to take a photo.

Brant said:

Since ST uses absolutely no oil between 6,000mi. oli changes, initially fill to correct level and forget about it till next oil change.

Click to expand...

This is my approach too only my oil change intervals are 4000 miles. Since it's not leaking it, and it's not perceptibly burning it, and I know how much I put in there (a gallon), I don't have to do the crawley thing on the ground on my 67 year old bad knees to make sure it has oil in there.

My bike has a sidecar mounted on the right. I have to use a mirror. I use this one:

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-7609-Telescoping-Lighted-Inspection/dp/B0062PBMUY

Thanks for all the ideas folks .... if any of you are at the ONSTOCK we can share my new 'inspection mirror' and reassure ourselves that we used absolutely no oil getting there ....

Gord:biker:

TorontoRat said:

Thanks for all the ideas folks .... if any of you are at the ONSTOCK we can share my new 'inspection mirror' and reassure ourselves that we used absolutely no oil getting there ....

Gord:biker:

Click to expand...

Don't hold the mirror upsidedown. You will think you are out of oil and over fill the crankcase. :bow1:

It should take just less than a gallon, I believe. The Service Manual says 3.91 US Quarts with a filter change. So a gallon would overfill it. But an extra 2.88 oz. probably won't make a difference, But some people on this Forum report that if you fill to the bottom of the normal range on the site glass, the bike will seem to run better - I'm not sure of that, tho.

Jim Van said:

It should take just less than a gallon, I believe. The Service Manual says 3.91 US Quarts with a filter change. So a gallon would overfill it. But an extra 2.88 oz. probably won't make a difference, But some people on this Forum report that if you fill to the bottom of the normal range on the site glass, the bike will seem to run better - I'm not sure of that, tho.

Click to expand...

If its overfilled it would not run better. would there be any way to measure the difference? I doubt it. But if the crankshaft does not have to push thru the oil in theory it would run better. Remember all the oil that goes thru the engine comes from the oil pump.

I buy the 18.9l tub of Rotella dino and decant 3.4 into a clean container. Been doing this for years and this is the perfect amount for an oil + filter change to get to the 1/2 way mark on the sight glass.

Or, you could buy a Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX which comes with a dipstick. Gord, I'll show you this at ONSTOC.

The mirror on a stick and the cell phone pic are excellent ideas. I always crawled on the ground to see the oil level on my former ST1300 ride.