Not sure if anyone else has noticed this. I know many of you are very careful of how much oil you want to show in the sight glass so I thought it worth mentioning.
Yesterday, my bike was on the rear stand and I noticed the oil glass showed the oil level was at the very bottom. I just changed my oil before my trip and I know I left with the oil level right in the middle. My bike has always used barely any oil between changes so I knew this wasn't right.
I've always checked my oil level by wedging some wood under the sidestand so the bike is straight up. So straight that a breeze would knock it over. I usually have someone watch the bike while I get down to see the level. The oil is always at operating temp and I even keep the bike straight up after turning it off. I know this way is accurate.
My bike showed the oil at the very bottom of the glass while on the stand. When I placed the bike on the sidestand with wood under it and straight up, the oil glass now showed right in the middle.
Not sure how much oil it takes to fill the glass from bottom to middle but if you do add oil when on a rear stand then the actual level is higher than what you are intending. Since the glass is near the back of the motor a typical stand lifting the rear tire 3-4" will move the oil to the front of the motor and what you see in the glass isn't correct.

* Last updated by: KAK on 2/29/2012 @ 3:02 PM *

The angle front to back is one thing. Quite possibly of greater consequence is the the angle side to side. If one side of your rear stand is a tiny bit higher that the other, that can have a profound effect on the appearance of the oil level in the sight glass. If the floor is not level, you won't feel that when lifting but the bike will be off vertical. If the stand is not absolutely symetrical--same effect.

I only trust the weight of the bike balanced with my hands on the bike. I kneel down and look at the sight glass with the exhaust pipe against my raised knee. I can feel the angle ofthe bike with my hand on the bar and my calf on the pipe.

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Rook, good point about the rear stand being adjusted correctly. My stand is adjusted level.
"Side to side" as you mentioned is very important of course. I've noticed just a tad more lean either way and the level in the glass changes a lot. That's why I came up with my method but I always wait for help after nearly having the bike fall toward me one time.
My level tests as described before were done on the same spot on my garage floor, so that adds to my belief that checking it while on the rear stand is inaccurate. With the rear tire higher than the front and the sight glass at the rear of the motor there's no way what you see is accurate.

I simply grab the front hand brake to keep the bike from moving, pull the bike straight up towards me while using my right thigh as a brace while leaning over to see the sight glass. You can feel the teetering affect to know where perfect straight up n down is and your leg n thigh is not going to let it go anywhere. I make sure to have a wide stance for good support. It's easy!

(I even check my big ol heavy Vucan the same way)

* Last updated by: mad5674 on 2/29/2012 @ 4:17 PM *

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During the course of cleaning wheels and chain adjusting I usually pop my bike up on both stands where she sits level. The sight glass usually gets looked at then. I have never had to add oil between changes. I don't have a center stand and I really miss one when I am on a trip where there is no way to easily get to clean and adjust the chain or wheels. My old Honda CBR 900RR had no sight glass but it did have a dip stick where you could sit on the level bike and just pull the stick and look at it.

I put mine on front and rear stands. Saw my oil was really low so I placed a level. on the. tank... almost perfectly straight. Checked the left side valve cover and found fresh and burnt oil...wtf kaw?

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rook this is a good example of what your saying the first 2 pics are on the rear stand:

these 2 are on side stand with a 2x4 and 2 paint sticks under it lol

tomorrow ill try to find a level spot for the stand and see if theres a difference being on the stand thats level.

on a side note to me it looks like the oil is more horizontal in the sight glass with bike on the stand.

* Last updated by: scottjkyl on 2/29/2012 @ 7:09 PM *

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I would set the level in line with the body of the bike as well. My garage has a little slope but my vortex and pit bull combo seem to level it.

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I always wait for help after nearly having the bike fall toward me one time.

Almost lost mine falling away from me. I am used to holding it the way I do almost laying on the ground next to the bike. One other thing to take into consideration is the angle you view at. The high low marks are not flush to the glass so it is hard to see exactly where the oil level is in relation to the marks if you don't get way down to look......or you take a bead on the little triangle behund the glass and memorize exactly where the oil level is on it, then put the bike on the side stand and check the oil level marks on the case cover to the triangle and your memory. Eitrher way, it is awful hard to get a perfect read w/out getting your head down low. NOT a bad idea to have a helper when you do this.

You can feel the teetering affect to know where perfect straight up n down is

That is a good way to say it. The bike is totally stable as long as you keep it balanced at center but if it tips a little this way or that you will feel that right away and I guess you better or the bike is going down. Placing my leg against the exhaust helps to brace it right on balance. I would never lean way down as I do without having my leg there to feel the bike and to brace it.

rook this is a good example of what your saying the first 2 pics are on the rear stand:

a 2x4 and 2 paint sticks under it lol

perfecto! yeah that shows what I was talking about!

friggin A, scotty!!! I must say I admire your precision there! A freegin bullet level!! hahahaha! Love it. You outdid yourself this time. Have to check the shelf next time I am at the hardware store.

* Last updated by: Rook on 2/29/2012 @ 8:49 PM *

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kneel down on right side of bike.Grasp front brake firmly with your right hand,with you facing the rear of bike.Gently lift(pull) bike off sidestand and towards you.Bike will stop at midpoint.Look down at glass.Check level.Return bike to sidestand.Never start a thread like this ever again! ...next topic..."how to pull in the clutch and put motorcycle into 1st gear"....and coming up....."shifting into second made easy"....

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 2/29/2012 @ 10:53 PM *

Tried the bike against the thigh and bent over to check the oil level, the bike felt really secure, two stands and a level is safer though.

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I'm with you Grn....I don't get what all the hubbub is about. It's not going to knock you down unless you just go crazy yanking it towards you. And your leg is there against the engine as a brace!?! I'm only 5'10" and 170 n if I can use that method with a 1600 Vulcan, the 14 was a cinch! I don't know, maybe I'm missing something but it seems so simple and easy to me

(and what about checking it on the road, say on a trip...no stands there)
Guess you could ask for help

* Last updated by: mad5674 on 2/29/2012 @ 11:39 PM *

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Methinks you'd get pulled over probably for draggin those stands behind ya

Hell...having it fall over on ya is a lot friggin better than havin her hit the ground!!!!! I'll take that anyday!!!

That puttin sticks an 2X4's under that stand...geez....talk about living dangerously.That baby starts to tip while yer comin around to the other side...WTF ya gonna do then?ANYONE who's dropped their 14 from havin it go off vertical will tell ya....once she slips past center balance...yer done baby.Unless yer in the right spot to catch er before she REALLY gets ta goin.After that...it's BOOM BOOM out go the lights!My 07 went over twice...fell away from me.FUC%...that bad bird just rocked the house when she went.So fast...I couldn't stop her.I was able to hold on to the left bar...but it only eased the impact VERY SLIGHTLY...she almost pulled me right over with er!I mean...I was like almost layin on the bike when she was sittin there on her side.Still had a grip on that bar though!!!!! KaBoom Baby!!!!What a sickening feeling...that's for sure...hearin that plasticky kinda crunch.Gotta watch those rear stands....

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 3/1/2012 @ 2:06 AM *

I have a centre stand fitted, I place a scissor jack under the collector box and raise the front till all is level front to back, spirit level on tank to check port to stb.
B-A

That puttin sticks an 2X4's under that stand...geez....talk about living dangerously.That baby starts to tip while yer comin around to the other side...WTF ya gonna do then?ANYONE who's dropped their 14 from havin it go off vertical will tell ya

lol grn yes this is not something I've ever done before and trust me I never took a hand off of her this was for visual only

.I don't get what all the hubbub is about.

mad, I'm with you on this when i change my oil i just measure out what mother Kawi says (4.3qts w/ filter change) to put in it. Its not rocket science thats why you have that wide range there in the site glass. Of course for me its a little easier since there is a motorcycle lift in my garage

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"mad, I'm with you on this when i change my oil i just measure out what mother Kawi says (4.3qts w/ filter change) to put in it.It's not rocket science".

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 3/1/2012 @ 7:16 AM *

I'm with Grn and a few others. What is the hubbub. Front brake bite and up she comes. Here is the deal, if you are going to maxton, drag racing, then yes, use the leveler. And you better know what level makes hp and what level robs hp.

If it is above the window, or say a 1/4 of the way up? You are safe. If you have half the level? It might pump into the ram chamber, or it might, wink-wink... Exploit a little grunt via the bubble (that is still there, displacing what the oil does not).

I don't know, KAK? Check warm? Warm to me says, expands. The manual does not state, 'pour very hot oil into the engine to find the level.' You want a morning check so you have that oil reading at a [cold] 4.3 qts of oil.

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I'm with Grn and a few others. What is the hubbub. Front brake bite and up she comes. Here is the deal, if you are going to maxton, drag racing, then yes, use the leveler. And you better know what level makes hp and what level robs hp.

If it is above the window, or say a 1/4 of the way up? You are safe. If you have half the level? It might pump into the ram chamber, or it might, wink-wink... Exploit a little grunt via the bubble (that is still there, displacing what the oil does not).

I don't know, KAK? Check warm? Warm to me says, expands. The manual does not state, 'pour very hot oil into the engine to find the level.' You want a morning check so you have that oil reading at a [cold] 4.3 qts of oil.

Hub, others. No, it's not rocket science. But I've seen posts around here that show some people are pretty picky about the oil level. Some say a bit too much oil and it aggravates the infamous valve cover leak...things like that. When I saw the difference in oil level when on a rear stand compared to checking in a known straight up position, I thought it worth mentioning.
Checking the level by propping the sidestand until straight up is dangerous I suppose but I've never had a problem since I have someone watch the bike while I check. At least I KNOW the bike is level.
As for the checking the level at operating temp, that's how you're supposed to do it. Only time you can check the oil cold or not yet at operating temp is if you first shut off the motor with the bike already level and then check it later cold. Cold oil doesn't drain well. Change your oil and start the bike but you don't allow it to reach operating temp. Too much stays up in the motor or you don't wait long enough to allow it to drain, now you get a false "low" read and you add oil?
I also believe the maker allows for a certain amount of oil at full operating temp to stay in the motor at shut down. Being level at shut down is part of how they decide to design the sight glass. Only a certain amount of oil will drain to the bottom. If you turn off a motor at full operating temp that's not level then more oil will drain than the maker intends. This results in a false "high" level in the glass.
If, that's IF, the range between the low and high marks is intended to allow for this then there's no problem. But each owner has a preference for where they want the oil level. Some want it right to the top mark. If you don't check it as I describe above then your actual oil level won't be where you want it to be.
Not a big deal at all. But some owners methods of checking counter what they're trying to do.

I'm with you KAK, I have seen silly topics being discussed here. I don't know why this one falls under the "not important stuff".

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I think it's very important...but what I don't see is the supposed difficulty in checking it. Seems some are jumping through hoops over it. JMO I guess if a person feels the need to make it rocket science, that's their prerogative.

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I'll repeat my experience. Something was not right with the bike. One day it would feel peppy, the next day, something was amiss. First thing I did, don't ask me why, I checked the level of the oil. On the stand, it reads. Upright on two wheels, the oil is not in the window.

Here, I top off the oil as per book (owner's man pg. 112). I am not about to sit there and anal the level. Low and behold, the performance or the grunt came back. I suspect that bubble pushes the pistons back up. And I remember a blip on some motogp interview, where one commented about a trick up their sleeve about the crankcase. I figured this was what they were talking about is the level-balancing act.

Apparently, page 112 says: Start the bike so the oil filter is cycled thru. Top the rest off. The page also states, if the bike was running, let it sit for a few minutes. This again says, my engine did not warm up to running temp to cycle oil thru my new filter. I am not in a heat expanded state.

Bottom line, it says, hey, I want to sit the bike overnight as I cycled thru my new filter. My cold engine should read a straight ling across the glass, lay between the upper and lower embossed level lines, I am good to go. No remove some, nothing to add. I am a cold level look see.

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Drag/Mad,

This is a tuning tool. Find base level, then monitor the ass pucker. I believe my ass pucks a higher level to squeeze the proverbial bubble inside. This is a science, yes. Ask my rectum.

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I'm with you KAK, I have seen silly topics being discussed here. I don't know why this one falls under the "not important stuff".

I for 1 am not saying your oil level is not important, I am just saying if you put in the 4.3 quarts you should be good and the bike on the stand is not as important as is the bike being straight up and down

I don't even know if you can put a level lengthways on the bike and how accurate it is I set my level length wise with bike on the floor (floor level) and it a full bubble out showing the front sits almost a 1/4" lower than the back. now is this accurate? I dunno. heres two pics of the sight glass off stand and on stand , bike level left to right

On floor:

on stand:

I can see the level goes a little higher on the right side of the glass which is the front side but either way its still in the range.

now if your bikes not straight up and down thats where you have problems you lean bike a little to the left and you think your low and are adding oil, and now you have too much oil in it. So too me the bike being level left to right is more important than it being on a stand or not

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Yeesh...I was only funnin about things.You never want to check your level on a rear stand.EVER.It won't be correct.You let the warm bike sit...so the oil drains back down.That's all.Cold check.When she warms up...she'll be exactly where she should be...as long as you've put the recommended oil weight and amount in there....whether she's cold or hot,the level will be correct.Scott nailed it exactly.You pour in the measured amount,and as long as your bike isn't burning oil...it's gonna stay fairly close to the amount ya put in...some will burn off(from natural use).But that won't hurt anything.Now if she's burnin oil...then that's something different.You will need to check her more often...when she's cold.

IF you change oil...and put in the measured amount...level your bike...look at the sightglass...now memorize where it's sitting in relation to the upper and lower marks...there ya go.

The measured amount is gonna show you exactly where it should be in the sightglass(whether it looks low or high),on the vertical,with the oil already cycled,and the engine COLD.They don't expect you to pull out a level and start measuring things to get it 'perfect'.They're assuming you can think it through and do it correctly by leaning the bike to the vertical...however you chose to do that.

NO REAR STAND oil checks.Or REAR AND FRONT STAND checks.On the ground...vertical...cold.

Quote from Rook
"I only trust the weight of the bike balanced with my hands on the bike. I kneel down and look at the sight glass with the exhaust pipe against my raised knee. I can feel the angle ofthe bike with my hand on the bar and my calf on the pipe."

Rook what you are describing there is a monkey fuckin a football not someone checking oil. My solution is to have the bike on the side stand level front to rear grab the right handle bar straight arm body sideways away from the bike. Pull the bike to balance, with that stance it cannot fall over rock it slightly at the balance point using a flashlight see the oil at it's average level.