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Brand new XR650L has no oil

I had a 2001 TL1000S I picked up. It felt odd when I turned and the suspension seemed overly harsh. When I got home it had 58 psi or so in the front tire, 40 something in the rear. I have also had loose bars, loose axles, etc. I never ride them much until I "bolt it" as Mitch would say.
I guess i shouldn't seem surprised. My front axle was loose and the clamping bolt for it was missing. Discovered several hundred miles later. Reassembled with blue threadlocker
 
View attachment 227449
Here's my brand new xrl with 1.2 miles on it. Never trust the dealer on anything. Go over it yourself.
That's a fine stable you got!


I suspect you had enough oil, just not enough to register on the stick. It would have sounded horrible if you were empty.

Interested to see what the dealer says and what the service manager does to it.
 
Zeeman
When you drain the oil as witnessed with the dealer, do you have a pyrex or something to sneak out of the kitchen to quantify how much was in it and to innocently ask, "is this the amount it's supposed to have"? In other words, make a good show of it.
 
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My bike was fine on oil level. I was just illustrating to the OP to not rely on the dealer. Take it home check everything and lube up those dry bearings. My ties did have 10 psi in the tires though.
 
My bike was fine on oil level. I was just illustrating to the OP to not rely on the dealer. Take it home check everything and lube up those dry bearings. My ties did have 10 psi in the tires though.
Sorry, wrong quote. I was talking about this thread owner
 
Well, I have not heard from the service manager like they promised. Not good! I did slide a small wooden dowel down the hole and struck oil at 8 1/2 inches from the top of the threads. That's about 2 1/2 lower than the dip stick reaches.
 
That's part of the problem, the oil's cooling function. If it was low on oil, it seems like the engine might have overheated. Could this cause premature wear on internal parts?

You would have known if the engine overheated.

But the heat to which I was referring is engine oil temp which would lead to lubrication breakdown and then, yes, damage internally.
At 100 miles, I doubt you got the temps too terribly hot.

In my race car, I never knew how hot the engine oil got.
The gauge only went to 325*!
Oil is a lot "tougher" than it used to be.
You have dry sump system on your side.

I see now that you have discovered oil.
You are OK ... again, at 100 miles, easy break-in miles.
Had you spent a week covering the NMBDR ... different story.

But don;t let the dealer off the hook.
Let them check it and note in the service history the sump was a quart low.
Insist on them checking the health of the motor till the warranty runs out.

And don;t be afraid to call Honda customer care.
 
The frame may be a quart low when the engine is stone cold, but when it fires up, it may be full. There are pages of info on this in the ADV 650L thread. This is a gravity fed dry sump system. When the engine is shut down, the secondary pump stops moving oil into the frame. Over time, some oil will drain past the pump gears and fall into the engine sump. As soon as the engine starts the oil will be transferred back to the frame reservoir. The only time you can accurately check the level is when the engine is full temperature and just after shutting down.
 
You would have known if the engine overheated.

But the heat to which I was referring is engine oil temp which would lead to lubrication breakdown and then, yes, damage internally.
At 100 miles, I doubt you got the temps too terribly hot.

In my race car, I never knew how hot the engine oil got.
The gauge only went to 325*!
Oil is a lot "tougher" than it used to be.
You have dry sump system on your side.

I see now that you have discovered oil.
You are OK ... again, at 100 miles, easy break-in miles.
Had you spent a week covering the NMBDR ... different story.

But don;t let the dealer off the hook.
Let them check it and note in the service history the sump was a quart low.
Insist on them checking the health of the motor till the warranty runs out.

And don;t be afraid to call Honda customer care.
Good information to know, and thanks for the post. By "let the dealer check it" are you talking about checking the oil level, or checking the engine? I assume engine, so how would they go about keeping a check on the engine's health? Sorry for so many questions. The service bro did not call or show up yesterday and I did not hear anything from him today. I will contact Honda customer care tomorrow. I'm not playing with this. I have too much invested. Thanks again.
 
The frame may be a quart low when the engine is stone cold, but when it fires up, it may be full. There are pages of info on this in the ADV 650L thread. This is a gravity fed dry sump system. When the engine is shut down, the secondary pump stops moving oil into the frame. Over time, some oil will drain past the pump gears and fall into the engine sump. As soon as the engine starts the oil will be transferred back to the frame reservoir. The only time you can accurately check the level is when the engine is full temperature and just after shutting down.
That makes sense. I'll go read some on ADV forum. Thanks for the info.
 
Good information to know, and thanks for the post. By "let the dealer check it" are you talking about checking the oil level, or checking the engine? I assume engine, so how would they go about keeping a check on the engine's health? Sorry for so many questions. The service bro did not call or show up yesterday and I did not hear anything from him today. I will contact Honda customer care tomorrow. I'm not playing with this. I have too much invested. Thanks again.

Engine.

At a bare minimum, a valve check at a reasonable interval ... say 1000 miles, maybe?
That is assuming there are no odd noises, shifts smooth and the clutch operates smooth.

Here is the oiling system.

P8240337.jpg


If you follow the oil stream, flow from the pump goes to the trans and to the motor via two separate channels.
The flow to the motor splits immediately post filter ... one side to the crankshaft and the other to the valve train.
The valve train will starve first because of the location and channel length. without oil, it would be clacking, ticking and banging.

If there is no unusual wear on the cams and valve train, it's probably not an issue.
 
I'm with Gary that the likelihood of a real problem generated in 200 miles is pretty small. Even on a new bike. I've ridden lots of miles on bikes that were below the recommended levels plus killed a couple of engines with low oil issues. My experience is that too little oil results in immediate failure. Get what you can out of the dealer in terms of future service and don't sweat it too much if the bike is still running like new.

Remember the old Brit Iron joke: As long as it's leaking I know it still has oil in it.
 
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As an XRL owner, I'm interested in the outcome here. Did you re-check the oil level when the bike was hot? Did ya add oil until it was full? How much did it take?
 
As an XRL owner, I'm interested in the outcome here. Did you re-check the oil level when the bike was hot? Did ya add oil until it was full? How much did it take?
I have not added any oil to it at all. This is strange, but I rode it yesterday for about 15 minutes, then checked the oil immediately after shutting down. It showed halfway up on the stick. I waited about 2-3 minutes and check it standing straight up, and it was still half. Today, I warmed it up for about 3 minutes, waited 2 minutes and checked it. No oil on the dipstick. Could I be doing something wrong, or could it be a malfunctioning pump or something else?
 
its a Honda thing. :trust:

in 1999 I bought a brand new XR650L and sold it in 2015, this is how for all those years i checked the oil.

run the bike till its at normal operating temp, shut it off, keep it upright not on the kickstand for about three mins... then unscrew the dipstick and check it.
 
I have not added any oil to it at all. This is strange, but I rode it yesterday for about 15 minutes, then checked the oil immediately after shutting down. It showed halfway up on the stick. I waited about 2-3 minutes and check it standing straight up, and it was still half. Today, I warmed it up for about 3 minutes, waited 2 minutes and checked it. No oil on the dipstick. Could I be doing something wrong, or could it be a malfunctioning pump or something else?
Me I would drain oil out both plugs put plugs back in and measure oil drained in clean container. . Should be little less than two quarts. Then take a funnel and carefully real slow (it will overflow if poured too fast) back into frame. This way you at least know how much oil you have. You don't need to tell Mr. Honda what you did if your worried about it. I would be like the old Discount Tire commercial with the old lady and the tire and the show room window. But then again jail ain't fun or cheap and they won't let you out to ride on warm days :rofl: If Honda ain't coming change the filter and oil per manual. May be crap in filter but I doubt it. New oil is hard to see on a dip stick. good luck bro and hoping and betting nothing is wrong.
 
Engine.

At a bare minimum, a valve check at a reasonable interval ... say 1000 miles, maybe?
That is assuming there are no odd noises, shifts smooth and the clutch operates smooth.

Here is the oiling system.

View attachment 227588

If you follow the oil stream, flow from the pump goes to the trans and to the motor via two separate channels.
The flow to the motor splits immediately post filter ... one side to the crankshaft and the other to the valve train.
The valve train will starve first because of the location and channel length. without oil, it would be clacking, ticking and banging.

If there is no unusual wear on the cams and valve train, it's probably not an issue.
Thanks Mitch. That helps me a lot. I appreciate you taking the time to send that diagram. I've ordered a service manual.
 
Zee ...

It sucks that you've been put through this much stress.
There is no excuse for the dealer in allowing the bike to be delivered to you in that condition.
And you've been pulled through a wringer upon discovery.

Getting a new bike should be like Disneyland to a six year old.
Instead, it's been a kick in the balls.

But ... I think you've experienced what TWT is all about.
Someone here has been down all the paths at some point.
We got your back ... even you foreigners. :lol2:

So dwell on that and enjoy the heck out of the XR.
 
This is definitely a great forum. I have lurked here some in the past because TEXAS caught my eye. My grandfather was a preacher/farmer in Texas and Lousianna so I have a fondness for your beautiful state and people. Everyone has been very gracious with their time and advice. Thanks.
 
Getting a new bike should be like Disneyland to a six year old.
Instead, it's been a kick in the balls.
Geez, if he gets one of those "how are we doing" requests from honda, just give them the Disneyland analogy. :lol2:
Haha, well said.
 
OK guys. Here is the story. I'll go ahead and say that I feel fine about my bike now in case some of you don't want to read further. Took it to the dealer and they drained the oil. It looked good, and it was a little low. They admitted that it was low, and went ahead and did an oil change. The mechanic, who I feel good about, said there is no difference between the oil that comes in the engine, and the regular Honda oil. The service manager mentioned that there could have been an air pocket that was keeping the oil from registering on the dipstick, or that the oil pump/valve (I'm not positive what the part was) could be 'breaking in'. I called BS on this, but I'm not a Honda tech., so I did not argue. The tech was friendly and took the time to explain things and answer my questions. He adjusted the carburetor also, and it seems to run a little better. It is going to continue raining for about a week, so when I ride it again, I'll see if I notice any difference. Thanks to all who posted. Many were right in saying it would be fine, just add oil and ride it. That's what I plan to do-lride it. Heck, at my age, I'll probably never see the day it needs rings or anything else for that matter.
 
Sorry it's been so long since I replied. I've had no problems after 2 oil changes. It does seem to run hotter than I like, so I'll seriously consider doing Dave's mod.
 
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