Embarassing question

So I have a somewhat embarassing question. I recently had my biked stored unused for about a year and a half while I was in Europe, and then relocating from Seattle to New York. The bike was in the custody of a close friend that grew up riding and kept a close eye on it.

Fast forward, I had the bike shipped out and rode it home from New Jersey. The bike's oil was topped off fairly recently before I left for Europe, and my friend said there was never any fluid leakage. When I got it here in New York, I noticed that the oil was extremely low, and of course filled it up before riding it again (I plan on changing the oil and filter sometime soon).

My question is: should I be worried that it was running with very low oil? Performance and sound-wise it seemed normal, and it seems fine now. Also: what the heck happened to my oil? Should I be worried the engine is burning oil? Is it time to have a pro take a look? My friend took the bike out only once or twice for short rides, so we can rule out mishaps on his part (he would have told me if anything bad happened).

Thanks for any/all advice.

 

Just for kicks, it would be nice to know what kind of bike it was, what year it is, what mileage it has, etc.

1. Did you do a oil change prior to storing it?
2. Did you put Sta-Bil in the fuel?
3. Did you drain the fuel tank and put fresh gas in prior to starting it up?
4. Did you change the oil after you found it was low, or did you just add to it?
5. Did your friend ride the bike when you were gone? Are you sure???
6. Did you look at your coolant to make sure they were not mixing?


If you run a bike low on oil, and then fill it back up to normal levels it is most likely (depending on how low the oil was) not going to show symptoms immediately. You may have only prematurely knocked a tad off the life span, or maybe you did nothing.

If I was you, I would be trying to figure out why the oil was that low before you just start riding it everyday. If you do ride it, check the oil level after each ride. Here is a thought....MAYBE, just MAYBE, you thought you topped off the oil before left but you did not. After all, it has been 1.5 years. I am not sure why you are worried about your bike burning oil, unless your friend was riding it when you were gone.....bike don't burn oil sitting by themselves too often...lol. Maybe you buddy is a STUNTA and he was practicing 12RPM tire shredding until she blows burnouts while you were gone, and she was passed along all of his friends like a two-bit hooker.

 

As "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" advises, "Don't Panic!"

1. What year and model is the bike and how many miles?
2. How much oil did you have to add? Big difference if it was half a quart vs. three and a half quarts.
3. Was the low oil pressure light on at any time?

If there were no obvious external leaks the most likely culprit is internal consumption, either past the rings or valve guides. It wouldn't be the first time piston rings didn't seal particularly well after an extended "rest".

My suggestion would be to go ahead and ride it and keep a close eye on oil consumption. Certainly change the oil and filter ASAP if it's 18 months old. Guys like me (nerds) would change the oil again in another 1500 miles or so and send a sample off to Blackstone Labs to see what they think.

Best of luck with it!
Bob Stewart

 

Sorry, thought my ride would be in my signature. In any case, I should have posted more info: 2009 VFR800 non-ABS, 6500 miles. As for questions, I'm sure I topped the oil off within 6 months of it going into storage, and in that time I probably rode it no more than a few hundred miles. Friend definitely didn't ride the bike much, no more than 10 or 20 miles. I didn't drain the fuel tank, though its possible that about halfway through, my friend filled up the gas - not sure. It was definitely started up with relatively old gas, no stabi fuel. I didn't change the oil, just added to it (gonna change the oil before I ride it more than a few miles). I added a quart, and it's reading as full after the bike warms up, which is to say the window on the side of the crank case is full when the bike is warm and upright. No oil pressure light. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. My bike was running really hot when I got to NY, and part of me wonders if no oil could have been the culprit. It had plenty of coolant, but the coolant was old. I flushed and replaced it with engine ice at the same time that I topped off the oil, and it's running at normal temps now.

Thanks for the input, I'll just keep an eye on the oil and go from there.

 

Did you change the oil-filter when you topped the oil of ? And did you check oil-level after riding it a few hundred miles ?
1/4 liter oil goes in the filter you know...
Could that be it ?