CBR 500 Oil gone

[thrilled]

I'm thinking the shop that sold you the new bike didn't put oil in in when they got it from the manufacture.Stranger things have happened.If that is the case it's only A matter of time before your engine stops.If they had filled it with oil,ain't no way A new bike would be empty.I would get rid of it ASAP,and buy another.

[sup3r1or]

Okay so I just got back from the shop. By the way its not optical illusion, dunno why but the oil window has got yellowish tint to it. Others I saw looked clean:)

So we put oil in in fact to reach middle level we put around 700 ML!!!! Guy running the shop said it is not normal especially that amount in such a little time. He inspected the bike and couldnt find any external leak, so he said to me to take it to BW so they can look in the engine. He can do it as well but it will void warranty. Also mentioned to be there when they take oil out and see if there will be any metal bits in the oil in case there was some engine damage.

[casualbiker]

Sounds to me like ya engines forked.... Get them to do a compression test. The oil is going out the engine via the piston rings or the valves.. Or both !!!

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[ktm jeff]

Got to love the build/engineering quality of these modern Hondas! More re-calls than a boomerang.

[sup3r1or]

Got to love the build/engineering quality of these modern Hondas! More re-calls than a boomerang.

Made in Thailand I guess, which a lot of manufacturers starting to do that. Foreign forums ppl are quite skeptical still about quality of Thai built bikes.

[mania]

Got to love the build/engineering quality of these modern Hondas! More re-calls than a boomerang.

Made in Thailand I guess, which a lot of manufacturers starting to do that. Foreign forums ppl are quite skeptical still about quality of Thai built bikes.

In a similar vein

Was told today that KTM ( Made in India ) is not going to be sent to the USA

Claim is KTM felt it was not up to USA quality demands as the US market is experienced with KTM Euro built bikes

Edited March 4, 2014 by mania

[ktm jeff]

I believe the KTM,s you are refering to are the little "Dukes" (200 cc)? not the proper enduro / motorcross bikes that have won about every race they have entered - including lots of DAKAR races. Same as Honda making their few remaining sports/proper bikes outside of Thailand with Chinese/Thai parts.The rest of the poor range is Thai assembled ,not the Thai workers fault for such poor quality - im not knocking them - they can only put together the bikes with the crap they are given.

[bramds]

Got to love the build/engineering quality of these modern Hondas! More re-calls than a boomerang.

Only a small batch were affected by the recall.

My bike and also Superior's bike were not included in this recall, because there is nothing wrong with it.

Nonetheless,I had my bike checked, what else are you supposed to do on a Sunday afternoon, and it was all fine.

Remember that Superior crashed his bike when he just had it.

He says he only scratched the fairings, but of course he doesn't see what is f**ked up on the inside.

And recalls are quite normal in the automotive industry these days, it happens everywhere, no matter where it is build.

[mania]

I believe the KTM,s you are refering to are the little "Dukes" (200 cc)? not the proper enduro / motorcross bikes that have won about every race they have entered - including lots of DAKAR races. Same as Honda making their few remaining sports/proper bikes outside of Thailand with Chinese/Thai parts.The rest of the poor range is Thai assembled ,not the Thai workers fault for such poor quality - im not knocking them - they can only put together the bikes with the crap they are given.

Correct Nigel for now India has the 200's & 390's

Also yes the proper dirt bikes are available in the US & high quality from Austria

It will be interesting to watch as recently something happened with Husky & one of the main

KTM guys has taken over so maybe something going on.

I know in companies if they can make something for half cost of course the shareholders if a public traded

company love it.

But a few who started the company having seen the final product maybe do not agree & will make an offshoot?

Don't know as it is all chatter for now. Will be interesting to watch though

[HooHaa]

one might ask if the oil pressure light was on.

Also, isn't the oil capacity of the cbr 500r 3.2 litres?

If so then 700 ml, while a considerable amount is hardly "empty" and had the bike been running one would think a significant amount may still have been in the filter.

Edited March 5, 2014 by HooHaa

[ll2]

of course Thai made bikes do not have top notch quality

And keep in mind, 500 series was developed by Japanese not Thai.

Let see if there are more owners with oil problems. I checked my oil yesterday - which they change the oil a week ago at 24 k km service - and it was overfull!

I am sure they know some of these bikes lose some oil but it is never in dangerous level.

[ll2]

one might ask if the oil pressure light was on.

Also, isn't the oil capacity of the cbr 500r 3.2 litres?

If so then 700 ml, while a considerable amount is hardly "empty" and had the bike been running one would think a significant amount may still have been in the filter.

normally, if they change the filter, they put 3 liters a bit more.

If they dont change the filter, they put 2.7 liter. So, if they put 2700 ml after changing the oil filter of the OP's bike, possibly it has a low oil level.

[wantan]

As we do not know how much oil BigWing filled in at the last oil change its not possible to say if there is a problem with the bike or not. So sup3r1or has to monitor the oil level closely in future to be sure.

A consumption up to 0.1 liter oil per 1000km would be annoying, but maybe still tolerable? What do you guys think is the limit such enginge should use? Every engine uses oil, but often it is only a small amount so not noticeable.

Edited March 5, 2014 by wantan

[mania]

The question in my mind is where is the oil going?

It is obviously a documented problem for some owners.

If no leaks are found then one has to assume the engine is burning oil.

No engine is really going to burn all oil ( if descent amounts ) leaked into combustion so there should be residue

in the exhaust & exhaust ports & on the plugs

Problem is if running a stock exhaust it is so baffled the reside may never make it to the visible end

so owners would still not know. So may be a good idea to look at the plugs if yours is one of the engines

using oil.

Curious situation & a possible good reason to consider holding off on a new model year

engine that is built anywhere but known for strict quality controls countries.

Edited March 5, 2014 by mania

[Shurup]

700 ml doesn't make it near empty, I wouldn't worry about it, but I would make sure I'm there when they change the oil. It's a good practice to be present during any sort of maintenance in Thailand as we all heard of horror stories with Thai mechanics.

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[KRS1]

Carbed CBR 150 had the same problem, oil would magically disappear.

[speedtripler]

^ yep - always makes me nervous trying to balance the bike while squatting and peering into the oil window - very easy to end up on your back with a bike on top of you

pull up beside a low wall and sit on it it

easy to stand the bike straight up and take a pic of the oil level

if it overbalances toward you it will only touch your legs and easy to push it back onto its stand

without any risk of it falling on you

[ktm jeff]

sup3r1or - 700 ml low on an engine of total capacity of 2700-3200 ml is low but not empty. Oil will still have been picked up by oil pump.Oil burning may be due to poor build quality /and or/ a common engine fault(other people have similar problems)or some damage may have happened if , during the accident , the bike ran for a short while on its side and the oil pump wasnt able to pick up an oil during these few seconds.Compression test (a dry one and then a wet one (with oil on the bores)) is now needed. Wantan , i believe Honda claims an oil consumption amount of up to 1000 ml ( 1 Litre) per 1000 miles (1600 km) is "in their opinion" acceptable!. Mania , KTM were making bikes that were very similar to Husabergs - same owners - and felt they needed to produce a wider difference between the two makes.Now the Huskys are very different (still using top notch components though).KTM,s are very well built and so therefore are expensive. I hope they dont try to make them more affordable as they will cheapen the brand (look at Honda).Maybe they will do a "standard" range of bikes and then a "deluxe/premium" range using the KTM and Husky names?.

[yankee99]

Its a shame you cant get oil analyzed here http://www.blackstone-labs.com/motorcycle-sample-report-2.php

[Gnasher328]

Hard to tell from the small pic but looks full to me as it's a gold colour. Empty it's silver. If you are worried about it falling over secure it with some cord so it can't go far past vertical.

[sup3r1or]

As far as I know they always tell me in Bigwing they use 2.5 or 2.7 cans of oil and there is some left still in the shop. Though when I came in for 6k service they asked me to buy extra one 2.5 + 1. This time I will keep an eye on the maintenance, I want to see if oil has got any aluminium dust in it. Problem is a lot of time, they do not allow you to be present during maintenance, which is total BS if you ask me.

[bramds]

You guys must all be very small and skinny if you can't pull a 500 straight when down on one knee to check the oil.

I did it this morning when I arrived at work and the oil is up to the upper line of the oil lens.

Not dripping or burning anything apparently.

[sup3r1or]

My clean top up oil 2 days ago looks pitch black now. I check it alone just use my knee to prop it up while holding the bike with my hands

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[guzzi850m2]

My clean top up oil 2 days ago looks pitch black now. I check it alone just use my knee to prop it up while holding the bike with my hands

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If you have been running with too low oil level for a long time the oil is not good anymore and topping up will not help much, you need to change the oil now.

This is the main reason why you have to keep the oil level within specified limits at all time, if below min level the oil can not keep itself clean anymore and the oil's lubricating properties deterioates quikly and as others mention if too low the pump will loose pressure and the engine will blow up.

[wantan]

My clean top up oil 2 days ago looks pitch black now. I check it alone just use my knee to prop it up while holding the bike with my hands

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They will change the oil in a few days, so i wouldn't worry. Its normal for bike engine oil to get dark, isn't it? The oil collects dirt from the engine and the oil molecules "break up" when squashed from the gears afaik. Maybe the technical gurus know more about "what color should the oil have after 6000km"? Imo dark/black is OK.

Edited March 6, 2014 by wantan

[wantan]

removed double post

Edited March 6, 2014 by wantan

[ktm jeff]

Oil goes dark after its been through a few "heat cycles"- so in as little as 100 KM it will be dark treacle/syrup color.Will be back in about 300 Km.People see this and think the shop hasnt changed the oil , but it doesnt help if they dont wait long enough (10 mins) for "all"the oil to drain - about 100 ML will still stick to the internals and collect in oil pockets. Dont leave it to drain more than 30 mins as the oil pump can "leak dry".May not "prime up" after start-up. Buick engines(as fitted into Rovers) , 3.5 liters , were prone to this!

Edited March 6, 2014 by nigel jeffrey

[BSJ]

The oil will go dark as it gets older.....plus it will have a different smell. And you can feel the difference if you rub new oil between your thumb and fingers, clean your hand and repeat with old oil. That enduth lesson one!

[Wong!]

You guys must all be very small and skinny if you can't pull a 500 straight when down on one knee to check the oil.

I did it this morning when I arrived at work and the oil is up to the upper line of the oil lens.

Not dripping or burning anything apparently.

Also makes it easier to tilt the bike to get the level just perfect

[CBR250]

Anyone know about the current recall of the 500s? What date / serial numbers are affected? Any Thai bikes? It seems that there were nearly 7,000 bikes recalled in the US, and bikes were also recalled in Japan & Australia. This may explain the "missing oil" problems of some people. BTW, I have followed this discussion with interest, but after 13,000 km have had no oil problems (or any other problems) with my CB500X.

Here is the story on recalls reported 11th March in Visordown site (http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/honda-recalls-7000-cbr-and-cb500s-in-the-us/24656.html).

Maybe it is a rehash of old news, and everyone but me already knew it - but PLEASE read the last few sentences carefully, as it suggests a potentially serious risk for those who have reported they are losing oil. Do not ride your bike back to the workshop. Send it on a truck. Maybe Big Wing will pay for the hire !??!

HONDA has issued a recall of its CB500 and CBR500R range in the US over a potential oil leak.

Bolts retaining the rocker arm shaft may not have received the correct anti-corrosion treatment during manufacture and could work loose as a result, according the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In some cases the bolts may fall out of the cylinder head, dislodging the rocker arm shaft and leading to loss of power or stalling.

In total, 6,954 bikes are subject to the recall, which affects the CBR500R sports bike, CB500F naked and CB500X adventure-style model. All are powered by the same 471cc parallel-twin engine.

The rocker arm shaft bolts of 2013 model-year machines may have received a non-approved anti-corrosion coating during construction.

It follows recalls over a similar issue in Australia and Japan.

Honda America became aware of the problem after receiving three warranty claims over oil leaks in July 2013. Two weeks later Honda’s factory in Thailand identified a motorcycle destined for another market that had also received the incorrect coating on a retaining bolt.

Following a fourth warrantee claim in August, Honda reviewed the assembly line to ensure correct procedures were followed.

US dealers will contact owners and replace affected bolts free of charge.

A recall notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website says: ‘Honda is recalling certain model year 2013 CB500 (FA, F, XA, X) and CBR500 (RA, R) motorcycles. The rocker arm shaft retaining bolts may have been manufactured incorrectly resulting in the bolts loosening during engine operation. A loose bolt will initially result in a slow leak of engine oil, but if not addressed, the bolt can come out of the cylinder head entirely...

'Without a bolt, the engine will have reduced power which may result in a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.'

Read more: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/honda-recalls-7000-cbr-and-cb500s-in-the-us/24656.html#ixzz2vfXpI2Nc