XR600 Oil consumption

[StevePSD]

Some newbie questions:

How much oil does on of these BRP's tend to burn? None, a little or....? Or how many tanks of fuel between having to top-off the oil?

Also, what amount of oil is there between the low/high marks on the dipstick? i.e. most cars are 1 quart, I know it's alot less, but the FSM does not say.

Thanks.

[don87xr600]

xr 600's don't burn oil, they blow it out the crankcase breather at freeway speeds. Check the oil level before every ride. Twice a day on long rides.

[StevePSD]

Thanks I'll check that. I notice that when cold, the bike smokes a bit for a few minutes until it warms up, then no visible smoke on acceleration, deceleration or steady state. The plug is dry. After almost a full tank of fuel, my oil level went from just below full to about mid-way on the dipstick.

Would this be considered normal oil consumption or not? I have not done a compression /leak-down check yet.

Thanks.

[don87xr600]

depends, were you going 30 mph all day? if so this is oil consumption. But I wouldn't have my motor rebuilt. If you were going freeway speeds this is normal.

[HeadTrauma]

If it smokes for a while until it warms up, then thats probably rings. I had a 250L that would do that and while it didnt smoke while riding, it would use oil. As long as you're not fouling plugs or down on power, it shouldnt hurt anything. It is higher than normal to go half down the stick through one tank. Just dont let it run low.

Mine only went down about 3/4 inch through something like 10 gallons of gas. My engine is fairly fresh, though.

[roadcam]

the Honda dry-sumps need to be run for a few minutes, at least untill warm, BEFORE checking the oil ..... the oil pump/sump/galley system is such that it requires the engine to run for awhile to "balance out" the oil levels in the system...then you can shut her down, and get an accurate oil level reading

[Dual_Dog]

My experience is that air-cooled motors burn oil. Nothing is absolutely oil-tight. Also, how and when you check your oil will give you very different readings on the stick. In fact, I've yet to get the same result anytime I check the level and I do the same drill each time.

Best plan is to follow the procedure outlined in the owner's manual. Don't check it immediately after running it at high speeds. Turn it off, let it sit, let it idle, then check the level without screwing the dipstick in.

Using more than 1/2 qt. after 1k or 2K miles is not unusual, especially for older air-cooled bikes. Just check it before each ride.

[StevePSD]

My normal way of checking the oil level is after a ride (usually a hour or so), I would let it idle for a few minutes, shut it off, wait a few minutes and then check (bike upright and level, dipstick resting o nthe threads (not screwed in).

Most of my riding has been a combination of low speed, hill climbs and high speed runs (I'm out in Ridgecrest so the Spangler Hills OHV area is a short ride away).

It does smoke noticabilly when cold, but after a few minutes it clears up. The bike was owned by a co-worker and was used as intented - not abused, but used to its full potential. In fact he just won the #1 national plate for he class in Quad's.

The top-end does seem a bit noisy at mid-rpm level, it's quiet a idle, low-speed and high rpm, but I don't know if its in the valve train, or a resonance from the super-trapp exhaust.

I do need to check the jetting at this RPM, cause it might be a bit lean - what jetting are folks running on these dual-carb bikes (I'm at 2500ft)?

What is the oil capacity between the low/high marks on the dipstick (8oz or...)?

Thanks for any info.

[StuartV]

xr 600's don't burn oil, they blow it out the crankcase breather at freeway speeds.

Is this true for the 650R as well?? I thought mine was burning a lot of oil, but even on trail rides, I often end up doing a fair bit of 60+ MPH cruising down dirt roads. I was about to start ordering parts for a top-end rebuild, but maybe I don't need to.

Is there any good way to check to see whether I'm losing oil this way versus burning it?

Again, I'm talking about on an XR650R.

Thanks!

[don87xr600]

I think so, but to be sure give Baja Designs a call ?

[HeadTrauma]

I do need to check the jetting at this RPM, cause it might be a bit lean - what jetting are folks running on these dual-carb bikes (I'm at 2500ft)?

What is the oil capacity between the low/high marks on the dipstick (8oz or...)?

Trying to get info about jetting a dual carb is like pulling teeth. There is a recent thread or two, but not much help.

I think the oil capacity between lower/upper marks on the dip is something like half a quart.

[JMC]

I have always heard that smoke on start up is from valves not rings ?