I've seen where some engines have had the oil ring gaps perfectly lined up. I'd definitely mention it to your dealer and hopefully they actually know what they're doing.

 

The little oil pressure light on my tiger started lighting up, so I checked the oil level and I was very surprised to find the level very very low, so low that I added almost 3.5L of oil (that's almost a gallon).

I'm surprised your oil pressure light didn't come on long before this. I would like to think the oil pressure light would come on by the time the engine was a quart low. You added almost enough oil that a dry engine would take. Over 3 1/2 quarts of oil and a dry engine only takes around 4 quarts. I would think if your engine was burning oil you would have seen smoke from your exhaust. If you had an oil leak certainly it would have been visible....where did all this oil go? I'm surprised your engine didn't grenade with probably only a half a quart in it.

Please post up what you find out and hopefully your engine is okay.

Bob

 

The oil pressure light came on on a previous ride but only a couple of times over several hundred kms.. in other work, you blink, you miss it.
Then my bike sat for a couple of weeks and that's when the oil pressure light started lighting up... there was no smoke, leaks or any weird noises

 

One cylinder with misaligned oil rings can cause major oil consumption but it's not going to smoke like a 2 stroke. I'd say if no one has been riding behind you to watch your exhaust you're probably not going to really notice it.

 

my husband rides with me and he didn't notice any smoke.
The only thing I can think of is that after the 800km service, the oil wasn't topped off properly, or to a level way lower than it should have been.
I will definitely do a pre flight check from now on... I will let you guys know what the dealer says

 

Yet another very good example of why we need to do a complete preflight check on our bikes before we ride them...

 

Right around 6k I had to add a full quart, took it in for the 6K service and the clutch casing gasket was leaking. Didn't have any drops where I park at home or work, just a little gunk around the fill cap that I figured was from the shop filling it at the 500 mile service.
Saw another post that said when theirs was serviced had the same problem, the tech told him he had to sand the casing to get the gasket to seal.

 

Wow! I just can't believe the engine was running with only half a quart of oil and it didn't sound like it was going to explode. Are you sure you checked the oil while on the center stand or upright and not on the side stand?

 

Wow! I just can't believe the engine was running with only half a quart of oil and it didn't sound like it was going to explode.

Agreed... that is something I'm having a difficult time understanding... :dunno I mean that engine was virtually dry... :nod

Bob

 

Pretty easy peasy really... I put my Tiger in 1st gear so it won't roll, then grab the right grip with my right hand and the frame with my left, and pull it upright. The sight glass can be viewed very easily to check your oil level. It doesn't require much effort or strength to do this.

Bob

 

Thank you, Bob. Your technique worked like a charm. Imagine my horrified surprise when I saw zero oil in my sight glass. I went to the dealer today and guilted them into giving me a litre of oil, seeing as I am only 1500 miles past my first service/oil change. I only had to put in 1/2 litre to get it to the right level.

Thanks to you also Trailrunnerx for sharing your problem, as I wouldn't have checked my oil otherwise, unless I was on a trip. I will check more frequently now.

 

Wow. I'm with everyone else here. First I can't understand how the engine didn't grenade itself or at least sound like it was going to come apart at the seams that low on oil. Second, where did the oil go? If it were burning that much oil it would seem like you would've noticed the smoke coming out of the exhaust or at least smelled the burnt oil? If it's leaking that much oil it would be noticed somewhere. I would now be worried about the long term effects on that engine. It may run fine now but it may not be long for this world. Take a close look at the oil the net time you change it.

 

^^^ Agreed Punisher and I have asked the same questions. Something about this isn't making any sense to me...but what the Hell do I know... :dunno

Bob

 

I had the dealer do the 600 mile oil change and I did it myself at 5k miles. I was a quart low, providing the dealer filled it properly at the 600 mile service. I was freaking over a quart and just hoping the dealer under filled the oil. I can't imagine 3.5 quarts. I also can't imagine the engine not making a hell of a racket being 3.5 quarts low, or even still an actual working motor after riding with 3.5 quarts low.

 

Ok, so here is my theory which would explain where the oil went.
Firstly, the low oil pressure light was only blinking at low speeds. After looking at the oil container again, I think a/ we overfilled a bit, b/ it was closer to 3 litres than 3.5. My theory is than at the 800km service, the oil wasn't properly topped off and by this I mean, the dealer probably only added a very minimal amount of oil. I think the engine used a normal amount of oil over the next 5000km until the light started blinking. This would explain why there are no leaks or smoke.
I topped up the oil pretty much as soon as the light when on, the engine wasn't making any abnormal noises, so I don't think there has been any damages. Also, the oil level has not dropped since I topped it up.

My theory of the dealer error can be supported by yesterday's incident. I recently broke my clutch lever and brought my bike to the dealer to get the lever changed (before the oil thing started). I was given quite a bit of attitude from the service guy who told me that changing a clutch lever was very easy and that I should learn to know my bike... anyways, I asked them to change the lever for me... fast forward to yesterday when I am sitting at a stop light, the clutch started getting very sticky. The light turned green and the revs when up, and the bike was barely moving cause the lever wouldn't spring back... I didn't analyzed right away what the problem was, it took me a few seconds to figure it up... I was in a dangerous situation as I was trying to make a left turn at an intersection...
Each time I went to the dealer to get something done on my bike, the work appeared to always be handled by a very junior person... To me, the oil wasn't topped up properly and the clutch lever was not properly installed.
The dealer I'm dealing with is the only one around, the next closest one is a few hundred miles away so it's tough to get a second opinion...