had to add 1/2 quart of oil. normal?

[ironmark]

I keep the oil around 1/4 a qt low to allow for expansion of the oil . If the oil is over filled it will go into the air filter & get sucked into the motor so you should check to see if there is any signs of oil in the air filter . I use Mobil 1 & my bike does not use any oil . Also HD oil is made by Citgo which is owned by Hugo Chavez the president of Venezuela !! If you by any Citgo products the money will go back to Hugo to support his Anti-American efforts .

 

[Porter]

After read about oils (and fluids in general) on this board, I switched to Mobile 1 Synthetic for the engine oil. When I changed the oil and filter, I took some time and rode for a while and then added oil ensure I was just under the "full hot" mark on the dipstick. (I rode till my oil temp gauge read 230F then let the bike idle for a minute or so and then checked the level.)

Then I let it cool down overnight. The next day I marked where the cold level was on the dipstick by putting a small notch in it with a file. This gives me a consistant reference point for a "cold check" and guides me on how much I would need to add.

I notice a very slight drop (~1/8 of a quart) between oil changes every 3333miles. ( I change the oil and filter every 3333, 6666 and 9999 miles, easy to remember). I have a stock 96" and 24,000 miles on the bike.

I did notice I was about 1/4qt low after I had been riding around for a while with a cracked exhaust pipe. Don't know if this is related or not.