Oil Sight Glass/Windshiled Renew Product

Anyone else have trouble seeing the oil level in the sight glass ? Anyone know of a good windshield plastic renew product for windshield scratches ?

I bought some stuff from "Novus." They have 3 levels I guess you'd call them - 1 to clean, 1 for light scratches and 1 for heavy scratches. I got the light scratch bottle and it works pretty well. Got it at Morton's BMW in Fredericksburg VA.

Oil level in the glass is typically not a problem to see. Your oil level might be slightly higher than the window, which could make it look like no level. However the window would be solid brown or black. Gently tip the bike to the opposite side and have a friend, SO, etc. see if the oil level appears.

I've had good luck using the Cee Bailey's cleaner and polish.

--G

Here's how I do it...

First you have to park and get off, that's the hard part.

Then I get on my hands and knees, kiss the asphalt, the only time I ever hope to, and look up.

[it will probably help if you take the sunglasses off.]

It's really hard to see right after an oil change, it helps to ride around till the oil gets dirty, but that kinda defeats the purpose. OK, so I really don't have anything constructive to contribute...

If the oil level is a little too high and fills the entire glass you can start the engine and watch it drop as the oil is circulated. Of course, the older the oil is the easier it is to see.

An added comment... to get an accurate reading in the sight glass the bike needs to be sat straight up... not on the side stand. If checking it while you're alone (w/ nobody to sit on your bike and set it straight up), put it on the centerstand & then look at the site glass. Sitting over on the sidestand is going to give you an overly full view.

It's really hard to see right after an oil change, it helps to ride around till the oil gets dirty, but that kinda defeats the purpose.

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Perhaps that's why ever-thoughtful Yamaha designed the bike to hold back a quart of oil when it's changed: so we can see the level and not over-fill.

So, some of you actually look at the oil level between changes!?

FYI, The manual says to check it on the centerstand . . .

Realistically, the only difference you'd see in the sight glass is the front to back angle you're viewing it at. Little, if any difference in the height in the glass... but definitely, at the very minimum stand it up. Center stand is great but a pain to some people. If in doubt, then put it on the stand.

Novus is a great product for removing windshield scratches. I unwittingly used a filling station windshield mop to clean my windshield. Apparently it had dirt embedded in the sponge cleaner side. It scratched the crap out of my windshield. I used Novus #3 with a random orbital buffer to remove the scratches. Rebuffed with Novus #2 to polish and finished with Novus #1 for final cleaning. Shield looks brand new. A good product for routine cleaning, bug rmoval and anti fog is All Kleer motorcycle shield cleaner.

I check my oil with the bike on the center stand; However, sometimes I check it by:

---Sitting on the bike with both feet on the ground.

---With the right hand holding the brake lever down at which point I lean over with a cheep compact mirror and look at the sight glass like this. https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q189/LSUBOY/OilCheck.jpg.

Actually, I stopped using the mirror on the FJR because it confirmed for me that the sight glass/center stand method is correct.

LSUBOY said:

Actually, I stopped using the mirror on the FJR because it confirmed for me that the sight glass/center stand method is correct.

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Did you have any reason to think the method Yamaha uses on the bike is wrong?

Dan23 said:

So, some of you actually look at the oil level between changes!?

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I agree. FJR's don't burn no stinking oil. Unless of course you use synthetic. :yahoo:

slapnpop said:

LSUBOY said:

Actually, I stopped using the mirror on the FJR because it confirmed for me that the sight glass/center stand method is correct.

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Did you have any reason to think the method Yamaha uses on the bike is wrong?

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I did not use the Yamaha method because this is my 3rd Yamaha product with a sight glass and I have ALWAYS used a mirrow to check the oil. I started using the center stand method because I don't have the room to carry mirrors on the FJR like I do on my 97 Royal and 05 Venture.

Once I started to use the center stand method, I used my old mirror method as a double check. Now?, no moe mirrors for the FJR.

I use the sight glass on the center stand, and have no problems seeing the oil level so far. OH, by the way, I use synthetic oil and my FJR doesnt burn any oil either

Anyone know of a good windshield plastic renew product for windshield scratches?

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Oh, I forgot to mention that the FJR shield is way soft plastic compared to my Futura's. After six years, the Futura shield is still more scratch free than my FJR's was after about 2 washes. I carefully soak bugs to soften them when washing, and use a cotton towel... still the FJR's shield is hazy and scratched. A way Yamaha kept costs down, I suppose....

JimLor said:

I bought some stuff from "Novus." They have 3 levels I guess you'd call them - 1 to clean, 1 for light scratches and 1 for heavy scratches. I got the light scratch bottle and it works pretty well. Got it at Morton's BMW in Fredericksburg VA.

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Not to hijack the thread, but I grew up in F'burg. My father lives over in Fairview Beach. Where is that beamer dealer you mentioned?

Dan23 said:

Oh, I forgot to mention that the FJR shield is way soft plastic compared to my Futura's. After six years, the Futura shield is still more scratch free than my FJR's was after about 2 washes. I carefully soak bugs to soften them when washing, and use a cotton towel... still the FJR's shield is hazy and scratched. A way Yamaha kept costs down, I suppose....

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But this is the problem...Even a cotton towel is too rough to clean the windshield. I soak the bugs off with a well saturated cotton towel (no rubbing) and then use soft flannel for the remainder of the bugs. Dry with a synthetic chamois and you'll be scratch free.

--G