I have a stupid question on how you check your oil in your bike, do you keep the bike on the kickstand or do you hold the bike upright? I have always just assumed that one is supposed to hold the bike upright so that the fluids level out and then look into the sight glass/dip stick. I was checking my oil one day in my F3 and I asked my buddy to hold my bike quick so I could check the oil, he was like “I think that you’re supposed to keep the bike tipped.”

So let’s hear it, do you leave the bike at an angle on the stand, or hold it upright.

 

Checking your oil is one of the many things that is better not to do alone.

 

The oil should be checked and replaced with the bike level, not leaned on the kickstand, as the oil level will appear to be lower than it really is (The bike leans away from the window). Use stands if you have them.

 

I personally always check oil with my bikes standing upright, I’m just checkin to see if anyone out there thinks that the bike should be on the kickstand when checking fluids. You don’t check your car oil on a hill so why would I check my bikes oil with the bike leaning, right?

 

Here are both the answers from the shop manual.

 

Cannot understand, apart from clearance, why they don't put center stands on a lot of new bikes. A tweak of their design would solve the clearance issue. I see that their offered as an "extra" on a few new machines. Their not just good for checking the oil, but chain adjustment, not to mention changing a tyre.

 

Put it on the centerstand. Even holding it will give you a wrong reading.

 

Front and rear pitbull stands

 

I don't have cash for stands yet. So I use a small extendable mirror and stand over it while looking down at the mirror. As long as it is close to the top of the window I know I am good.