Question for all, and BRP - why is there not a dip stick mark for the correct oil level in a cold Spyder engine?

[Ozarkwoods]

Why do they not make a mark on the oil dip stick or make a range that shows the correct oil level while the spyder is cold and sitting level. Instead you have to run down the road for ten minutes, then park it on a level surface and read the dip stick within two minutes? I just don’t get the concept. I am serious from a new 2026 spyder owner.

 

[Bfromla]

Same reason have to pause mode button & factory tires are, well… you will find out. Welcome congrats

 

[Columbia]

Look up "dry sump engine." You're in the same league as many (most?) racing car engines which use a dry sump.

A Spyder ain't no Chevy or Mazda.

Many here check oil upon ending their ride each day. Next start, you know all's well. It takes a few times to make it a habit, counter-intuitive after our cars and light trucks with a wet sump.

 

[BajaRon]

Simple, they don't do it because it would not work. And you don't have to run down the road just to check your oil level.

The Spyder utilizes a Dry Sump oil system. Very little oil is kept in the oil pan. This allows engineers to lower the engine by several inches, which is a very good thing. But this requires moving the oil that would normally be stored below the engine to a remote location called the 'Reservoir'. During operation, scavenger pumps maintain the proper oil level in the bottom of the engine with the remaining oil being sent to the reservoir.

When you shut the engine off, the scavenger pumps stop and oil can, and usually does, drain from the reservoir back into the bottom of the engine. The dipstick reads the oil level in the reservoir, which may read low after sitting. If you go by this, you will add oil. Then it will read low the next time and you will add more oil. Soon, the oil level is way too high and you have caused yourself grief.

Once the engine is started after sitting, it takes a bit of time for the scavenger pumps to return everything to equilibrium so that an accurate reading can be taken at the reservoir.

But it’s not as bad as you may think. First, the 1330 engine uses virtually no oil at all. Second, if you don’t notice a pool of oil under the bike when you go to ride it, chances are the oil is still where it should be, in the engine. Third, you simply go for a ride and check oil level when you return, or check it when you stop for fuel.

Easy, efficient, and very reliable.

Like they say, Work Smarter, Not Harder. Then you can practice the other saying.

Ride More, Worry Less!

 

[jzeiler]

Don't feel bad my 2021 BMW M240 does not even have a dipstick!

 

[mecsw500]

We have a dry sump engine because it reduces the height of the engine, which lowers the center of gravity of the bike. As a benefit we get the possibility of an increased oil volume so the oil doesn’t get beaten up so heavily and thins less quickly.

We pay for this in terms of slightly more oil checking complexity but I think it’s a fair compromise.

Edit: Sorry, I just saw BajaRon already stated this.

 

[Little Blue]

I believe that your 'Owner's Manual'
Explains the correct way to check the
Oil.

Tip: BRP Manual makes sense for me.

Check your oil level after your Ryde Time.

 

[Ozarkwoods]

Good to to know. Thank you all for responding.

Simple, they don't do it because it would not work. And you don't have to run down the road just to check your oil level.

The Spyder utilizes is a Dry Sump oil system. Very little oil is kept in the oil pan. This allows engineers to lower the engine by several inches, which is a very good thing. But this requires moving the oil that would normally be stored below the engine to a remote location called the 'Reservoir'. Scavenger pumps maintain the proper oil level in the bottom of the engine and the remining oil is sent to the reservoir.

When you shut the engine off, the scavenger pumps stop and oil can, and usually does, drain from the reservoir back into the bottom of the engine. The dipstick reads the oil level in the reservoir, which may read low after sitting. If you go by this, you will add oil. Then it will read low the next time and you will add more oil. Soon, the oil level is way too high and you have caused yourself grief.

Once the engine is started after sitting, it takes a bit of time for the scavenger pumps to return everything to equilibrium so that an accurate reading can be taken at the reservoir.

But it’s not as bad as you may think. First, the 1330 engine uses virtually no oil at all. Second, if you don’t notice a pool of oil under the bike when you go to ride it, chances are the oil is still where it should be, in the engine. Third, you simply go for a ride. Sooner or later, you’ll need to stop for fuel. That’s when you check your oil level.

Easy, efficient, and very reliable.

Like they say, Work Smarter, Not Harder. Then you can practice the other saying.

Ride More, Worry Less!

Great explanation Ron, thank you.

 

[vito1943]

I have to admit that I have become so confident in the Spyder's non-burning of oil, that I almost never check it. Since my last oil change there has not been a drop of oil on the cement where I park my bike in my garage, so I am assuming that the oil is just fine for the next ride. The only thing I check before a ride is the tire pressure app on my phone.

 

[Raven]

Most motorcycles are the same.
I have seen were someone tried to check it cold, found nothing showing on the dipstick.
Panicked and poured a bunch of oil in the tank.
You can imagine what happened when they started the bike .

 

[BajaRon]

Most motorcycles are the same.
I have seen were someone tried to check it cold, found nothing showing on the dipstick.
Panicked and poured a bunch of oil in the tank.
You can imagine what happened when they started the bike .

Very bad things! It pays to read the manual. My 1971 Honda CB-750 had a reservoir. This approach has been around for quite some time.

 

[Redbeard]

It took me a long time to get accustomed not to check my oil level first thing before going for a ryde also. It bothered me the most after my first oil change. But after many miles & oil changes and checking my oil level after my rydes, and NEVER losing a drop of oil in five years of ryding, I "got used to it" and never give it another thought anymore.
At least it is not like my push lawn mower that does NOT have a oil drain plug! I have to lay the mower on its' side and let the oil drain out of the oil fill tube, altho the manual shows the oil doesn't require changing for the life of the mower.
Ryde more and worry less is a great motto for these Spyders.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[BajaRon]

It took me a long time to get accustomed not to check my oil level first thing before going for a ryde also. It bothered me the most after my first oil change. But after many miles & oil changes and checking my oil level after my rydes, and NEVER losing a drop of oil in five years of ryding, I "got used to it" and never give it another thought anymore.
At least it is not like my push lawn mower that does NOT have a oil drain plug! I have to lay the mower on its' side and let the oil drain out of the oil fill tube, altho the manual shows the oil doesn't require changing for the life of the mower.
Ryde more and worry less is a great motto for these Spyders.
Just my 2 cents.

Your lawnmower manufacturer is trying to sell you another one! Not many machines need oil changes more frequently than a push lawnmower.

 

[mecsw500]

Your lawnmower manufacturer is trying to sell you another one! Not many machines need oil changes more frequently than a push lawnmower.

I downsized when the kids were gone and bought a house in a development where the lawn mowing, grass watering and snow removal is done by them. If I ever have to own another lawn mower, edge trimmer or snow blower it will be too soon. Hateful things where they make it so hard to do an oil change, on purpose I think.

 

[Jackhartjr]

Your lawnmower manufacturer is trying to sell you another one! Not many machines need oil changes more frequently than a push lawnmower.

Ron, not trying to start an argument sir! We have a YardMan with Honda 160cc engine. Not sure how many hours, it's about 10 years old.
The oil in it looks like the day it was new.
I suspect that when I change the oil in the Briggs and Stratton, that it will be black after an hour! Lol

 

[BajaRon]

Ron, not trying to start an argument sir! We have a YardMan with Honda 160cc engine. Not sure how many hours, it's about 10 years old.
The oil in it looks like the day it was new.
I suspect that when I change the oil in the Briggs and Stratton, that it will be black after an hour! Lol

No argument here. If it works for you, then that's great! I'd love to know what an oli analysis might show.

 

[mecsw500]

I think the theory, like for many dry sump vehicles is that they want you to run it long enough to get a consistent amount of oil in the engine and in the oil reservoir tank. So for this the engine has to run for a bit to get that status quo. Too short a runtime and the reservoir tank will indicate too much. Wait too long after getting the oil too temperature and oil may drain back into the crankcase.

So, the Spyder has to run to ensure that the oil is properly distributed after startup and running for a bit. I assume that the argument is made is that once the engine oil is up to the correct oil temperature it is a consistent measurement for everyone, everywhere, no matter how long they run their engine from cold until the oil is at its operating temperature. What is cold? 10F, 50F, 110F? Hot oil, is hot oil, at a temperature set by the cooling system not by the ambient air temperature. It's not true for air cooled engines of course, but for water cooled engines they are designed to run with oil temperature within quite a narrow temperature band.

If the engine oil is up to temperature it is consistent across climates no matter the ambient temperature as it's governed by the water cooling and the fans etc. So, a cold mark dipstick might have to have different marks for different ambient temperatures, whereas the hot mark means it is more consistent for every bike in just about any ambient temperature.

It's a dry sump engine designed to be more like an automotive design in terms of performance characteristics. The 1330 burns very little oil. How often do you really need to check the oil level?

It takes over 5 quarts, a large amount of which is stored in the oil reservoir, not in the engine itself. You would have to consume quite a lot of oil before it would become an issue for the health of the engine being starved of oil. The oil and scavenge pumps dictate how much oil is in the engine, regardless of how much is in the reservoir tank, within reason.

I change my oil every 5,000 miles or annually. Initially I checked the oil level after the drive back from the dealer to double check things. Now I trust the dealer as their techs are very competent and might, repeat might, check the oil once before the next oil change after say 2,500 miles.

So, I don't see the frequent checking of the oil level is a necessity unless you have other problems such as oil leaks or a smoking exhaust, which you should be resolving anyway by means other than just keeping the oil level topped up.

This just my understanding of how it works as a dry sump engine and what I do to cope with my oil monitoring.

 

[EdMat]

I think the theory, like for many dry sump vehicles is that they want you to run it long enough to get a consistent amount of oil in the engine and in the oil reservoir tank. So for this the engine has to run for a bit to get that status quo. Too short a runtime and the reservoir tank will indicate too much. Wait too long after getting the oil too temperature and oil may drain back into the crankcase.

I agree pretty much agree with all you typed except with too short a runtime and too low an oil temp the reservoir tank will actually indicate too little oil. This is based on time/temperature in actual test I did and it's repeatable.. This is based on the 1330 engine.

The other odd thing is sometimes after setting for say a week if you check the oil cold you may find it almost full, but at other times it will not even show on the dipstick.

 

[pegasus1300]

I does take some reordering some of your ride priorities. Instead of checking oil at the start of the ride check it at the end. Once you get into this habit you will always know that that you are ready to go, because you already checked the oil.

 

[mecsw500]

I agree pretty much agree with all you typed except with too short a runtime and too low an oil temp the reservoir tank will actually indicate too little oil. This is based on time/temperature in actual test I did and it's repeatable.. This is based on the 1330 engine.

The other odd thing is sometimes after setting for say a week if you check the oil cold you may find it almost full, but at other times it will not even show on the dipstick.

I agree. The engine has to run long enough to shift oil back into the oil tank from the sump, however it will conversely be filling all the oil galleries, the top end and the oil pump. Whether this is a net inflow or outflow from the oil tank I couldn't decide. I suspect you are likely correct, the engine will have too much oil and the tank too little. Either way, it needs to reach it's normal balance as it would be in normal operation with the oil at its correct temperature.