Oil question

D

Drak O

New member
I have a 2002 Intruder vs800. How much oil does it take( I put 4 quarts in it)? Also it said to use 10/40 oil but when I was buying the oil I could think was 20/40 so they sold me 20/50 oil. Now my question is will it hurt the bike using 20/50 insted of the 10/40 that it calls for? Should I drain it and put in 10/40 oil?

Thank you
Randy
 
Welcome, Randy. At this stage, you need to use whatever means of checking the oil level that your bike has, and make sure you do it properly. The bike should either be vertical or on the sidestand, so make sure you know which.

You can always use a heavier weight oil, within reason, without ill effects. It might affect starts in very cold weather and reduce fuel economy a negligible amount.

If you don't have an owner's manual, get one. You can expect to keep your bike safe and healthy without it. Happy riding!
 
I run 20w/50 in my Intruder 800 all the time, mainly because my Harley needs 20w-50 and I want to buy oil in bulk. My first one went 135,000 miles, and the second has 55,000 miles on it, so I would say there are absolutely no ill effect.

To check your oil, hold the bike up off the sidestand, level. Check the sight window on the side of the motor, and as long as the level is between the two lines you are fine.
The oil capacity is cast into the engine case next to the oil level window. It will say "3500" or "3200", something like that. That number is the oil capacity in millileters. If you bought oil in leters it is easy, if you bought it in quarts use an online unit converter to convert the metric to quarts.
 
The 20/50 grade won't hurt it any. The amount you put in might though. 4 qts sounds like a LOT for a bike. You probably should NOT ride it until you find out what the proper amount is. If it has too much in it, draining only some out will be difficult so you might as well get the right grade and do a complete drain and refill.
 
I went to the auto store today and got a retractable mirror so I could check the oil level window on the bottom of the gearcase on my C90. When I stand it upright, off the sidestand, I fear if I lean my body far enough to see the level, I will either lean the bike too far. I doubt I could hold the bike by the handlebars while off the bike and not pull it on top of me?!? I wish they had a better way to check the level!
 
:welcomes:

On my GS700 the manual says:

" . . . approximately 3,800 ml (4.0 US qt) will be required.
Note: About 3,200 ml (3.4 US qt) of oil will be required when changing oil without replacing the oil fliter."

I would check the manual for the proper amounts for yours, but if it's showing full (not over) in the window you're good to go.
Yes, checking the window is a pain while holding it upright. I had my wife hold a mirror for me to check it, then I put it up on the center stand and looked again. That way I know what it's supposed to look like when it's on the center stand. (very similar, but not exactly the same)
 
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