www.zxrworld.co.uk

i changed my oil the other day, on the engine it has stamped 3.0l, and on the bike it has a sticker saying, 2.8l without filter and 3.0 with filter.
anyway i changed the oil without changing the filter as it was near new anyway, i measured out 2.8 litres and filled the bike up..
after taking the bike for a ride to warm the oil up, i looked at the glass on the side of the engine casing, and for some strange reason its only showing 1 quarter, i would of thought the oil level would be up near the top of the glass, just wondering if this is a common fault with zxr400s or whether its best to put a bit more oil in till the glass fills up?
im only asking because i dont fancy putting more oil in than kawasaki reccomend and end up blowing my oil seals..
any help would be much appreciated,
thanks

If you had just ridden it you will need to wait a while for the oil to drop back down. Also make sure you look at it when the bike is upright (not on the side stand). The level should be roughly in the middle of the window (think there are markings).

thanks, but yeah iv tryed leaving it to cool down to check the level and it doesnt change anything, and the bike is always off the sidestand when i check the oil level, do you think i should put a bit more oil in? i have measured out the oil accurately though so if i put more in im probably going to be running on 3.2/3.3 litres, whether that will affect my oil seals or not?

Provided oil level is within the limits on the sight glass - shouldnt be a problem

Sorry to bring up an old thread...

How would you suggest getting the bike level to check the oil?
On my old bike with a dipstick, I could quite happily balance my bike against my leg, but with the glass window it means leaning down, and I am not comfortable with holding the bike upright wilste leaning down.

Do I need to get someone to hold it? Or is there a trick to doing this?

hold the bike by the bar and rear seat, feel for the balance point, once centre is found look in glass window

job done.

Yeah, thought that may be the case
Just with a heavy (ish) bike, I wanted to avoid doing that ><

Fair enough though

It is the heaviest of the 400s i think, but you aint used to it cos the 125 is light as a feather.
If you get on a 125 after a 400 you will crap bricks cos it feels so light.

I heard a rumour that the new ninja 400 (2011 onwards) is over 200kg!!

I keep my bike on a paddock stand and approach the bike from the right side so I see the oil level every time I ride. If you don't have a stand I guess you could rest it against a wall? That's what I did with my CBR125 before I got a paddock stand

So your bike isnt on a level surface when checking your oil?

Not advisable.

Yeah, I was going to say... on a paddock stand the bike wont be level :S
Otherwise I WOULD do that ><

The oil needs changing anyway...
That will be my job for this week:

Oil Change, New plugs, new air filter, and get it booked in to have the carbs synced on the weekend.
And that should use up pretty much all my money for now

This http://www.carbtune.co.uk/carbdtls.html will cost you £57 and you've got it for life. ZXR carbs need balancing at least every 3000 miles - that's a lot of money going in a dealer's pocket. The job itself is a piece of piss. They soon pay for themselves then you're saving every time.

Hmmmm, okay, I might just consider that then, thanks!
I assume there is a guide on here somewhere doing a walk-through, if I search for it?

Google and Youtube will do if you dont have real biker friends