Oil Burning after Side Stand Use

[ytk]

Is a blue oil fog common after resting the K12LT on the side stand. If yes, how quickly should the "oil fog" burn off. My '03 LTE with 21K looks worse than a 2-stroke for up to 5 miles after storing the bike on the side stand over night.

[cfell]

Yup.. could be "normal"... does the bike do this if left on the center stand? Make sure you haven't "overfilled" the oil... but it is normal for some "smoking" when left on the sidestand. Even my '05 does that... has since new. I found if I kept the bike level for a minute or two after stopping, then put it on the sidestand, I would have very little burn-off.

[highwayman820]

My 05 will sometimes smoke a little when left on sidestand.

[scoobydoo]

Mine will smoke too, but not every time. I believe it depends where the piston is when the engine shuts down.

It usually clears up in 30 Sec or so, not very long.

[brucecha]

How high do you keep the oil in the window? I like to hold mine to the center of the glass.
Bruce C

[gunny]

My '03 does that too. Especially if there is a little more oil in it than it should, like over halfway in the sight glass, also if it has a harder than usual lean angle. Try to get it on the center stand if possible.

[Daman858]

Yep, mine too! Smokes for about 30 seconds or so after start up.

[ksailor]

Seems normal. I took the advice of others on this site: keep the bike straight up or tilted slightly to the right for at least 10 seconds when you shut it off before placing on side stand. This helped. Very seldom does it smoke anymore.

[CarSalesman]

I've noticed the smoke is greatly reduced if after shutting off the engine, you hold the bike vertical for about 20 seconds before tipping it onto the side stand. Not a total cure, but sometimes you just can't put it on the center stand. It seems to give the oil time to drain back down into the sump, instead of staying in the head (and then leaking down into the cylinders).

[wjpatter]

I have a 99 and changed to synthetic oil for the first time last oil change. Without exception, I blow smoke to the first two – three minutes. This is new. With non-synthetic oil, I would occasionally blow smoke, maybe one out of ten times. I been reading the threads for a while and don’t remember seeing any correlation between smoke and synthetic oil. I’d be interested in other experiences.

Bill Patterson

[JPSpen]

Pull the bike up to park. Leave in 1st gear..With bike running get weight on right leg and put down side stand..Engine should turn itself off.... Stay in this position (slightly right ) for fifteen seconds or so....Then go to the side stand.

My bike almost never smokes...

Oil level should be across the CENTER of the sight glass when on the SIDE stand on LEVEL ground.... check after engine off for at least 10 mins....If higher than this it's overfilled and this will contribute to the smoking..

PS.. They all do this it's normal....don't worry about it a bit.


Good luck..

Spence

[strsout]

I have a 99 and changed to synthetic oil for the first time last oil change. Without exception, I blow smoke to the first two – three minutes. This is new. With non-synthetic oil, I would occasionally blow smoke, maybe one out of ten times. I been reading the threads for a while and don’t remember seeing any correlation between smoke and synthetic oil. I’d be interested in other experiences.

Bill Patterson
I'm not an oil expert (and I'm sure there are some guys here pretty good), but I will assume that because synthetic is thin then mineral, it will 'leak' in a bigger quantity to the pistons then the mineral.
But if you just turn off the engine and keep the bike upright for 10 to 15 seconds, you will see a difference on the smoke.

[strsout]

:) we both wrote the same thing, at the very same time...
is this forum something wonderful or not?!!!

[KBandit]

if you lean the bike on the sidestand right after you shut it off the engine, the oil has not yet had time to settle back into the pan, and some will leak past the valves into the combustion chamber. all you have to do is keep it straight upright for about thirty seconds after you shut it off.

i always just keep it upright while i unbuckle my helmet, remove my gloves, etc. ... nine times out of ten there is no smoke on startup.

of course you could always use the centerstand. then it will never smoke.

[dshealey]

You are almost right. :D The issue is the oil laying in the bottom of the cylinders, not in the head. Oil from the head cannnot get into the combustion chambers, but oil laying in the bottom of the cylinders will pool behind the pistons, and depending on where the ring gaps are, may seep past the rings and into the space above the piston where it is burned on start up. It is inconsistent, because maybe only one or two pistons have rings that have turned so that the ring gaps are near the bottom of the cylinder, and if those pistons stop near the bottom of their stroke there will be little oil trapped behind them, where if they stop near the top of stroke, a lot more oil will pool behind them when leaned to the left.

That is why leaning the bike to the right for a few seconds helps, letting the oil drain back from the lower surface of the cylinders back into the crankcase.

[KBandit]

You are almost right. :D

"almost right" is a lot better than i normally do. just ask my wife!

thx for the correction, david ...

[RideIt]

Mine also smokes if left on side stand, Thank goodness for hydraulic center stand on 05. It seems to always smoke worse if I am riding with some of my Gold Wing buddies and they stop at Dairy Queen and I leave bike on side stand. :)
Leon
05 Blue LT

[gfrankum]

Mine only does this when it's started in front of a group of other brand motorcycles.

Then I have to explain that it's a pre-oiling system that makes the engine last longer.

90% of them believe me


Glen Frankum

[dandiver]

My 2002, 19,000 miles, blows smoke probably 1 out of 5-6 start-ups. So little I hardly notice it. I always park it on the side stand and haven't found a pattern. It only lasts a few seconds and I burn regular oil.

[rlsmith2]

My 2000, is parked on the side stand 99% of the time. I never hold it to the right or vertical, just shut the engine off with the side stand, put it down, lock the handlebars and hop off. It smokes once or twice a year. Luck or ring gaps or ???

[longtmrdr]

I have a 2000 and after a recent oil change I thought it might be a two stroke.
It cleared and as all have said already, just a little smoke on start up clears rather quickly.