[timwood2000]

Having thought that the sight glass was showing empty, I put 0.75 litre of oil in. Only then did I realise that the oil was so clesn before that the sight glass was actually full in the first place.

I have read conflicting information about how much an overfill needs to be before it causes damage.

Is there a quick and easy way to drain some off?

Thanks for your help.

 

[JPSpen]

First I thought LT, And you were going to have to make a mess.

Then I thought Airhead and you could suction some out from the fill port..

But now I'm thinking you're back to making a mess..

You should drain some out..

You didn't say what year RT you have..

Sorry,:wave

John

 

[AntRT]

Makes me feel good knowing I'm not the only one that did that. Drain a bit out and lesson learned.

 

[MattWhite]

Makes me feel good knowing I'm not the only one that did that. Drain a bit out and lesson learned.

Done that.....

 

[loboheritage]

Go to Walmart or some such and find a cheap squeeze bulb pump. They have lengths of clear plastic tubing on both ends. Easy to pump out all you need to. No mess. I keep one of the pumps on both my bikes for possible fuel emergencies (mine or others)....

 

[siman00]

I probably wouldn't do anything, having seen one example of overfill with no damage...

Long story, made short. Rode from NC to Alaska in 2008 with a friend on a 1200 GS. Before going, he had the oil changed at the dealership near home. His bike, up to that point, used about a quart of oil between 6K mile changes.

Rode to Anchorage, about 5.5K miles. His oil level stayed the same as when he left town; FULL. Drained the oil out, and since it was still "full", decided to measure how much oil drained out. We measured 5 quarts! So, the bike had at least a quart more than it should have had, plus the usual one quart of usage. The dealer must have poured 6 quarts in at the change.

Absolutely no engine damage. No leaks. Still runs great, some 20K miles later.

So, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[timwood2000]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

It's a 2011 R1200RT by the way.

 

[Plasterman]

60cc syringe with some tubing on the end works well for sucking out the oil. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[65slashtwo]

If your oil is too clear, get a flashlight and take a look at the
sight glass just after shutdown and watch the level climb
before adding too much...

Was riding my recently acquired '06 RT toward a quick
mountain loop and the <!> warning kept coming on.
I stopped and checked the glass and couldn't see
any oil level (too little time sat). I had checked the
sight glass a few days before to find it was precisely
in the middle. It would then show Oil <!> on the ride
back home. Once home, I let it sit longer and watched
the level come back up to 1/2 glass (?). Not sure why I
got the <!> indicator.

I went ahead and s l o w l y added oil to bring it nearer
the top and haven't had any issues since.

 

[gfspencer]

You can use a turkey baster to remove oil. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[brselman]

You can use a turkey baster to remove oil. Don't ask me how I know.

And here I thought that you used turkey basters for....well...basting turkeys! :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

brselman
2009 R1200RT
2012 R1200R

 

[JayJay]

You can use a turkey baster to remove oil. Don't ask me how I know.

Does your SO know what you used the turkey baster for prior to slipping it back into the kitchen drawer? :rotf:

JayJay

 

[gfspencer]

Does your SO know what you used the turkey baster for prior to slipping it back into the kitchen drawer? :rotf:

JayJay

She never got it back.

 

[timwood2000]

Having read all the responses, thank you, I chose to go with SIMAN00's post and risked it - good news is that approx. 75 miles later and some heavy town riding, not experiencing any problems. Spent the day riding round central London and the temp was up high due to stop start for an hour or so, and everything seems fine.

Keeping everything crossed, and hoping for the best.

However, out of interest - what are the signs of a problem from overfill if I have made the wrong decision to do nothing? Should I expect a loud bang - or something else?

 

[siman00]

The most likely sign would be a seal that has not held, allowing oil to leak from that seal. With my buddy's GS, it never leaked or oozed or showed any sign of leakage.

It's also conceivable that if the oil level is high enough, fuel usage could go up just a bit due to the crankshaft hitting the oil in the sump. My buddy's had lower fuel economy, but we were heavily loaded and running at pretty spirited speeds 70+ for days at a time going to Alaska.

I can't say you won't have a problem with an overfull, but I witnessed firsthand the GS and have read others' posts about overfilling causing no problem.