Checking the oil on my 81 Honda Silverwing

[crackerjack]

Hey, I'm a fairly new rider here. I've only had my bike for about 3 months. Its an 81 Honda gl500 Silverwing. I got this bike from my father-in-law ready to go. An oil change was definitely done before I started riding this bike. Today I checked the tires, suspension, and fluids and everything was ok except my oil seems a little low. I unscrewed the cap, wiped it off and placed it back in the hole. The oil level came up to just under the bottom line. So my questions are, Am I dangerously low on oil? How long can I drive before putting oil in? What kind of oil do I use? Might be a dumb question, but I'm not even sure if there is oil made specifically for motorcycles or not. I do plan on getting oil tomorrow. Does Canadian Tire sell what I need? Thanks guys. I must really sound like a noob. I would have just asked my father-in-law, but he's out of town.

 

[Brian P]

For Honda bikes with a screw-in dipstick/oil fill, the level is supposed to be checked with the dipstick resting on top of the threads (not screwed in at all) and with the bike held vertical on level ground - not on the side stand.

If you followed this procedure correctly then it sounds like the oil level is low, and I'd strongly urge topping it up before riding it.

That engine is not fussy about oil specifications. Yes, motorcycles have different oil specifications. But a common good oil that you can get at Canadian Tire and which is suitable for just about any motorcycle, is Shell Rotella T6 5w40.

 

[Schneller]

Motorcycles with wet clutches do have special oil requirements. You need to do some reading/research. Also, dry sump type engines should have their oil checked after running, not after sitting for some days. I don't know if this applies to your bike. It does to mine - a 1975 Honda CB750.

the silver wing was a bike I really liked back in the day. Kind of like a Moto Guzzi.