| Author | Message | ||
     Gentleman_jon |
Ever wonder how to read the oil level on the black dipstick that came on your bike? Can't be done: the factory doesn't want owners doing complex maintenance themselves:-) Here is a simple little mod that solves the problem. Instructions: 1. Buy 3/8" or 12-10 ga. light colored heat shrink tube. Napa # 784663 was used in this example. 2. Cut to 2 1/2" long. 3. Slip over end of dip stick 4. Apply heat evenly until tubing shrinks to fit. Note: Style conscious Buelligans will of course be matching the color of their machine, ( unless it is a black one:-)  | ||
| Glitch |
Now that's a worth while tip! Good one Jon! | ||
| Daves |
I'll be doing mine tonight. Maybe a project for the next BRAG meeting. Do everyones. Dave | ||
| Smadd |
Nice, Jon! Thanks! I've been straining to read my oil levels for years! Steve | ||
| Kcfirebolt |
Great idea! | ||
| Glitch |
Maybe a project for the next BRAG meeting. Do everyones. In Buell Blue! | ||
| M1combat |
Brilliant... Thank you  . | ||
| Outrider |
Excellent idea. But I think I will go with Glitch's Buell Blue. My oil never gets dirty enough to show up on the light color. LOL | ||
| Cj_xb |
Excellent, I was going blind trying to see what level my oil was at with that stupid little dipstick !! CJ  | ||
| Outrider |
So that's what causes it. Dang, mom lied to me.  Ewww...Perhaps I should have passed on that.  | ||
| Raraf |
Dad: "Quit doing that or you will go blind" Raraf: "Uh, Dad, I'm over here" | ||
| Barkandbite |
Hey, uh, what temperature is that heat shrink good to until it melts? I'm guessing you can see where this is going -- I'm not sure I would want rubbery bits floating through my engine and/or lubrication system gumming up my filter, lines, etc. Something to consider. I just painted mine with hi-temp white paint...  Chris | ||
| Koz5150 |
I don't know if this works on an XB, but when adding oil to my 2002 M2 I start the bike, open the oil tank, and add oil till I don't hear the return line making air noise. Have had no problems in 7,500 miles so far. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Interesting questions Chris. The typical shrink tube shrinks around 185 degrees and has an operating temperature of up to 250 degrees depending on the particular tube being used. These are heat ranges seem to be above the temperature of the swing arm oil tank in the Buell. There are several reasons that we rejected high temp white paint: a. Possible adhesion problems due to the the smooth surface of the dip stick and the fact that it had been soaked in hot oil. b. Possibility of flaking of paint particles as the dip stick is flexed and as it comes into contact with the sharp edges of the threaded dip stick hole. The reason the dipstick is flexible is that it must touch various surfaces as it is removed and reinserted. We felt it was somewhat more likely that small paint particles would be released into the oil than pieces of heat shrink tube. c. We could not get any information on the effect of hot oil or adhesion to plastic of commonly available high temp paints. We will be checking the tube frequently, and will report any problems if we find them and we hope you will too. Personally, if my dip stick were painted, I think the first thing I might do is to cover it with shrink tube to keep the paint from flaking off :-) | ||
| Barkandbite |
Jon: I'm not quite sure how to interpret this statement: if my dip stick were painted, I think the first thing I might do is to cover it with shrink tube to keep the paint from flaking off :-) What you do on your own time, is your business...I'm not sure I need to know about your social life Muhahaha! BTW, I scuffed the plastic, and used a high-temp adhesion base that is meant for R/C car parts that surround engine components. I like your idea, honest, but I wonder which one of the ideas produces the biggest flakes. Wait, don't answer that... Thanks and let me know how it fairs long term. Yours looks cooler! Chris | ||
| Kevinfromwebb |
Jon, that's a great idea... Solved one of the few 'bitches' I had about the bike... Kevin | ||
| Charlieboy6649 |
See, now why can't I do stuff like that. I'm one of those "hard way" guys...  | ||
| Xb9er |
I had a different idea in mind but I like yours better. Thanks. Mike. | ||
| Starter |
I can't believe no one uses a suitably marked drinking straw. You only have to pinch it at the right length, insert and compare to the proper dipstick. | ||
| Fullpower |
hey thats cute, little custom colored dipstick covers. why didn't i think of that? | ||
| Tucsonxb9s |
Need to post this on e-bay! Heck if they can get $25 for those caps they were selling for the tubers, you could charge $5 a piece and get rich! | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
I would like to adapt one of the little oiltemp sticks from an H-D to work so I can see what temp the oil is after I get done on a hard ride or to check it out if its a really hot day. I till plan on adding an oiltemp gauge before the oilcooler though, but it would be nice to see how hot the oil is inside the tank. | ||
| Southernmarine |
I had to pull this up and look at it again. Has anyone else tried this? I stopped by NAPA today and couldn't remember the size I needed. I took a pack up there and asked them how much. Guy punched it up and said .27 cents. Damn, let me go get some change out of my van. I'm out there scrounging around, cause I don't have any money on me (keeps me from spending). Guy comes out and says, "Sir, sorry I was wrong about the price, the pack cost $25.00". WHAT? Ummm excuse me. Yes he said TWENTY-FIVE Dollars. So if anyone else has done this, out of curiosity, is that what you paid for a pack of these? I'll completely dry the dipstick then strain my eyes. Wife would kill me if I dropped $25.00 on a pack of heat shrink just to use part of one tube. Hell, if they cost $25.00 for a pack, then you could sell these for about $50 or so on Ebay (how much for a dipstick though?). | ||
| Jaredkuper |
Careful! I used a blue heat shrink tube to cover my dipstick after seeing this post. About two months later I was checking my oil while at a track day and the tube was about three times bigger in every dimension from the hot oil. It was about 1/4" in diameter, maybe more. I have no idea how it DIDN'T fall off into my swingarm. If you're going to use this method, be sure to check it VERY often when running hot temps. A smaller original size could work better, but mine was still larger than it's original size. | ||
| Xbolt12 |
Guys, Great idea, but you need to use a high temperature heat shrink tubing. It has been years (1984) since I looked into this subject, but because I was winding my own headlight coil on an XR250 Honda (more output and battery charging for street), I ran into this same problem. The XR250 was a wet sump engine and the magneto and wiring coils were in oil. I don't remember where I found it, but I know heat shrink can be found in plastics intended for oil immersion and higher temperatures. I still have some 18ga teflon insulated wire on a roll from the same project. Teflon would definately have a high enough temperature melting point and would be unaffected by oil. xbolt12 | ||
| Xb9er |
An even simpler way to make the XB dipstick easier to read came to me the other day. All I did was cut a flat spot on one side of the center "ring" (the low mark) to make it even with the stick. This gives you a look at the oil as a continuous stripe up the dipstick without it being broken up by the low marker. I was surprised how much easier it is to see the oil level now with such a little change! I used a box cutter blade to make the cut but if you have a Dremel, grinding it down may work better for you. Mike. | ||
| Jpl9sx |
I grip the towel/rag around the stick and the oil leaves a good impression of the stick on the towel. I thought that was the way it was supposed to be checked until I started reading this thread ? | ||
| Xb9er |
That's what I was doing until I figured out my "fix" I noticed that as long as I could see a continuous "bead" of oil on the dipstick, the black color didn't matter at all. So that's when I decided to cut away part of that low mark piece. I'll post a pic. Mike. (Message edited by xb9er on October 07, 2004) | ||
| Xb9er |
Here's what it looks like:  Mike. |
