I have had my bike in garage over the winter on a stand. I checked the oil just now and dipstick is dry, can't see any in tank. No external leaks. Did oil all settle in crankcase. Scared to fire it up and don't want to add oil and overfill it. Can some one help me with this

 

Yep, mine does this too when stored for long periods. Drain the engine oil then pour it back into the tank, (as much as you can get will do), then start er up.

There is a check valve, (apparently), which malfunctions causing this. The problem is slow acting so I've never bothered having it repaired / replaced.


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If this were mine, I would take it off the stand, fire it up, let it idle and keep eye on oil pressure. I would let it run for 30-45 seconds, then shut down and give it a minute for oil to drain. Then check oil level. I suspect the oil has settled. I would not be too worried if you had no leaks and things looked "normal". If level is fine, I would re-start and let run for couple minutes and shut down and check again. If ok, I would ride a few miles and change oil. I change my oil again each fall so I know that I have the proper amount of oil in the bike. I look for oil drips in the spring after storage, check oil, fire up and let it run for a minute or so, then check.
Keep us posted as to what you did.

 

Thanks, will give it a try and report back

 

If oil settled in the block would I pull the crankcase plug to drain or the regular drain plug

 

You'd be well advised to seek a manual to ensure you get the right plug. There are (3), one for the primary oil, one for the transmission and one for the engine. On my 2014 BO the "engine" drain plug is at the rear of the "frame" on the left side. The plug between the shocks at the bottom of the engine is the transmission oil. don't drain that. The plug for the primary is on the left side. Don't drain that either. Its only the engine oil you want to drain, then replace by pouring it back into the tank before you start her up.

BTW: Given you're in Ontario and its winter another question arises. Are you able to keep the bike running and get it up to operating temp for say 30 min or more after you start it ? This will allow H2O which forms due to condensation to vaporize and vent off. Starting your ride for short periods then shutting down intermittently during winter storage isn't generally advised as it adds to condensation, H2O, and associated problems with the innards. Just so you know k ?


CHECK OUT ATTACHMENT BELOW !

 

Its a 2013 softail and she s parked in a heated garage. The regular drain plug is in the frame and the other one is in bottom of crankcase. Not sure if I should drain thru the crankcase this time only due to all the oil draining to the bottom of engine or drain oil as I do normally I want to put fresh oil and filter in it anyways for the start of the season. Thankyou for your advice its greatly appreciayted

 

Pull the plug wires and take the cap off oil tank,spin the motor over 5-10 seconds. Then start it .

 

Well I fired it up and low and behold the oil returned to the tank. I was told by the dealership that this is quite common for the oil tank to drain over long periods of time. I never noticed before as I normally change oil in fall and fire up in spring with out checking level as I know it was good when I parked.
Anyways scared me a bit finding empty oil tank but all is well now. Thanks everyone for your guidance and suggestions. Safe riding friends.