2012 model RTL, how much oil...

[Tonylmiller]

How much oil... to the top of from the low point on the dipstick?
I just don't want to overfill it.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

How much oil... to the top of from the low point on the dipstick?
I just don't want to overfill it.

The V-twin engine is Very particular in the way you measure the Oil in the engine. It's imperative that the engine is Fully warmed up. To save time and money, you should only check it AFTER a ride of at least 1/2 hr. ..... and don't try to fill it to the MAX, only 1/2 to 3/4 full.... If you do it this way you aren't likely to either over-fill or under-fill and you won't lose a lot of time .... good luck .... Mike

[Peter Aawen]

How much oil... to the top of from the low point on the dipstick?
I just don't want to overfill it.

That can vary from bike to bike; day to day; ride to ride; AND whether the oil level is checked at different temps/not the correct OIL operating temp (be aware that coolant heats up waaayyy faster than oil! ) so there's really no clear/definitive answer to your question.

I'd suggest that instead of trying to fill it to the top (as Mike's suggested above) you simply aim for the level to be somewhere about the middle of the gap between the ADD & FULL marks on the dipstick and that you never add any more than 250ml of oil at a time unless you're doing a full oil change - and even then, it's probably a good idea to add new oil slowly & stop short of the 'Full' volume of oil!

Your Rotax engine will have sufficient oil for safe running just so long as the oil level at checking (as per the approved method) is anywhere above the bottom ADD mark, but you REALLY don't want to overfill it too much at all! At the least, over-filling it will make a mess inside the air box & eventually on the floor under the bike, maybe also everywhere under the tupperware; and you really don't want to know what the 'at the worst' scenario might cost you - suffice to say, it'd probably be cheaper just to buy a new bike!

[Tonylmiller]

I'm happy to report that my oil- checking process is repeatable. I do it exactly as the owners manual says. So that doesn't seem to be a problem.
The answer to my question is one quart, for future reference.
I have ridden about 1200 miles since I bought the RTL. It was supposedly serviced right before I bought it. So I just checked the oil, and it was at the bottom of the range on the dipstick. I really do not know how much oil was in it when I got it, so I guess I will check it again after a few hundred miles.
I know it does not drip any oil. I'm wondering if it has been at the bottom of the range this whole time, which should not be a problem, I suppose.
I know, should have checked it sooner...

[Knizar]

I'm happy to report that my oil- checking process is repeatable. I do it exactly as the owners manual says. So that doesn't seem to be a problem.
The answer to my question is one quart, for future reference.
I have ridden about 1200 miles since I bought the RTL. It was supposedly serviced right before I bought it. So I just checked the oil, and it was at the bottom of the range on the dipstick. I really do not know how much oil was in it when I got it, so I guess I will check it again after a few hundred miles.
I know it does not drip any oil. I'm wondering if it has been at the bottom of the range this whole time, which should not be a problem, I suppose.
I know, should have checked it sooner...

I had a 2012 RT, the 998 is known to use a small amount of oil between changes, (at least mine did). Just add a few ounces to get it back in mid-range on the dip-stick. Not a big deal if it is not right on the full mark. ....Bill " Only a few ounces" "Not a whole Quart"

[Peter Aawen]

I had a 2012 RT, the 998 is known to use a small amount of oil between changes, (at least mine did). Just add a few ounces to get it back in mid-range on the dip-stick. Not a big deal if it is not right on the full mark. ....Bill
"Only a few ounces" "Not a whole Quart"

That's definitely the way to go!

The 998cc V-Twins (or 990/991 series Rotax V-Twins) are relatively high revving high performance motors, and as such, they tend to use a bit of oil between scheduled oil changes. For most 'road riders' that could be anywhere from 'just a smidge' thru to something over 250 mls every 1,000 kms (sorry, too tired to convert for those still in the dark ages! ) depending upon how hard they've been worked. And if you ever do some serious track work &/or work them pretty hard for an extended period (ie. like riding saaay, 1600 kms in under 12 hours ) then you could even use something like 600 mls in that time/over that distance, &/or if it's a really hot day, you might possibly even use as much as 1 litre over that distance/day - altho that's not at all usual, it's still the nature of the engine to use some oil between scheduled services, and more than usual if you work it harder/run it hotter than usual!

So if you're planning on doing a long trip, a track day, or otherwise working it harder than usual, it might be worth your while to try to fill it closer to the FULL mark on the dipstick than usual - but you still don't want to go over that mark by much at all!

And Tony, even if your oil is at its 'normal' operating temp when you check it, while adding a quart of (ambient temp) oil may have brought it up to the FULL mark at the time of adding ONCE, it could well be different when you check & need to add oil later, saaay, after a shorter ride, or on a colder day, or working it harder for a while! So while that 'One Quart' of oil might be close enough for most 'working purposes', the volume of oil required to bring it from the ADD mark to the FULL mark may vary enough to be of concern EVERY TIME you add oil! And that's one of the reasons you should always only add "a few ounces" at a time, and "Not a whole Quart", no matter how convinced you may be that you can always repeat your oil checking process exactly as the manual describes.... Besides, can you really match it exactly, right down to the temperature of the oil (both in the engine & that you're adding!) and to the number of seconds that you're leaving your Spyder standing before checking the oil?? As soon as the engine stops turning over, the scavenge pumps stop and there will be some oil draining from the engine back into the reservoir, AND there'll be some oil draining from the reservoir into the scavange pool at the bottom of the engine & maybe even elsewhere! Don't believe that the time of checking after shut down can be important?? Just check your engine oil level in the reservoir when you shut the engine down as per the approved process, then check the level in the reservoir again every hour after for the next 24 hours & see if there's any further changes in oil level.... then leave it & come back a week later & check it again!

[Tonylmiller]

That's definitely the way to go!

The 998cc V-Twins (or 990/991 series Rotax V-Twins) are relatively high revving high performance motors, and as such, they tend to use a bit of oil between scheduled oil changes. For most 'road riders' that could be anywhere from 'just a smidge' thru to something over 250 mls every 1,000 kms (sorry, too tired to convert for those still in the dark ages! ) depending upon how hard they've been worked. And if you ever do some serious track work &/or work them pretty hard for an extended period (ie. like riding saaay, 1600 kms in under 12 hours ) then you could even use something like 600 mls in that time/over that distance, &/or if it's a really hot day, you might possibly even use as much as 1 litre over that distance/day - altho that's not at all usual, it's still the nature of the engine to use some oil between scheduled services, and more than usual if you work it harder/run it hotter than usual!

So if you're planning on doing a long trip, a track day, or otherwise working it harder than usual, it might be worth your while to try to fill it closer to the FULL mark on the dipstick than usual - but you still don't want to go over that mark by much at all!

And Tony, even if your oil is at its 'normal' operating temp when you check it, while adding a quart of (ambient temp) oil may have brought it up to the FULL mark at the time of adding ONCE, it could well be different when you check & need to add oil later, saaay, after a shorter ride, or on a colder day, or working it harder for a while! So while that 'One Quart' of oil might be close enough for most 'working purposes', the volume of oil required to bring it from the ADD mark to the FULL mark may vary enough to be of concern EVERY TIME you add oil! And that's one of the reasons you should always only add "a few ounces" at a time, and "Not a whole Quart", no matter how convinced you may be that you can always repeat your oil checking process exactly as the manual describes.... Besides, can you really match it exactly, right down to the temperature of the oil (both in the engine & that you're adding!) and to the number of seconds that you're leaving your Spyder standing before checking the oil?? As soon as the engine stops turning over, the scavenge pumps stop and there will be some oil draining from the engine back into the reservoir, AND there'll be some oil draining from the reservoir into the scavange pool at the bottom of the engine & maybe even elsewhere! Don't believe that the time of checking after shut down can be important?? Just check your engine oil level in the reservoir when you shut the engine down as per the approved process, then check the level in the reservoir again every hour after for the next 24 hours & see if there's any further changes in oil level.... then leave it & come back a week later & check it again!

What I mean is, apples to apples. Checking it the same way, under the same conditions. It took one quart. I've confirmed it.
And I did not add a quart all at once.
I'm checking it just like the manual says. Not cold, not 2 hours later.
Under these conditions, it has been consistent for me.

[davev1pa]

Lol my 2012 uses 1/4 cup or 2 ounces or 60ml every 1000 miles.