question about oil

[blackhawkfan]

Do scooter engines burn oil over time?  I had done my oil change at 600 miles and am now at 1200.  When I did the change, the oil on the dipstick covered the entire crossmarked area; now it shows only halfway up the stick.  I know it is not leaking when parked as there is no oil stain below the scoot.  Does it just evaporate?  I am planning on doing another oil change as part of the storage prep in a few weeks but wonder if I should do it now since the oil level is clearly decreasing.  Is this normal?

[BettinANDlosing]

The tolerances in these engines aren't that tight so some oil usage is normal. Make a habit of checking your oil once or twice a month. Oil usage will greatly increase the harder you ride it.

[Bernie]

I have a Like 200i, bought new in February. Have changed oil at 200, 400, 600, and 1,600 miles, and have seen no oil loss. Only curious thing is that I can't get more than 23 oz into the engine when I change it (even after dropping the screen). Admittedly, I rarely drive it faster than 40 mph. So, maybe if I ran it harder and longer, there'd be some oil consumption.

[BettinANDlosing]

That's only .68L (these are Asian bikes, Keepin it real with the metric) that's really odd. You when t your bike up fully before change? Shake the bike side by side? Drain the oil out of the plug and screen?

[TLRam1]

The tolerances in these engines aren't that tight so some oil usage is normal. Make a habit of checking your oil once or twice a month. Oil usage will greatly increase the harder you ride it.

I will start checking mine.

[mrmike]

Make sure you wait and let the  oil drain down a little after running, and make sure the scoot is level (not on the side kickstand)  when you check the oil level. I've got a GTI300, 3000 miles, 5 oil changes, and no oil loss

[BettinANDlosing]

Make sure you wait and let the  oil drain down a little after running, and make sure the scoot is level (not on the side kickstand)  when you check the oil level. I've got a GTI300, 3000 miles, 5 oil changes, and no oil loss

The 300cc is made in Taiwan to MUCH higher spec than the Chinese 50cc Kymco engines.

[Stig / Major Tom]

I have a Like 200i, bought new in February. Have changed oil at 200, 400, 600, and 1,600 miles, and have seen no oil loss. Only curious thing is that I can't get more than 23 oz into the engine when I change it (even after dropping the screen). Admittedly, I rarely drive it faster than 40 mph. So, maybe if I ran it harder and longer, there'd be some oil consumption.

Bernie, I LIKE the way you're doing your oil changes!
I settled in at right around 600-700 mile changes....and the last I saw of my LIKE200i it was using no oil either. Less than a Qt......aircooled....it's working hard for us. Treat it nice to fresh oil.
You are the only (non-50cc) guy here riding like me. 40mph or less.
Stig

[zombie]

Stig's bikes ride alone. He has to chase them to take the picts. The ONLY "Lone Wolf" bikes known in the US.
I would have shot them ages ago. Kudos to Stig for putting up w/ them.

[de dee]

Do scooter engines burn oil over time?  I had done my oil change at 600 miles and am now at 1200.  When I did the change, the oil on the dipstick covered the entire crossmarked area; now it shows only halfway up the stick.  I know it is not leaking when parked as there is no oil stain below the scoot.  Does it just evaporate?  I am planning on doing another oil change as part of the storage prep in a few weeks but wonder if I should do it now since the oil level is clearly decreasing.  Is this normal?

   when you check the oil after a fill up, do you run the motor for a few min. then check the oil,. you might of had a air bubble

[blackhawkfan]

I check it once a week before I start the scoot...would an air bubble be a possibility under those conditions?

[zombie]

No

I check it once a week before I start the scoot...would an air bubble be a possibility under those conditions?

No  BlackHawk. Only when you first fill it. Sometimes the filter will trap air at first but not after a 10-15 second ride.

[Yager200i]

I've got almost 9000 miles on my scoot, and it burns no oil at all. I think if you give the engine an easy break-in, your rings don't seal as well, and you suck some oil up the cylinder walls and burn it.

[zombie]

If you DON'T give the engine an easy break in...

[Yager200i]

If you DON'T give the engine an easy break in...

Um, no.

Easy break in: limiting throttle opening for X miles, driving it easily.
Hard break in: maximizing cylinder pressure. Riding it like you stole it.

Think of the difference between throttle-blipping "zing zing zing" and high-gear pulling from a low speed "whaaaaaa". That "whaaaaa" is what a hard break-in is about... that and snapping your throttle closed at high speeds instead of "throttling back".

An easy break-in means your rings don't get worn in properly, so they don't seal as well. You get more blow-by, less compression, higher oil consumption, and less power.

A hard break-in will push your rings against the cylinder wall harder, wear them to a better profile so they seal better, giving you more compression, less blow-by, less oil consumption, a cleaner combustion chamber, and longer engine life.