Cali 1400 oil use/consumption?

[Lcarlson]

My new Cali 1400 Custom seems to be using oil at about a quart every 2300 miles or so. I'm wondering what other Cali 1400 owners are seeing?


(edited subject line -R59)

[stephenm]

Oil consumption on my 2013 Touring with 14,000km has been negligible since new.

Stephen

[Kiwi_Roy]

I wonder if you have a bad valve seal leaking oil into the exhaust.
A friends new Stelvio was using 5 liters per 1000 due to that.

[Gootsz]

Only 2500 miles on my custom, but zippo oil usage
Micky

[lucian]

I haven't noticed any oil consumption on my custom. 2014 w/ 12,000 trouble free miles. Sounds like a warranty issue to me. Notice any blue smoke from exhaust ? I'm sure you would have spotted a leak if it were that.

[AH Fan]

 Nope........ 22000 not a drop in between changes at this point.
Me thinks there is something not right.

Ciao.

[LowRyter]

My Guzzis don't seem to use oil but one quart in 2300 miles for an air cooled engine doesn't seem excessive.  I suppose it might be a concern that there is some latent problem since the other bikes don't use any oil to speak of. 

[mjptexas]

I haven't noticed any oil consumption on my custom. 2014 w/ 12,000 trouble free miles. Sounds like a warranty issue to me. Notice any blue smoke from exhaust ? I'm sure you would have spotted a leak if it were that.

11,000 miles on my Custom.  No oil consumption, no smoke.

[Lcarlson]

There was a small leak (O-ring and mating part, both replaced, no more leak). Bike does not smoke at all. One anomaly: when the hot read was at the 1/4 mark (down 3/4 from max), I added eight ounces of oil, which brought it all the way to max.  By my metric conversion, the max/min difference is about 24 ounces, so eight ounces should only have brought it to about the 2/3 point, or a little less. I'm baffled.

On a different but related note, I figure I may not have broken the engine in aggressively enough to fully seat the piston rings (I tried to be a little more aggressive than the manual calls for, but not much). So today at about 3500 miles on the clock, I decided to flog the beast and see if that has any effect on future consumption. I took it to a stretch of road with a pretty steep uphill twisty grade that is 5 to 6 miles long. I ran the whole thing in second gear, pinned WFO as much as possible. Oil issues aside, what a revelation! I've been mostly riding it around like a Harley, but ridden this way it was transformed, a different motorcycle. I was stunned by this performance. It pulled with immense "cammy" power right until the rev limiter cut in, again and again.  So I guess if I have to feed it a little oil from time to time, so be it.

[elvisboy77]

I think the worst part of these bikes is the ridiculous way you have to check the oil, holding it upright with the dipstick not screwed in, (sounds like an Italian Kama Sutra move!)  Seriously though, I misread mine, it is easy to do so don't discount that.

And yes, flog the day lights out of it, in Veloce mode.

[lucky phil]

There was a small leak (O-ring and mating part, both replaced, no more leak). Bike does not smoke at all. One anomaly: when the hot read was at the 1/4 mark (down 3/4 from max), I added eight ounces of oil, which brought it all the way to max.  By my metric conversion, the max/min difference is about 24 ounces, so eight ounces should only have brought it to about the 2/3 point, or a little less. I'm baffled.

On a different but related note, I figure I may not have broken the engine in aggressively enough to fully seat the piston rings (I tried to be a little more aggressive than the manual calls for, but not much). So today at about 3500 miles on the clock, I decided to flog the beast and see if that has any effect on future consumption. I took it to a stretch of road with a pretty steep uphill twisty grade that is 5 to 6 miles long. I ran the whole thing in second gear, pinned WFO as much as possible. Oil issues aside, what a revelation! I've been mostly riding it around like a Harley, but ridden this way it was transformed, a different motorcycle. I was stunned by this performance. It pulled with immense "cammy" power right until the rev limiter cut in, again and again.  So I guess if I have to feed it a little oil from time to time, so be it.

The best and safest way to do achieve the result you wanted is to pay for a little dyno time. Six or eight Hard pulls on the dyno will be more effective,safer and let you see what the mapping is like.
Ciao

[LowRyter]

I think topping up at 1/4 down might not be the best thing.  It's possible that your engine was topped up and your fill just went out the breather.  Why not see if the consumption continues to the low mark and add a quart?  If it stays at 3/4 perhaps that's just where it should be?

[stephenm]

>>I've been mostly riding it around like a Harley, but ridden this way it was transformed, a different motorcycle. <<

Excellent!
The motor will be delighted that you have discovered how sweet it is
when you let it sing.

And I think your calculation is out.
If you added 8oz to go from 3/4 down to Full, then E-F is 12oz, not 24.

Stephen

[Lcarlson]

Thanks for the recent replies, but I need to clarify a couple of things: when I added the 8 oz of oil, the level was 3/4 DOWN (only 1/4 from min); and the 24 oz max/min difference comes from the manual (although, insanely for the US market, you have to convert from the specified figure in cubic deciliters).

[Lcarlson]

Sorry, that's cubic centimeters.