My CB is approaching 140,000 miles and has been using more oil than I'd like it to. Of course, I forgive it a lot at this mileage, but still I couldn't work out where the oil was going as the compression is good and there's never any smoke. Only thing I noticed was more oil than there used to be in the airbox and around the airbox-to-carb rubbers.
I've tried many things including using heavier oil (15W50), disconnecting the breather from the valve cover to the airbox, other oils of various quality...all to no avail whatsoever. The consumption hasn't been getting worse, but around the 110,000 mark was when it went from needing topping up now and then to needing it after every 300 miles of hard-ish riding.
Anyway, I ride all year round and generally a few months after each winter my radiator has sprung a leak and I've replaced it. The Honda ones are hopelessly expensive so I usually get one made by Delkevic. However last year I got one on ebay that was of no named brand. It would appear that this is possibly where I went wrong. Ever since then my bike's been running a bit hotter - both looking at the gauge, where it'll sit about a third of the way up instead of between the white block and the main section where it usually was before. I'd also noticed my spark plugs were no longer tan but were grey - not a huge worry as they weren't white or blistered, but just noticeably not tan like they'd been before. Also I've been able to feel a bit more heat coming off the engine after I've been riding it. I put this down to the higher oil consumption which we all know makes an engine run hotter.
HOWEVER! I think it is the other way round, and that this radiator was made of some inferior material that meant the engine was running hotter, meaning the oil was thinner and got burnt off more quickly. The radiator in question recently sprung a leak and I replaced it with a Delkevic one, and since then my temp gauge has been sitting back where it always used to and MY OIL LEVEL IS STAYING THE SAME!!!! Excuse the shouting but I'm rather excited about this as I was starting to look for replacement engines on ebay etc. I've just got back from Chester (seeing my girlfriend for the weekeng) to Oxford - I avoid motorways so I'm 'using' the engine and it's about 160 miles each way. I topped up the oil to the top of the dipstick when I left and it's still exactly the same now, whereas normally after that journey it would be at the bottom of the dipstick.
I've yet to check my spark plugs but I'll repost when I've done a few more miles and had a look at them.
I can't believe the choice of radiator would make such a difference, and as I say I need to do a few more miles before I can be 100% sure the problem's solved, but if I'm right not only am I a very happy rider but this should serve as a warning to everyone not to get the cheapest possible option for parts, especially those involved in the actual running of the engine or other critical parts of the bike.
Bravo to my CB for bearing with me, and here's to another 100,000 miles or so before she blows (touch wood)!
I've tried many things including using heavier oil (15W50), disconnecting the breather from the valve cover to the airbox, other oils of various quality...all to no avail whatsoever. The consumption hasn't been getting worse, but around the 110,000 mark was when it went from needing topping up now and then to needing it after every 300 miles of hard-ish riding.
Anyway, I ride all year round and generally a few months after each winter my radiator has sprung a leak and I've replaced it. The Honda ones are hopelessly expensive so I usually get one made by Delkevic. However last year I got one on ebay that was of no named brand. It would appear that this is possibly where I went wrong. Ever since then my bike's been running a bit hotter - both looking at the gauge, where it'll sit about a third of the way up instead of between the white block and the main section where it usually was before. I'd also noticed my spark plugs were no longer tan but were grey - not a huge worry as they weren't white or blistered, but just noticeably not tan like they'd been before. Also I've been able to feel a bit more heat coming off the engine after I've been riding it. I put this down to the higher oil consumption which we all know makes an engine run hotter.
HOWEVER! I think it is the other way round, and that this radiator was made of some inferior material that meant the engine was running hotter, meaning the oil was thinner and got burnt off more quickly. The radiator in question recently sprung a leak and I replaced it with a Delkevic one, and since then my temp gauge has been sitting back where it always used to and MY OIL LEVEL IS STAYING THE SAME!!!! Excuse the shouting but I'm rather excited about this as I was starting to look for replacement engines on ebay etc. I've just got back from Chester (seeing my girlfriend for the weekeng) to Oxford - I avoid motorways so I'm 'using' the engine and it's about 160 miles each way. I topped up the oil to the top of the dipstick when I left and it's still exactly the same now, whereas normally after that journey it would be at the bottom of the dipstick.
I've yet to check my spark plugs but I'll repost when I've done a few more miles and had a look at them.
I can't believe the choice of radiator would make such a difference, and as I say I need to do a few more miles before I can be 100% sure the problem's solved, but if I'm right not only am I a very happy rider but this should serve as a warning to everyone not to get the cheapest possible option for parts, especially those involved in the actual running of the engine or other critical parts of the bike.
Bravo to my CB for bearing with me, and here's to another 100,000 miles or so before she blows (touch wood)!