Airbox oil collection bottle

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Jul 1, 2019
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Hi all,

Hope everyone is keeping safe and well.

Just a quick one, while cleaning the bike over the weekend i noticed a bit of oil on the floor which is coming from a little oil bottle behind the footpeg mount.

My bike is a 2018 commando cafe racer.

It's full to the brim and i'm not sure how long it has taken to fill up.

Should i be monitoring this bottle and should i dispose of any oil collected in there?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Stay safe!

Andrew
 
Andrew,
Common characteristic of the Commando. There will probably be more oil in the line and airbox. Use a measuring jug to drain into and top up with a corresponding amount.
Some bikes do and some don‘t, there is no hard and fast rule. Your model should have all the ‘Oil in airbox‘ mods done so it something you’ll have to live with, like the rest of us.
Not a big problem, just part of the Norton ownership experience.
Enjoy.
Best regards
Stuart
 
Yes Monitor it., After every long ride take a quick look. You can measure how much came out with a measure cup , and get the air box completely drained out. But where I may differ is , wait to put more oil in . First measure the oil on the stick and after you've started and warmed up the bike. If you are half way up the knurl section don't add any more at this time . Keep running the bike and check again periodically , keep an eye on the bottle and the dip stick.
 
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Just to give input; My 2019 Mk.2 Sport has just passed the 1000 mile mark, some spirited riding once run-in but still shy of the red line, catch bottle has 10mm in it, dipstick steady 1/3 up the knurl.
 
Thanks , that is good to know ( 1/3 up the knurl ). That is a 30ml bottle so about 10ml very good ! I wouldn't add any oil until you reach the bottom of the knurl , and don't go past half way its just going to put it in the air box/bottle . Try it and see ! :)
 
My 2018 CR filled the catch bottle at around 1k miles interval, especially if I ran at motorway speeds+ for a prolonged duration. Factory told me 2k miles would be about the norm. I now run oil tank just at bottom of the knurled region on dip stick and bottle fills at around 1500 miles now.
 
As ever with this passion of ours, each bike is going to behave differently. My 2015 CR does. Following my last service, the mechanic had over filled the oil - new type dip stick. When warmed up the oil showed at a couple of mm above the knurled section. My initial thought was to syringe this out to achieve midway on the stick but I decided to let it go, assuming that the bike would spit it into the catch bottle. This is happening but very slowly. Routine 150-200Km Sunday ride results in only a couple of mm in the catch bottle at most. Oil still shows as just over the knurled section.

I'm making an assumption here though Tony, as I haven't removed the seat for a while. To my mind there can be no oil in the airbox if the catch bottle is empty, assuming of course that the airbox aperture and hose are not blocked? You know what they say about assumptions though right!

Cheers.

Steve
 
Airbox oil collection bottle
 
My 2018 CR filled the catch bottle at around 1k miles interval, especially if I ran at motorway speeds+ for a prolonged duration. Factory told me 2k miles would be about the norm. I now run oil tank just at bottom of the knurled region on dip stick and bottle fills at around 1500 miles now.

You have decreased your bottle filling interval by 50% , good news ! Also , I have not run down at this level very long (bottom of the knurl) but your findings are interesting and encouraging .
 
I've been working with setting up a number of both modern and classic race bikes. Most racers fits any kind of no cost half litre bottle they find which can be fitted in with a couple of tyraps. Some prefer Guiness beer cans, other Monster cans. On the Manx I found an empty brake fluid bottle that fitted exactly between the the engine plates, between engine and gearbox. The whole idea of the catch tank is to limit oil spill to just the place where you crash. where it is easily fixed in three minutes. Much worse if oil is spread all around the track. A 1/4 mile spill can take an hour.
 
I let it splatter all over my mates Ducati behind me, cos’ the bastard is always throwing stone chips at me!
The sad part is, no Norton as of today’s 961 or older models will be ahead of a Ducati of the last 30 years.
 
The sad part is, no Norton as of today’s 961 or older models will be ahead of a Ducati of the last 30 years.

True , That's what happens when you have a good company (Ducati) building/designing the bikes. How are you liking that Diavel ? I sat on a YAM XSR900 last week.
 
True , That's what happens when you have a good company (Ducati) building/designing the bikes. How are you liking that Diavel ? I sat on a YAM XSR900 last week.
Love the Diavel. No regrets at all. It’s comfortable, the brakes are amazing, the handling is great and the power it has is mind blowing. It’s supposed to be the quickest Ducati 0-60 at 2.5 seconds. I believe it’s also rated at 10.1 second 1/4 mile.
Pushing it around in my garage you can feel the difference in weight compared to the Norton’s.
The Diavel 1260S is said to be 481 pounds dry and 530 pounds wet.

I keep looking at the Streetfighter though.
Performance wise, the Ducati is hands down ahead of the Norton. That’s to be expected.

But: the Norton is more special and the detail is higher than the Ducati.
meaning, the components are billet aluminum, stainless hardware, the carbon fiber on the Norton’s is way heavier in thickness compared to the carbon fiber on my Ducati.

If I have to complain about one thing about the Ducati, it’s the cost of the aftermarket exhaust.
The Termignoni titanium Exhaust is the only available option. For $3000 you get a “muffler”.
I’ll probably get one at some point, until then I’ve been doing some other personal upgrades to it such as levers, mirrors, cosmetics.

How did you like the Yamaha?
 
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