It might be worth adding a couple of extra points:
- If the thermostat is fully open, the engine can surely still over heat if the ambient temperature coupled with the capacity of the liquid cooling system, can't dissipate the heat enough to keep the engine oil within it's operating range.
- The cooling system needs to have the correct type and the correct amount of coolant in order to function as intended.
Much the same as the engines lubrication system......The right stuff & the right amount of it.
I am taking a gamble when I don't check my oil level before I start and ride my bike. I know that, but if I check my oil level at the beginning quite regularly, over a period and I observe that the level doesn't drop and then I service the engine to the recommended schedule in the correct manner, I feel that the risk of not checking the levels all that often is not taking a huge gamble, especially when i'm always doing my visual checks around the bike, for example, when i'm cleaning it and parking it in the same spot every time it's parked for any period at home.
If the bike appears to run fine and doesn't smoke or leak any oil, my logic says don't get too hung up on checking the levels unless they are easy to check, such as when there are features such as level windows.
Like I said before, maybe i'm being to risky/lazy about not checking the oil level all the time.
All I know is that when I do, between scheduled servicing, it's never been wanting more oil, so maybe I get lazy, or more efficient with my time. The jury is out on that, I suppose.
I'm not recommending others do what I do, but I am interested to hear some wisdom from experienced others out there.
