I'm an owner of a new Sportsman 500 HO and I am trying to figure out why the oil level changes both up and down depending on when I check it. I suspect that because this is a dry sump engine something is going on that I don't fully understand. When I checked it the first time after bringing it home, it was just slightly over the full mark. I rode it for just a little while and checked it again the next morning (cold engine - did not start it before checking it) and found it to be just below the add mark. I added a few ounces of oil to bring it up to the full mark. I then started it up and rode for just a few minutes and checked the level again and it was about a half an inch above the full mark. I drained some oil out (about the same amount that I had previously added) until it came back down to the full mark. Later in the day I rode for awhile and checked the oil after shutting it off and found it to be about a half an inch above the full mark. I let it cool for a while while I read the owners manual. The owners manual says to start the engine and let it idle for 20 - 30 seconds, shut it off and then check the oil. I followed the instructions in the manual and found that the oil was back down to the full mark. Each time I checked the oil, the bike was sitting in my garage on a level surface and the dip stick was screwed all the way in. There is no moisture in the oil and it does not smell like gas. I am confident that there are no leaks (clean cement in my garage where it sits) and that nothing is getting into the oil. There is no sign of the engine burning any oil (no smoke or odor) so I am convinced that the amount of oil in the engine is not changing. The problem is how I have been checking it. How can this be possible? I suspect that the owners manual is very specific on how to check the oil level for a reason specific to it being a dry sump engine. Can anyone explain?

 

I can't explain it, but mine does the same thing. I stopped worrying about it. Just like I stopped worrying about the engine knock at idle, and the balky shifter. Just Polaris idiosyncrasies, I guess.