How much oil does it hold and how do you check it with the dipstick on the upper frame?

Should be a dipstick up in front of the fuel
tank. These have oil in the frame and use
a dry sump oiling system. Run it for
a few minutes then check. Only holds about
1 litre of oil total so don't overfill.
It will only show oil on the dipstick after
running a bit as the oil needs to be pumped around
the system to be accurate on dipstick reading.
--

that is a good thing, that means you have oil presser!!!! you don't want the motor running when you check the oil, and make sure dipstick is screwed down before you run the bike

Your bike came new from the factory with Harley-Davidson Syn3 20W50 synthetic engine oil in the engine, transmission, and primary. You can change brands of any oil you wish but go online and see what the manufacturer recommends. Some other manufacturers of lubricants are Amsoil, Royal Purple, Mobil, Golden Spectro, and RevTech. Just follow their recommendations. The engine holds approx. 3 quarts, the primary holds approx. a quart, and the transmission holds 20-24 ounces. Always check the level with the dipstick once you change the oil. The dipsticks have two marks on them. The upper mark is "FULL HOT" and the lower mark is "FULL COLD". Do not overfill.

Good Luck
steve

Transmission REMOVAL & INSTALLATION

1. Disconnect the negative battery cable. Open the hood and place protectors on the fenders. Remove the air cleaner assembly.
2. Disconnect the detent cable at its upper end.
3. Remove the transmission oil dipstick, and the bolt holding the dipstick tube if it is accessible.
4. Raise the vehicle and safety support it with jackstands. NOTE: If a floor pan reinforcement is used, remove it if it interferes with driveshaft removal or installation.
   
5. Disconnect the speedometer cable at the transmission.
6. Disconnect the shift linkage at the transmission.
7. Disconnect all electrical leads at the transmission and any clips that hold these leads to the transmission case.
8. Remove the flywheel cover and matchmark the flywheel and torque converter for later assembly.
9. Remove the torque converter-to-flywheel bolts and/or nuts.
10. On gasoline engine vehicles, disconnect the catalytic converter support bracket.
11. Remove the transmission support-to-transmission mount bolt and transmission support-to-frame bolts, and any insulators (if used).
12. Position a transmission jack under the transmission and raise it slightly.
13. Slide the transmission support rearward.
14. Loosen the transmission enough to gain access to the oil cooler lines and detent cable attachments.
15. Disconnect the oil cooler lines and detent cable. Plug all openings.
16. Support the engine and remove the engine-to-transmission bolts.
17. Disconnect the transmission assembly, being careful not to damage any cables, lines or linkage.
18. Install a C-clamp or torque converter holding tool onto the transmission housing to hold the converter in the housing. Remove the transmission assembly from the vehicle (a hydraulic floor jack is best for this). To install: Fig. 1: Transmission oil cooler lines
    
    
19. Install the transmission assembly into the vehicle (a hydraulic floor jack is best for this). When installing the flex plate-to-converter bolts, make sure that the weld nuts on the converter are flush with the flex plate and that the converter rotates freely by hand. Coat the threads with thread locking compound, hand-start the three bolts, tighten them finger tight and torque them evenly to 35 ft. lbs. (48 Nm).
20. Support the engine and install the engine-to-transmission bolts. Torque the bolts to 40 ft. lbs. (54 Nm).
21. Connect the oil cooler lines and detent cable.
22. Slide the transmission support forward.
23. Position a transmission jack under the transmission and raise it slightly.
24. Install the transmission support-to-transmission mount bolt and transmission support-to-frame bolts, and any insulators (if used).
25. On gasoline engine vehicles, connect the catalytic converter support bracket.
26. Install the flywheel cover.
27. Connect all electrical leads to the transmission and any clips that hold these leads to the transmission case.
28. Connect the shift linkage at the transmission.
29. Connect the speedometer cable at the transmission.
30. Check to see if all under vehicle components and fasteners are properly installed and torqued.
31. Lower the vehicle safely.
32. Install the transmission oil dipstick, and the bolt holding the dipstick tube if it is accessible.
33. Connect the detent cable at its upper end.
34. Connect the negative battery cable. Recheck all procedures for completion of repair. Close the hood and remove the protectors on the fenders.
35. Install the air cleaner assembly. Refill the transmission with fluid as outlined in the "Oil Pan'' section in this chapter.
36. Start the vehicle and check operation.

The engine takes three quarts of oil with a filter change. Now, always check the oil after filling. The dipstick has two marks on it. The upper mark is "FULL HOT" and the lower mark is "FULL COLD". Do not overfill.

The transmission holds 20-24 ounces of transmission lube. It too has a dipstick on it.

The primary holds 36-42 ounces of oil. Do not overfill this either because too much oil will make your clutch seem like it's dragging. You will not be able to find neutral with the engine running.

Good luck
steve

Usually the oil tanks hold three quarts of oil and the transmission holds 20-24 ounces. Check the engine oil with the bike on the stand. The dip stick has two marks on it. The upper mark is "Full Hot" and the lower mark is "Full Cold". Maintain the oil level between these two marks. Do not overfill.

The transmission has also has a dipstick to check the level with. It's a plug that takes a 3/8" hex key to remove. Check the level with the bike standing straight up. Level should be between the end of the dipstick and the mark.

Good Luck
Steve

If we are talking about a 2004 YZ450F, you should always run the engine before taking an accurate dipstick check. This is a dry sump engine with the oil stored in the frame. The dipstick is located up high on the frame. You are not checking the oil level in the crankcase as the "Best Solution" dipstick suggested. In theory the oil is held up in thank when the engine is not running. However, most all of them have a tendency to have oil seep/leak out of the frame reservoir down into the crankcase. There is a check ball in the right crankcase cover that usually leaks if the engine has any hours on it at all. The dipstick up on the frame rarely reads accurate unless you have started the engine and let the oil pump circulate oil back up into the frame where it can be measured on the dipstick. Any mechanic who has had hands on experience knows this. The same is true for owners of dry sump XR's and Harleys, who all know to run the engine before final oil check. If you are going to to answer a tech question you need to have some experience with that model instead of your XR80.

on my 1999 vn 800 the site glass is just under the kick stand..you will need some one to hold the bike level while you look at the oil level or stand it next to a wall or something to check the level, they are the same up to the 2005 models..

dipstick isn't under oil fill cap?