Hi all - I've recently bought a TTR. Went to change the oil and was unhappy to see the level was v low (prob about 500ml) and old and black. Nothing bad on the sump plug or in the filter (filter had some silver deposits - like you see on a bike's first service). Bike seems to run ok-ish but wondered if there's any issues / longer term implictions of the bike previously running low on oil? Mileage is low. thanks
The first parts to suffer from low oil are the camshafts and their bearings (no actual bearings as such as they run in housings machined in the head).
A simple check is to take the cam cover off (make sure its clean under the tank as you don't want dirt and grit dropping in!) and check for any signs of bluing or scoring. It's worth checking the valve clearances whilst you are there as, if they need adjustment, you have to take the camshafts out which will show you the state of the bearing surfaces.
Don't panic at this stage as the TTR engine is remarkably resilient to abuse!