I looked in the manual and nothing states how to properly check the level. It only mentions an oil plug (bolt) on the side of the case.

What I think you do is:

1) Oddy on level ground
2) Remove oil plug (bolt)
3) if nothing drips out, then fill till it does?

Going by memory on the FL250 your assuming correct you remove the check bolt and fill until it runs out.

Their is no drain bolt on the 250 trans to drain you remove the trans and split the cases let it drain, I think the idea behind this engineering was to force you to inspect and change the chain in the case rather than change the oil and keep running the bad chain.

Their is a procedure for checking chain stretch too.

chain breaks usually takes out both cases.

Thanks hoser. Will make sure I check this oil level before running it next week.

I pulled the plug expecting nothing to come out and it just started gushing out. I put the plug back in and am wondering is there too much oil in there or...?

drain it all out then tip it on it's side and drain the rest. Fill with new oil.

The question is: Is there currently too much oil in the case? According to the Manual it's .5 liters which is .52 Quarts US. Only 1/2 a quart in the whole case? Is this right?

there isn't much oil in the case at all, when it stops coming out the check bolt that's it, but it is a good idea to check chain wear before running it, you can do this by turning one wheel and measuring how far it turns before the driven pulley starts to move, i think 4 1/4" is the limit from memory

Say you had a brand new reduction unit or trans as some people call them. You would take out the bolt on the side of the unit. Fill with oil until it runs out the hole on the side of the unit. Put bolt and cap back in and be done.

Depends on the weight of the oil, I have always run 20/50 in our cases usually all the way to the bottom of the fill plug threads!

Never had a case, chain or bearing fail and they always looked like new inside when split to replace stretched chains.

Hey, I see your from San Diego (me too - East County). Where do you ride?

North Escondido, Ocotillo Wells area

Cool, I wonder if that's where my neighbor goes. Since I am new to Off Road, is there a specific season to go? Especially since it's now getting warmer towards the desert. I am almost in Lakeside off the 8, so my route would be 8 eastbound.

You should try the Ocotillo/Superstition area right off I-8.

Season typically runs from Halloween to Easter with the occasional early or late trip (weather permitting). This time of year we usually ride around our own property or make the rare night trips and ride from midnight to 6am in the desert (even now the night time temps sometimes stay above 80-90 so check the weather.

I also heard that summer is not good time to head into the desert for atv'ing.

Does anyone know what happens if you fill the case right up? Like to where you can see the oil?

I would think that it would cause seals to fail as there is no air space. I would let it drain with the side plug off so it has the correct amount of fluid in there.