After riding a few hundred miles through some local mountains I removed my seat to check my oil. The friend I had been riding with came over the next day, saw my seat off & asked what was wrong with my bike. When I said "nothing, just checking the oil" he said "what a bad design! I bet most Nortons run out of oil and break before most owners go through so much trouble to get to the dip stick" I just had to laugh, this from a guy who owns a bike that has to go to a dealer for valve jobs or anything twice a year and that alone costs more than I paid for my bike! Funny, he can't even check the oil level on his bike without me holding it up, because of the cataletic converter no center stand can be fitted & if on the side stand the oil in the sight glass can't be seen. He is an engineer so it's not his fault he over thinks things & can't see the simpicity in a seat the comes off with no tools in 3 seconds & gives access to the oil tanustINov think it's a elegant system, keeps the lines of the bike clean with the oil tank covered & out of sight. Just thought you guys ( and girls) would get a laugh out of this.