Can oil go bad just sitting in the bike?

[avoidalliteration]

Hey all,

I went to check my bike today and turned the key in the ignition. The oil light went on. Granted, the bike hasn't been ridden in three weeks (and the oil was checked at the time), but I did turn on the bike and let the engine run for a few minutes just last weekend and there was no problem. There are no leaks anywhere. Is this just a false positive? Can the oil go stale or something? Thanks!

Just for reference, my bike is a 2002 Kawasaki Ninja EX250.

[sharpmagna]

Did the oil light go off after a few minutes or did it stay on constantly after turning the bike over? If it went off after a minute or two then you should be ok. The oil light on most bikes is just the oil pressure light. When you first turn on the bike, the oil light will go on but when enough pressure is built up the light goes off. If the light stays on you're not getting enough oil pressure.

How's the oil level? When was the last time the oil was changed?

[CORSCO]

Oil does breakdown if stagnant in an engine over a period of time.

[avoidalliteration]

I think I may have asked for help prematurely...I hadn't even turned over the bike yet. =) I was tired and didn't realize I hadn't actually started the bike, so the light was supposed to go on. The oil level is fine and the oil was changed maybe 1000 miles ago. Sorry for the stupid question and thanks for your help.

[sharpmagna]

I think I may have asked for help prematurely...I hadn't even turned over the bike yet. =) I was tired and didn't realize I hadn't actually started the bike, so the light was supposed to go on. The oil level is fine and the oil was changed maybe 1000 miles ago. Sorry for the stupid question and thanks for your help.

hahahahaah, yeah nothing wrong with the bike then