Q. My oil light went on for few seconds when I started my bike this morning...

A. The oil indicator light on the Virago is not an oil pressure light, but rather an oil level indicator. It is basically just a float that indicates the level of oil in the engine. The float is in the right side of the engine, and when it's on the side-stand, the oil flows away from the float and the indicator may light, especially after the bike has been sitting over night. The light may also come on when going up hills and when going around left hand curves, as the same flow of oil away from the float happens at those times.

Borrowed from Mac Mc Curdy's Dr. Piston web site, Short Takes (#2): "As for the oil light, it is turned on by a sender which resides in the bottom of your engine at a point below your oil filter cover, and under a little cover of its own.  The switch is actually a little float which goes up and down in a tube.  When the float goes low, a contact is made and the light goes on. The tube has little holes in it so that it fills, and unfills, slowly.  This is to avoid the float bobbing up and down every time you lean the bike on a corner or hit a bump.  For reasons I can't fully explain, the float sometimes gets sticky and stays too low, or the tube fails to fill, and the light turns on when fact you have plenty of oil in the bike.

Possible things to do if you have this problem:  1. Change your oil.  Fresh oil may unstick things. 2. keep your oil level high in the level window.  A low oil level will contribute to the problem.  3. If all else fails, replace the sending unit."

Continuing: ...I immediately shut it off and tried to look through the sight glass. I couldn't tell if any oil was showing or not.

A. You must remember that the Virago MUST be on the center stand to check the oil level in the engine through the sight glass. If the bike is on the side stand, the oil will completely cover the glass and the level will not be able to be seen.