Have owned Hondas since 1967, and it's always been:- before the first start of the day, put bike on centre stand on level ground, remove the stick, wipe, insert so it is just resting on the threads and then take a reading. Always kept them on the full mark, that's why it's there. Older air-cooled engines give the oil a hard time. If Honda had wanted less oil in the sump they would have put the full mark lower down. Obviously the only change to this procedure was on the likes of the CB750, which had a dry sump system, then the level in the tank was checked at the end of the day just after stopping the engine. Keep 'em well lubed, oil is cheap, engines are not!! Stay safe everyone. Mike.