My Joy is Short Lived

My brother came by yesterday afternoon and helped me mount the engine. Today I finished up connecting all the other bits and pieces. It took hardly anything to start it up and it ran flawlessly, even starting easily with the electric start, which I have not been able to do in at least a year and a half. I was pretty excited—but the joy was short-lived.

Oh crap!

This is pretty discouraging. I need a little break from working on this bike before going back at it. I thought, though, I should at least take a close look and see if I can figure out where the oil is coming from. The area around the right plug is wet with oil. I figure the oil that was running down off the front of the head was flowing over the fins and down in front. So, I looked up above the plug. Yep, that's a drip circled there.

OK, I don't want to panic here, at least until it is warranted. I am hoping this is simply leaking from behind the right cam case side cover and not the cam case gasket. I am hoping I can just pull the alternator cover, then turn the crankshaft until all the valves are closed (pressure off the cam), take out the tensioner in back, then pull this side cover. I have some heavier gasket material here I can cut and make a new gasket for back there. I will have to pull the tank so I can redo the valves, but I won't have to drain the new oil and pull the motor. I just pray it is only the side cover and not the cam case. I don't want to pull this motor again. Sigh........

Road Dog, one discouraged grease monkey

"Ride Your Own Ride"