Oil under bike!

Frank Bullitt

Frank Bullitt

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Just got my R18 classic on Tuesday with 850kms.

Just parked and there is oil under it, it’s clear oil and not very warm. It’s under the mid point of the bike behind the main part of the engine. I don’t think it’s engine oil but surely a bike this new shouldn’t have a leak! It’s like a palm size of oil.

Any ideas what it might be and should I get towed home?
 
Frank Bullitt said:
Just got my R18 classic on Tuesday with 850kms.

Just parked and there is oil under it, it’s clear oil and not very warm. It’s under the mid point of the bike behind the main part of the engine. I don’t think it’s engine oil but surely a bike this new shouldn’t have a leak! It’s like a palm size of oil.

Any ideas what it might be and should I get towed home?
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Clear oil? Are you sure it's oil?
 
Have you had a service done recently?
A little oil can look like a boat load.When I had my 1st service I had oil leaking on the right head cover.
I took off the cover and there was some oil in the threaded area where the oil fill plug is located.I took a paper towel and flat screw driver to wick all the oil away.
Problem solved.
Now I change the oil myself.
 
From a little searching it looks like it’s the clutch slave valve?

The bike had its full break in service before I got it, any chance it was just over filled a tad?
 
Overfilling a transmission on an R1200 bike will result in oil puking out on the top of the tranny. I learned to never fill the tranny while on the side stand.
 
R12C-R18TR said:
Overfilling a transmission on an R1200 bike will result in oil puking out on the top of the tranny. I learned to never fill the tranny while on the side stand.
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So there is a valve at the top of the tranny? Did you notice any other issues other than a leak?

Found a picture on the forum that pointed to the area of the valve, which is where my leak is originating from.
 

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Here are the pics of mine.
 

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I'm still learning the R18 and can't give reliable advice yet. I did all of my wrenching on the R1200 beginning in 2008 and felt like I could handle just about anything on that bike (maybe not the clutch plate swap). Splitting the frame on an R1200 is a pain.
 
Smell the oil. Tranny oil has a distinct odor unlike engine oil. Some say it smells like tom-cat pee.
 
Frank Bullitt said:
Looks like it’s coming from the top of block at the back, just above the transmission it seems.

Is the breather value at the top?
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Frank Bullitt said:
Did you ever get it checked?
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Frank Bullitt said:
It’s 100% not motor oil anyway. It’s got more of a nasty smell for sure, and it does sound like it’s from the breather valve
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Well gear oil in general stinks. Perhaps they overfilled it...It doesn't look like allot. You could clean those spots and see if they return...You could also just contact a dealer with those pics and see what they think.
 
This reminds me of a trip I took a while back to see a beautiful R1150GS that was for sale about an hour away.
The seller had already backed the bike out of the garage and had gone over it before my arrival.
After introductions, we walked up to the bike --he stopped, took a gasp, and said "UHOH!" Leaning down, he stuck his fingers in a puddle under the bike. Up to his nose the fingers went, and then slowly onto his tongue for a taste. His eyes lit up as he spun around and yelled "CINDY!!!" Cindy was his Golden Retriever.
 
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