Ok, so if I park the bike after a run, there is a small line of oil under the bike under the oil pan. There is oil coming off the oil plug, but the plug is tight. I haven't taken the side panels off yet but was wondering where you guys suggest I look. Is there ANY history of gasket leaks on our bike? I'm thinking it's the filter a tad loose. The oil goes above the oil plug so it's not the crush washer.

Not that I'm aware of. Your idea of the filter being the culprit makes the most sense at this point.

Hi, I would see if you could turn the filter any tighter with your hand. If you can move it all it, thats most likely the problem .

I'll hit it tonight and let you know. Otherwise I'm scared shitless. So much that I didn't even want to go out and look. If I have to replace a seal I've got big problems a) It's a honda...can you even by gaskets? Will they laugh? B) My repair manual is 2 pages. The cover and a page that says "You bought a Honda, idiot. Nothing breaks".

You did drive the bike...
If it is a oil filter that was leaking, it would've coted the front wheel, motor and rear wheel with oil. The oil pressure is very high, and it will blow a stream past the filter.

I don't think it is the oil filter, even if the o-ring on the filter is not sealing properly, it will still look like a waterfall when the motor is running.

I'd start with trying to find the oil leak, elsewhere.

Yes, definitely. You're going to want to start looking for a nice, complicated hard to repair problem before checking the oil filter, which is directly above where the oil has shown up and will take about two minutes to check.

You can always check the oil filter after you've spent an hour or two investigating more complicated theories.


There's a fitting going into the block right next to the oil filter, also right above the drain plug. Once you're done looking into the oil cooler, valve cover gasket, PAIR system and all that, maybe take a peek at that as well.


After you've eliminated every other possiblity, check the filter.

+10 on the oil filter. You may have double-gasketed it from a previous change (I did once), or it may just be loose (a loose one or one with some crap on the gasket will trickle, but not be a high-pressure stream). It may also be time for a new oil plug crush washer.

Check the simple things first.

Pull the cylinder head. You've obviously got big problems.

FYI, it will probably be easier to find the leak once the engine is out. :wink:

Wasn't on the XX but I had another bike that just had dirt between the filter gasket and the bike. Would be worth a check if your pulling the fliter....

Its screwed !!
sell the motor to me for 5 bucks so i can put it on my snow blower :lol:

I wanna know how your get oil from the oil filter to the front tire while riding it. :lol:

Don't know about you but I am normally going pretty damn fast (never more than 5 over) and the oil would have to shoot up and go forward and basically break many laws of phsyics to get past the lower cowl and radiator to get to my front wheel..



Fuck it sell it and buy a harley.. seeing oil will be normal :lol:

Me, too :oops:

The results were a lot worse than a drip in my case.

In my case it was 'hit the button, I'll be down here checking for leaks. FUCK FUCK TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!'

Mine held fine for a warmup and check in the garage, shut it down, put the body work back on, warm it up again, head on down the street- first turn the rear steps waaay out, I look in the mirror to see what the hell that was about and see a huge cloud of smoke.

Shut her down, coast onto the shoulder and find oil fucking everywhere rear of the filter (but there was none on the front wheel).

I was totally freaked because I had just finished re-assembly after all the powder coating, figured I fucked something up big time. When I figured out what a simple dipshit mistake I had made after pretty much disassembling the entire bike I was more embarrassed than anything else. Still had three quarts in it when I got it home in the truck, but one quart of oil goes a long way toward covering a motorcycle (and my leg). There's still oil in the foam backing on the left panel from that little fuckup.

I am so anal about my bike. I will spin off the old filter and plug and let my bike drain, I will take a shop rag and wipe the excess oil off the surface area for the filter and wipe off my oil pan in the front to keep everything clean.. :?

I bet my wife wished I would wipe her clean after over filling her in bed :lol:

I had a very similar experience to Redbird where shortly after performing my first oil change I went around a slow turn and the rear end slid around like it was on ice and had a sweet Dukes of Hazzard smoke screen from the oil spewing on the headers.

After pulling the plastics on the side of the road, I couldn't find anything wrong (filter was cool, new drain plug & crush washer). Oil was everywhere on the front, bottom and rear of the bike (and my left shoe & shin) but not on the front tire. The stealer from whom I purchased the bike did not properly tighten the clamp that holds the oil cooler lines in place above the radiator and when under load, an oil cooler line separated from the oil cooler. It then sprayed a nice thin mist of oil in the upper which pooled up. When I leaned it over (scraping pegs at 10 mph...) the "pool" of oil drained directly on the header and ground causing the Dukes of Hazzard smoke screen and sweet fishtail.

Moral of the story, check the small clamps on the lines running in and out of the oil cooler. They are small plastic clamps which look pretty flimsy to me. But what do I know, I just make airplane parts...

Have you changed the CCT? Had the same type leak as you describe and I just had to tighten the CCT bolts. It was running all the way down and off the drain plug.

As mentioned here by quite a lot of people, If you drive the bike with a faulty or leaking oil filter or seal you will notice it right away! - Redbird you even said that you noticed the same thing ....

So now why the nice comments with regards to checking the oil filter???

I must say that I have never come accross a loose oil filter or a piched o-ring that caused a drip - this has always caused a serious oil spill.

So if it is the oil filter, I apologize. This is definitely a first for me. Like I said the oil is under a lot of pressure, and this is why it looks like a waterfall even if there is only a small little problem with the filter or o-ring.

Have come accross a small oil leak - line on a GL, where the head gasket was damaged - due to customer not listening after a motor rebuild.

Quite a lot of people? Two guys (I'm one of them) discuss double gasketing the filter and the subsequent flood of oil. I don't think his filter is double gasketed, for obvious reasons. Doesn't mean it's not leaking. Could be a small flaw in the gasket, whatever, it needs checking as part of the process.


The "nice" comments were just my sarcastic, smart ass way of saying it's stupid not to eliminate the simple, easy to check things first. It may not be the filter, but for the two minutes it takes to check it, why would you tell him to look elsewhere first? And where should he be looking?

Ok, so to make everyone happy I've decided to rebuild the engine and tighten the a) oilfilter B) change the crush washer c) make sure the cheap little do-dads are tight on the oil cooler. However, I will be wise and start with abc before getting to the actual engine :]

Thanks guys! I never would have thought of the oil cooler clamps or the cct bolts I think. If I can't actually find the leak, what is the best way of tracing that fine oil film? I was thinking washing the engine then running it until it's warm (hence starting the leak) and then blowing a little fine flour on it. Then blow the flour off and hope it sticks to the oil trace lines. What do you think? Good idea?

Obviously it's winter here and hence this isn't a time issue.

oil is heavier than air so it will flow down.

If its just seeping by a gasket just follow it up till it stop and look around..

How's this for funny-

This morning I notice a nice pool of oil under where my truck is usually parked. I take a look underneath, it's dripping off the filter. Turn and a half out, by hand.

Fucking Jiffy-Lube. :x

I worked at the Wal-Mart tire & lube express while I was in grad school. You would not believe the shit that goes on there. I would never dream of taking my or anyone I care about's car to any lube-stop place.

Oh and foreigners are touchy. Be careful.