You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, at no cost, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, join HDForums.com community today!
1st my wife's 06 low rider and now my new to me 07 Ultra. Oil leaks!!! I thought Harley's were no longer leakers of oil!
When I bought the low rider I didn't buy any warranty and then several dollars later after fixing the shift shaft seal and break switch I said I wouldn't do that again. I just bought an 07 Ultra (8900 miles) and in the garage today was a puddle of oil underneath it.
What gives, I am real disappointed in Harley quality. Back in 1996 I bought a 1984 Honda V45 Magna and never had an oil leak. In fact, I have never had an oil leak on a motorcycle except for these two HDs. If I am going to chase oil leaks for the all of eternity then I might be switching to VTX's and a Goldwing.
TM
Don't waste another minute make the trade,when you become hypersensertive,anything wrong is not good for the ticker.Non of my Harleys have leaked oil since the 70's.I must be one of the lucky ones. Good Luck
This ad is not displayed to registered and logged-in members. Register your free account today and become a member on HD Forums!
1st my wife's 06 low rider and now my new to me 07 Ultra. Oil leaks!!! I thought Harley's were no longer leakers of oil!
When I bought the low rider I didn't buy any warranty and then several dollars later after fixing the shift shaft seal and break switch I said I wouldn't do that again. I just bought an 07 Ultra (8900 miles) and in the garage today was a puddle of oil underneath it.
What gives, I am real disappointed in Harley quality. Back in 1996 I bought a 1984 Honda V45 Magna and never had an oil leak. In fact, I have never had an oil leak on a motorcycle except for these two HDs. If I am going to chase oil leaks for the all of eternity then I might be switching to VTX's and a Goldwing.
TM
My '07 RKC is leaking from the inner primary and around the mainshaft seal on the tranny. Don't worry about it. It's normal for a Harley to leak. If it bothers you, get it fixed.
__________________
Mater tua criceta fuit, et pater tuo redoluit bacarum sambucus.
A little bit of venting of frustration and yes, the real trolls come out. I just worry since I have only owned HD's for a year and have had two different bikes leak oil very soon after I acquired them.
I good point was made, don't know the history on them since they were used. The Low Rider leaked around the shifter at 6800 miles. I bought it with 6100 miles on it and it stays in the garage when not ridden.
My Ultra I have owned for two weeks and have put about 10 miles on it. It has rained constantly since I bought the bike so no time to ride it. Went to get it out yesterday and discovered the leak. Haven't been under it in detail, but initial inspection looks like something around the transmission area leaking.
Both bikes were serviced by the dealer with HD fluid changes prior to me acquiring them. All I can say is, I haven't used either of these enough for me to hurt them.
I bought 1 year of warranty on the Ultra so at least it won't cost me anything to get it fixed.
I just wanted to know if oil leaks were still common with HDs or if I am just "lucky" enough to get two leaky bikes. I want to be a long term owner of these bikes and I don't want bikes that will be in and out of the shop all the time for ridiculous stuff like oil leaks.
For those whose Troll radar is going off, please don't reply, this thread isn't for you and you need to get your radar re-calibrated. I can't help it that it is a fact of the 6 other metric street bikes I have ever owned I have never had an oil leak or any quality issues with them. And yes, I bought them all used and owned them for years. I am not trying to put HD down, but it is a comparison of facts.
Thanks for those who have responded on topic.
__________________
TM
----------------------
You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
Dr. Adrian Rogers,1931 - 2005
Last edited by tully_mars; 09-17-2009 at 09:04 AM.
I think a lot of the seal leaks depends on your road and riding conditions and mileage,,, the area where the majority of leaks on modern day Harleys will be the rocker box covers and the area where the drive sprocket is located, you have the main drive shaft seal, shifter pawl seal, then the jack shaft seal and inner primary main shaft seal,, these are subject to road grime, grit, sand, dirt, rain water etc.,,,,, also the type of oil makes a difference,,, most folks run synthetic now days,,, it keeps the seal areas cleaner and on an older motor if you start using synthetic when you have only used dino,,, it can create leaks from the seal cleaning action, it's not recommended to put synthetic in old motors unless rebuilt and new seals.
The only leaks mine has ever shown (02 SE RK) is the rocker boxes, there is a trick you can do that will stop them from leaking (most of the time) until you can pull the covers if you ever need to,,,,,, when I pulled my tranny down recently I could see where some oil seepage was incurring on the shifter pawl seal and the main drive shaft seal,,, so I'm not sure how long the seepage had been going on (17K miles) or if they would have started leaking bad,,, I'm replacing all of them with new seals while l'm at it,,, actually the seals are quite cheap and if one has some mechanical skills and a shop manual they can be replaced fairly cheaply.
Also a brand new seal can leak if not installed properly or not lubricated during the installation,,, also the parts going trough it need to be checked for burrs sharp edges etc. seen many jobs where the seals were replaced and they started leaking pretty soon because of a nick or slight tear when installed improperly.
Mars since you have not owned that bike very long I'd at the least talk to the dealer/service dept, and see if what the service history on that bike is and at the very least ask if they can help out some here on labor/parts since you just bought the bike and it wasn't leaking at that time,,, a puddle is a lot of oil overnight.
then go get yr handa, if thats what you want. honestly if you don't feel what i feel when you get on yr bike then there is no reason for you to own one.
if yr not willing to learn to work on a bike yrself i don't see the reason in owning one in the first place, that is half the fun.......ok maybe a third of the fun
My 08 leftover nightster had a nasty leak at 12 miles from the CPS. I brought it in and 1 new O-ring later i was on my way. I wasnt suprised at all as any new vehicle is likely to have some sort of issue due to assembly. Quality control wont catch everything. If i had to fight with the dealer to warrenty the repair or to perform it properly, then I would have a problem.
my RK had a tranny seal leak at about 10000 miles ( well that's when the oil started dripping anyway). cost $350 to fix. Wasn't happy about it but I like the bike so I put up with the small sh!t. 7000 miles later, so far so good. I think the seals Harley uses are pretty crappy. read on this forum that they are a single lip seal as opposed to a double lip. Double lip has better sealing power but is probably more expensive so there you go. All makes of bikes have problems. If your not happy, get rid of them. The world will still turn.
__________________
06 road king police...built for comfort
Last edited by carpetride; 09-17-2009 at 09:55 AM.
Does the L/R have forward controls or still with the mid controls? You mentioned both were serviced by the dealer, on the 07 is the transmission oil over serviced and is it puking out the vent tube, dribbling over to the frame and to the ground?
A little bit of venting of frustration and yes, the real trolls come out. I just worry since I have only owned HD's for a year and have had two different bikes leak oil very soon after I acquired them.
I good point was made, don't know the history on them since they were used. The Low Rider leaked around the shifter at 6800 miles. I bought it with 6100 miles on it and it stays in the garage when not ridden.
My Ultra I have owned for two weeks and have put about 10 miles on it. It has rained constantly since I bought the bike so no time to ride it. Went to get it out yesterday and discovered the leak. Haven't been under it in detail, but initial inspection looks like something around the transmission area leaking.
Both bikes were serviced by the dealer with HD fluid changes prior to me acquiring them. All I can say is, I haven't used either of these enough for me to hurt them.
I bought 1 year of warranty on the Ultra so at least it won't cost me anything to get it fixed.
I just wanted to know if oil leaks were still common with HDs or if I am just "lucky" enough to get two leaky bikes. I want to be a long term owner of these bikes and I don't want bikes that will be in and out of the shop all the time for ridiculous stuff like oil leaks.
For those whose Troll radar is going off, please don't reply, this thread isn't for you and you need to get your radar re-calibrated. I can't help it that it is a fact of the 6 other metric street bikes I have ever owned I have never had an oil leak or any quality issues with them. And yes, I bought them all used and owned them for years. I am not trying to put HD down, but it is a comparison of facts.
Thanks for those who have responded on topic.
I'm only going to address the Ultra, because the leak on the Low Rider has already been fixed. Hey, seals are seals and sometimes they leak. Nature of the beast.
Okay, so you bought a bike from a dealer, used, and you've put 10 miles on it. You also stated that they did an oil change prior to you picking it up and that the leak appears to be around the tranny. It's coming from the puke tube. Whoever serviced your bike over serviced the tranny, plain and simple. After you put those 10 miles on the bike and it started to cool in your garage, a little oil puked out. It happens. Happened to my father-in-law at Daytona during Bike Week at the Ocean Center. He had just had a dealer performed oil change as well.
Relax, nothing is wrong with your bike. Get some Q/D Cleaner and some rags. Clean around the tranny with the rags and then spray the whole thing down with the Q/D Cleaner to run off the oil you can't get to. After that is done, ride the Ultra until the tranny gets warm, come home and check your tranny fluid level. It will most likely be on the high side of full.
Next, do your own maintenance from here on out and you'll love your Ultra and the wife's Low Rider.
__________________
Life is out to kill you, watch your back!
2009 Fat Bob
“If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough”
-Albert Einstein
I think a lot of the seal leaks depends on your road and riding conditions and mileage,,, the area where the majority of leaks on modern day Harleys will be the rocker box covers and the area where the drive sprocket is located, you have the main drive shaft seal, shifter pawl seal, then the jack shaft seal and inner primary main shaft seal,, these are subject to road grime, grit, sand, dirt, rain water etc.,,,,, also the type of oil makes a difference,,, most folks run synthetic now days,,, it keeps the seal areas cleaner and on an older motor if you start using synthetic when you have only used dino,,, it can create leaks from the seal cleaning action, it's not recommended to put synthetic in old motors unless rebuilt and new seals.
The only leaks mine has ever shown (02 SE RK) is the rocker boxes, there is a trick you can do that will stop them from leaking (most of the time) until you can pull the covers if you ever need to,,,,,, when I pulled my tranny down recently I could see where some oil seepage was incurring on the shifter pawl seal and the main drive shaft seal,,, so I'm not sure how long the seepage had been going on (17K miles) or if they would have started leaking bad,,, I'm replacing all of them with new seals while l'm at it,,, actually the seals are quite cheap and if one has some mechanical skills and a shop manual they can be replaced fairly cheaply.
Also a brand new seal can leak if not installed properly or not lubricated during the installation,,, also the parts going trough it need to be checked for burrs sharp edges etc. seen many jobs where the seals were replaced and they started leaking pretty soon because of a nick or slight tear when installed improperly.
Mars since you have not owned that bike very long I'd at the least talk to the dealer/service dept, and see if what the service history on that bike is and at the very least ask if they can help out some here on labor/parts since you just bought the bike and it wasn't leaking at that time,,, a puddle is a lot of oil overnight.
Yep, that's where my '07 is leaking from. I'm neither surprised nor pissed off that it leaks. They are what they are.
__________________
Mater tua criceta fuit, et pater tuo redoluit bacarum sambucus.
