Hey guys. Sorry for the novice question here. I am trying to find out what is causing a few of the oil leaks on my bike. its a 2nd hand 2007 night train with just over 10k. I have two leaks that have appeared. one on the top end of the rear cylinder (1st pic) and the other one is behind the rear cylinder where the engine meets the tranny (2nd pic). The top end leak is new but the one behind the cylinder has been noticeable since the first time I rode it, but has gotten more severe since changed the oil to synthetic. I am curious as to what caused these leaks and if it is normal for a bike with 10k on it to start having these kinds of issues. I am trying to find out if this is a major concern or something to deal with. Thanks for any advice you guys have.

 

Btw I know the oil leak behind the rear cylinder is gonna take a lot more maintenance than the top end leak. I am gonna attempt to fill the pry point with gasket maker and see if that is the source.

 

Rear cylinder rocker box leak, very common. I know you said the leak in the top of the transmission was older but a lot of times that oil is the oil coming from the rocker box, it runs to the back of the cylinder and drips down. To find the leak I would clean all the oil off really well, then start the bike and let it get hot. Turn it off and come back later and see if you can find the source. If no oil is present, start the bike again for a bit or take it for a short slow ride around the block. the point is to find the source without letting the oil blow all over making finding the source hard.

 

The problem I found with trying to locate the leak is it doesn't seem to appear until I have been riding around for half an hour or so. Are leaks like these a sign of a more serious problem or are these common issues for a bike of this age and mileage?

 

Oil leaks are a sign that the two mating surfaces are not perfectly flat, and that the gasket is not sealing completely, or that the gasket was not properly installed, torqued down.
This is more of a nuisance than a problem. Usually just pulling it apart and putting a new gasket, torquing it down properly will cure it.
Depending on the place sometimes you can just re-torque the part.

 

Have you check too see if the cover bolts are loose?

 

The rocker cover leak seams much more manageable for my skill level but if there is a second leak between the engine and transmission, I might have to take it in. Thanks for your input. My big concerns were are these leaks a nuisance or are these serious issues or signs of abuse by the previous owner. I had the dealer take a look at the lower leak before I noticed the rocker leak and they said at least 700...so a problem vs nuisance is a pretty big deal for me since I spent most of my savings on the bike.

 

I had time to check the one on the corner where the leak is coming from. My plan for next week once I have time is to get the tank off and do a proper torque sequence on all of the cover bolts.

 

Try just unbolting the back tank bolt and then loosen the front a little then use a block of wood like a 2x4 to hold the tank up and out of the way first. If the mating surfaces weren't perfectly flat with each other you can torque the bolts all day long and not get anywhere. Good luck.

 

Thanks. That will save me some time. I figured making sure it was tight was a good place to start. I was reading a poll thread about sportster and about 50% of the people had rocker box cover leaks. Some of them even showed within five months of having the bike. Hopefully I'm not dealing with any type of warping.