Now I don't have a picture because you'd need a really GOOD macro lens to see this.

Everytime I go out on a ride of any distance with varied speeds ranging up to 75mph my chrome oil tank has a bead of oil leading down from the oil filler tube. We're talking about a very small amount of oil.

I've always attributed it to the oil filler cap seeping. Well it seems none of my buddies are having this problem so I looked at the gasket on the filler plug which was perfect with no visible defects.

After todays 140 mile ride the oil streak was once again on the oil tank. This time I looked real close and noticed that there was no oil on the actual filler neck. Hmmm...

I got out a real strong hand held magnifier and in the sunlight there it was. The filler neck base weld had a REALLY small crack in it. I'm sure it was when the welder stopped and pulled off of the bead. I mean this crack is TINY.

Has anyone else ever experienced this?

 

they replaced my oil tank under warranty, but it did not fix it. it was the rear lower rocker box gasket leaking and blowing back onto the oil tank. To make sure your boxes arent leaking, get a small bright pen light and really look close around the boxes. I couldnt see the leak without the pen light.

 

In my case the leak is always a line of oil running down from the filler neck in exactly the same place. If it was from my rocker boxes the oil would be randomly blown onto the oil tank and in different locations each time.

 

Makes sense. I'ts still under warranty so make em fix it.
If I remember right, that oil tank goes for over 600 bucks. unbelieveable....

 

I will occasionally see a small smear of oil at the base of the filler tube, like a drip or two ran down from the fill, now I'm going to have to see where its coming from !

 

Six Hundred Bucks, YIKES! I'm sure glad I found this before my warranty was up.

 

plane, great looking fatboy you got there. thanks for the heads up on the weld on the fill/check tube.

 

Make sure you show 'em the crack, as opposed to asking them to ride your bike at 75mph to find the problem. That's a perfect excuse for a dealer to not cover something...the need to violate the law in order for the problem to manifest itself...
Don't ask me how I know this.

 

1st time I've heard of this one. but anytime a weld is made, that could happen. On the 07's there was a recall on the tanks cause they didn't grind a weld smooth and the battery cable could rub through the insulation and gound out... I had mine fixed but I think all they did was put an extra piece of something over the weld, they didn't replace the tank...

keep us informed on this one...

 

Bikes going in Friday (2 days from now). I'm taking the bike out tomorrow and run the snot out of it to get the oil line back on the tank.

Thanks for that advice fastkevin.