A guy my wife works with got a 2007 1200 Sportster Custom/Lowered. Very clean bike! Used but in great shape at 1300 miles. He brings the bike over with a leak...he has a puddle forming under the bike in his garage. We put bike on my lift and I see the rubber clutch cable adjuster cover is wet. I pull it up and see at the lower joint of clutch cable housing adjustment has oil around it and its the cause of the dripping. It runs down the outside of the clutch cable and finds its way to the lower frame and drips where he sees it on his floor. It never makes it to the trans cover. Rest of bike is clean and no oil or residue around it.

Is there an "O-Ring" in the gearbox/trans that could have dried up where the clutch cable rests inside? Could it now be allowing the oil in the trans to pump up the cable till it wicks out at this joint? No other drips on this bike.

AND is there anywhere you check the trans oil level in the Sportster? My UC is of course different. I can't see a port or dipstick to check his trans oil.

Any help would be great!

THANKS!

 

There is an o-ring where the clutch cable meets the case. That would cause it to leak from the inside out. If it is leaking through the cable slack adjuster, that means his is too low. It should be higher than where the cable meets to case because oil will flow through the clutch line and leak out if it makes it to the adjuster. Sounds like he rerouted it poorly or has an improperly positioned adjuster. The oil in the trans/primary is only under gravity, so it can't be pressurized up the cable unless his primary vent is closed. Even then, I don't think you could get enough pressure in there to push oil up the cable.

Primary/transmission fluid level is lined up with No.5 in the below picture with the bike level and upright. You can do what most of us here do and just pour in a full quart and call it a day.

 

^^^^ yup, got to be the O ring. Happened to me, get a new one and tighten up.
With only 1300 miles chances are he switched the handlebars and changed or removed the clutch cable and didnt put back together properly.

 

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I had a somewhat similar situation but mine was caused by 2 factors. I installed a new SS clutch cable and didnt replace the oring. I leaked forever. about 3 weeks later i replaced the oring and the leak still happened so i bought clear shrink tube and encased the lower portion up to the adjusted and no more leaks. hope that helps.

 

I was looking at an "07" sportster last week at a Harley dealer, it also leaked and needed that 0 ring replaced... I wonder if that is a problem on "07" models??

The one I saw, had stock bars and cables, it had about 14K miles on it...

SR

 

My wife's 2000 883 leaks from the adjuster as well. I changed the o ring and it still leaks. The adjuster is well above the oil level on the primary. That being said, where is the primary vent? I can't find much info on it in the service manual.

 

Up on top of the case next to the starter. You'll see a hose popping out of the primary.

 

Stock bars...and stock location of cable and adjuster. No leak by the case itself.

BUT I did find the vent hose/black and the end was plugged with "mud" or some flaky dried dirt substance. I squeezed the line and tapped the end of it and it all came out.

So guess we'll see IF it continues to leak at the adjuster junction.

Thanks for all the info. Glad it's not pressurized.

So no way to check the level? There is an inspection cover has 2 bolts on the chrome trans case above and left of the diag/pic posted above with the numbers? That where you fill it? Remove the small screws - 2 - and remove the small metal inspection cover?

THANKS!

 

I had same leak ... gearbox vent was clogged by some bug which built a nest and laid eggs there.