Oil Leak 1981 GS1000L

[Jamis07]

Hello all. I am a new motorcycle rider and owner. I have owned my bike for a week and a half and am very excited about my new endeavor. With that said, I have a oil leak. I know the person I bought it from and he says that it is new. I accidental rode it on the highway doing about 65 in 4th gear for about 10 minutes. It's my fear that I might had pushed it too hard and blown the gasket. The oil appears to be coming from in between the two center exhaust pipes on the front of the engine. Just below the tach cable. It drips a little bit right after I ride it, but not after that. It's enough of a leak that after riding on the highway for 25 minutes, my right pant leg had splatter marks. Is there a way to help diagnose my issue or confirm my suspicions? The darker area in the picture is where I think it's leaking from.

[Nessism]

Clean the engine with gunk engine spray (or similar), let dry, start engine and watch for source of leak.:shock: Fix leak. Crack a beer and celebrate a job well done!

[Steve]

Based on what I see in the picture, that leak is NOT new. :shock:

Just look at the crud that is built up between the fins that has gravel stuck to it.


.

[SqDancerLynn1]

You can run it 65 mph in 4th all day, wont hurt the motor. Wash it off good & spray with foot powder. Look for the leak - could be the cam cover gasket leaking & also common for the tack cable seal in the adapter to leak

[chef1366]

I'd check the cam chain tensioner. The oil blows through the cylinders.

[Suzuki mad]

I'm with Chef on that one. Its too high for a cylinder head gasket but it may be where the rocker box gasket has been installed wrong and has started to leak.

Clean it off and put some talc over the engine and see where the leak is coming from.

Suzuki mad.

[Jamis07]

Thank you all for taking the time to help a rookie. The common theme is clean it, talc it up, and watch. I think cracking a beer will definitely help.

I've done a little research on the tach cable, but are any of the other gaskets very difficult to work on or should I get a mechanic involved?

[chef1366]

Get a manual and we will help. Don't take it to a mechanic unless you've exhausted all possible means.

[Suzuki mad]

If you take it to a mechanic most of the modern day boys will muck you around and tell you its too hard to fix or charge the earth to mess it up even more!

From experience there's more than a wealth of knowledge on this forum and if your near to others, somebody may even come over and give a hand.

Suzuki mad

[Jamis07]

As I expected, it is coming from that spot in between the two center exhaust pipes. You can see it the photo in my original posting. (It's the darker brown spot.) I do have the original owners manual. It looks like there is a bolt there, could it be as simple as tightening that or is there a gasket or something in there?

[chef1366]

You can try and retourque the head gasket. Loosen all the head bolts and then tighten them to spec. Follow the bolt sequence in your manual. If that doesn't work you need to replace the head gasket.

[Jamis07]

The only thing I can find in the manual about that, is to tighten the bolts at certain intervals, but nothing about the order or specs. Will it matter that greatly... the order? Also, is changing the head gasket difficult on one of these? I know it's different than a car, but.... I am mechanically enclined, but I am not a mechanic. Would I need to take the engine out to change the head gasket?

[chef1366]

You don't have to remove the engine but you should replace the base gasket also. Here is a little something I did with my bike.

[Jamis07]

Nice job and very impressive. More than I'd be ready to take on. At this point, I just want to get my bike back on the road and ride it! I have someone who will do the work with me. Thank you very much for your help and insight!!