Oil leak?

[Andy Michael]

I think I have a gearbox oil leak there seems to be a small seepage from the r/h side where the gearbox joins the engine, only a small leak at the moment i.e not dripping out, but I am concerned. The bike is still under warrenty so no problems there but I need to use it every day for work, so is it ok to use until I get it booked into the dealers or are there other consiquences to bear in mind.
Thanks
Andy

 

[Engineer]

I think I have a gearbox oil leak there seems to be a small seepage from the r/h side where the gearbox joins the engine, only a small leak at the moment i.e not dripping out, but I am concerned. The bike is still under warrenty so no problems there but I need to use it every day for work, so is it ok to use until I get it booked into the dealers or are there other consiquences to bear in mind.
Thanks
Andy

Not an uncommon problem - happened to mine after about 6,000 miles - Apparently it is caused by the gearbox input shaft seal failing - bike has to be split in two for it to be replaced. You can probably keep riding it for a while, but if too much oil comes out it may contaminate the clutch so get it done as soon as possible.

There is another thread on here somewhere with a pic of a typical leak.

 

[Andy Michael]

Thanks Eng bikes done 12,500 miles thought I'd seen a picture somewhere but could'nt find it when I searched, was worried as I'd read stuff about clutch contamination somewhere but engine oil level is stable.
Cheers
Andy

 

[Tim Cullis]

There's a theory that the misting in this area was caused by the factory overfilling with oil in the assembly process. I had this just before heading off on a 4,000+ mile European tour and SLM drained a little oil before sending me on my way. It was booked it for when I returned and as a bonus I had a new clutch FOC as it was feared there might be some contamination.

Tim