How did the water get into my R80 gearbox oil ?

[Sibbo]

I just drained the oil on my R80 ST .There was slightly too much oil in the gearbox and it was milky , not badly so but enough to show it has water in it ...but still oil ! I'd say maybe 20ml ( an ounce ?) of water mixed in to the 800ml of gearbox oil .

I'm replacing the oil of course but how did the water get in ? Are there any obvious pathways ?

We have a very humid climate here ...could that contribute ? I haven't changed the gearbox oil before as I've only had here 6 months .

[SteveD]

They all do that sir, under certain circumstances..follow the speedo cable to the gearbox end, where the trans breather bolt is.

The rubber boot over the end of the cable may be perished, and that is the usual point of entry of water to the trans.

New boot, heat shrink over the top of it and some grease under it should see a safer setup.

[Sibbo]

Thanks Steve ,I'm new to airheads ...my old Enfield had an entirely different set of problems !

I'll chase that cable and seal it .

[Deleted User 62]

Do you ever use a pressure washer to clean your bike, water can enter the transmission through the hollow bolt that anchors the ground cable.

[Garnet]

You have found water in a couple of places it shouldn't be, so I'd listen to Tim on this one. A presure washer and an airhead have no buisness in the same garage.

[barndeadr80]

Back in the day, my '85 would get hot and bubble nasty stuff out around the shifter seal. Milky gear lube and water stink on a hot exhaust. During the recent resurrection a new shifter seal went in. Instead of the old style ones like I had, the new one was made like it knew what to do to keep the lube in. No more leak. I'm hoping that the water was going in that way. Guess I should check.
crap

[Sibbo]

Do you ever use a pressure washer to clean your bike, water can enter the transmission through the hollow bolt that anchors the ground cable.

No ,never but I don't know about the PO .

[Garnet]

No ,never but I don't know about the PO .

Was your bike realy clean when you bought it??????

[Sibbo]

Clean ,but not overwhelmingly so .I'll check the boot over the speedo cable tomorrow .I rode in a bit of EXTREMELY heavy rain earlier this year ... it would have got in anywhere possible !

[Duane Ausherman]

After a ride in serious rain, I would suggest doing several things. I would grease the swing arm bearings. Remove the wheels and give the bearing stacks a few shots of clean grease. Look carefully for water drops coming out with the old dirty grease.

To bad that we can't add clean grease to the steering bearings easily.

I would remove the fill plugs from the transmission and final drive after a ride long enough to get it to full warmth. Look for a frothy oil, as that is water.