Leaky rear end...
Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 7:38 pm
Hey y'all,
I was lucky enough to get a few days off last week. The weather looked promising so I took a quick spin over to South Australia. I covered an easy 1800ks over three (relatively serious) riding days.
It all went very well, especially the day spent winding 'round the Great Ocean Road... Sure it was a little warm (~mid 30s C), which can be a bit uncomfortable behind the RS fairing, but such is the current climate...
The only bike-related issues were:
1. A front puncture. No drama, really. I noticed it while at a service station after a lunch break. I had it patched by a local (auto) tyre shop and was underway again in less than an hour... (I have a question about this puncturing issue but I'll raise it in another thread).
And, more to the point of this thread:
2. A leaky final drive.

This pic was taken after the trip so shows how bad it got (ie not too bad). It doesn't actually drip (when the bike is stationary). It's just sort of (heavy) misting/dribbling (if you know what I mean), coming from the axle hole. I thought the FD may have been overfilled, but on inspection I discovered the oil was approx 10mm below the threads of the filler plug hole. The (FD) oil is fresh Castrol 75/140 synth. By the look of the rear wheel this 'leaking' has been happening for some time (I am only a recent owner of this machine).
A couple of questions:
1. I'm guessing the internal seal is at fault so I should order a rebuild kit and plan on a day's action in my shop?
2. (As I'm planning to do some riding before the above mentioned diff job) I should top up the oil in the diff in the meanwhile (ie to the bottom of the threads)?
3. Is there anything I'm missing or should be aware of before tackling this little jobbie?
TIA
pete
I was lucky enough to get a few days off last week. The weather looked promising so I took a quick spin over to South Australia. I covered an easy 1800ks over three (relatively serious) riding days.

It all went very well, especially the day spent winding 'round the Great Ocean Road... Sure it was a little warm (~mid 30s C), which can be a bit uncomfortable behind the RS fairing, but such is the current climate...

The only bike-related issues were:
1. A front puncture. No drama, really. I noticed it while at a service station after a lunch break. I had it patched by a local (auto) tyre shop and was underway again in less than an hour... (I have a question about this puncturing issue but I'll raise it in another thread).
And, more to the point of this thread:
2. A leaky final drive.

This pic was taken after the trip so shows how bad it got (ie not too bad). It doesn't actually drip (when the bike is stationary). It's just sort of (heavy) misting/dribbling (if you know what I mean), coming from the axle hole. I thought the FD may have been overfilled, but on inspection I discovered the oil was approx 10mm below the threads of the filler plug hole. The (FD) oil is fresh Castrol 75/140 synth. By the look of the rear wheel this 'leaking' has been happening for some time (I am only a recent owner of this machine).
A couple of questions:
1. I'm guessing the internal seal is at fault so I should order a rebuild kit and plan on a day's action in my shop?
2. (As I'm planning to do some riding before the above mentioned diff job) I should top up the oil in the diff in the meanwhile (ie to the bottom of the threads)?
3. Is there anything I'm missing or should be aware of before tackling this little jobbie?
TIA
pete