wierd oil leak

[krism71]

Strange Oil leak on a 2006 ST1300 about 47,300 miles on it

Temperatures: highs about 80, lows about 55-60 degrees.

I park my bike in the same spot in the garage every time and there is never any oil on the garage floor.

I back my bike out approximately 20 feet in to the driveway to turn the bike around. At that point I start the bike and let it warm for a minute. That's when I noticed to that the small oil puddles in the driveway are from the bike and not my jeep.

I ride approximately 20 miles to work and park it for about 8hrs. When I come out there is no oil under the bike. I start it to warm it up and still no leaks.

Some days I will ride until 10pm and park it in the garage and leave for work at 6am, and there is never any oil in the garage.

The bike has just started doing this.

The puddle appears behind the front kickstand in front of the rear tire and towards the left side of the frame. kinda near the foot lever on the center stand.

Any thoughts/ideas??

Thanks,
Kris

 

[Blrfl]

Sounds like the area where the oil filter is. Yours might be just loose enough that it leaks when cold and expands to seal everything when it warms up.

--Mark

 

[krism71]

I will check that, but I think it's more towards the rear tire.

 

[Kevin_56]

I will check that, but I think it's more towards the rear tire.

In agreement with Mark on best guess. There is not much to leak past the center stand except the oil filter or oil pan.

 

[gmtech94]

I would bet on the oil filter either has a very small hole in it or the seal is leaking for some reason maybe loose .

 

[krism71]

Well I got a chance to look at it. I think it was the filter. I was able to give it about 1.25 turns easily with my fingers. I would have never thought of that unless I saw it actually leaking, that's why this forum is so great.
I have to check on a colder morning to make sure.

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

 

[st1300r]

Well I got a chance to look at it. I think it was the filter. I was able to give it about 1.25 turns easily with my fingers.

4:

Glad you found it before it dumped oil all over the rear wheel.
Interesting that it was THAT loose and only leaked a little.

 

[Blrfl]

I was able to give it about 1.25 turns easily with my fingers. ... I have to check on a colder morning to make sure.

You may want to re-seat the filter just to make sure everything is as it should be. Spin it off until the gasket loses contact with the mounting surface (put something underneath to catch what leaks out), spin it back down until the gasket makes contact and then crank it an additional 1/2 to 1 turn. If you know the make and model of your filter, check the manufacturer's instructions for the exact number of turns.

With the gasket properly seated, you shouldn't have any more leaks.

--Mark