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Another Victim!!

2K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  tecateman 
#1 · (Edited)
Well I thought I was in the clear with the oil leak issue since im at 16500mi and have had no probs....I was at work yesterday and i was taking out the trash and I walked past my bike and noticed some dirty grime looking substance on my left fairing under my frame slider. So I take a look and see a little oil trail running from my frame slider all the way down the side of the fairing. Wasnt too much oil on the side and under my slider and I looked and noticed the oil coming from the left side of the valve cover. Luckily the local Kawi dealer isnt even a mile away from my work so I took it over there and the service guy looked and said it was just a small seep coming from the valve cover and its covered under warranty, he wrote me up a service order and now im waiting on them to call me to confirm an appointment for drop off, after they order new valve cover gasket and other necessary parts. Also while they are in there im having the change my spark plugs and do my valve clearance inspection. Or is that a bad idea? Just wanted to let yall know. hopefully everything will run smoothly and ill have my bike back in no time. I do alot of driving and I really dont want to drive my Titan, Im sure I dont have to explain why:D

Thanks for reading;)
 
#8 ·
Well, sorry you got the oil leak, but it is expected.

The valve check/adjustment is not part of the warranty, but make sure they don't charge you full price for that (or changing plugs), as they would have to take the top off the engine to do the warranty work anyways.

Once there, checking valve clearance and changing plugs is easy.
 
#11 ·
Noticed it around 5,500.

I didn't beat on it, nor baby it either. Varied the load a lot and generally stayed of the highway for any extended stretch. I wouldn't worry too much about break in though as it doesn't involve moving parts. I'd suspect something along the lines of poor design, manufacturing defect or poor quality control.
 
#12 ·
Mine got a *very* slight glaze of an oil leak at around 4k miles, then it went away by itself for a while. It then started to reappear at around 5,500 and does not seem to be getting better or worst - just staying as a light coating around the left side header flanges and slider that is not enough to drip or collect, but leaves residue.

4/20 build date, and I broke it in like I break in my girls - hard and rough :D.
 
#13 ·
man that's wack that u had to pay for the inspection...you should've just brought it in and said i have that oil leak problem and that would've been enough cuz i didn't pay for any inspection when i took it in...at least its getting fixed...

my built date is 01/07 too...welcome to the oil leak fan club...jk
 
#14 ·
This is interesting speaking of oil leaks. I work overseas for about 3 1/5 months at a time. Last time I rode the bike I checked all fluids as I was prepping the bike and the car for me to be gone. My buddy got home a few days ago and checked on both. The bike was almost completely out of oil. I asked him if he saw any leaks he said no. He started the bike and it sounded funny, like bogging so he turned it off and it was extremely low on oil, wouldnt you guys think i'd see the oil on the ground? is anyone just losing oil out of their bikes like this. I only have 2,000 mi on it, its an 07.
 
#15 ·
my build date is 12/06, i got the leak, got it fixed, then they told me one of my front rotors is warped but they will cover it under warranty and possibly kawi will pay for after market rotors for me instead of the stocks for my warranty;)
 
#16 ·
It may be in how you run your bike as well ;)

For example if one person runs a bike 1000 miles at 12000+ rpms all the time, constantly down shifting as a brake they do twice the wear and tear as somone who runs a bike 1000 miles to work and back keeping the RPMS at a minimum and clutch shifting down to nuetral and using the hand/foot brake.

Thats why some bikes last 15,000 miles and others go to 50,000 miles.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I've got 48,000+ miles on my 636 and I don't treat it very nicely. By the way, running a high performance engine out of its powerband is a waste and is detrimental to the engine efficency. (Ex. My 636 runs hotter and gets worse gas milage at rpms below 4,000, but it runs much more efficient between 4,800 and 8,000 rpms. Granted running it near peak power will also cause it to run hotter and be more damaging as you stated) Also, engines designed with racing in mind can get gunked up, by not opening them up. (Just like how the SR-71 leaks fuel while sitting still, so that when travelling AS DESIGNED the plane can expand at speed without carcking or creating obscene pressure) This can lead to loss of compression which leads to failed seals and I think you get the picture. (http://videos.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-formula-one_143033.htm - Around 6 min marker video describes how engine and other components need to be kept under extreme conditions to work properly)

P.S. - There is a beautiful song (errr ..........sound) at the end of the video.
 
#19 ·
Yeah, so?? Not to make light of it, but many 08's are leaking, mine included, (build date 01/08), welcome to the club. :rolleyes:
 
#20 ·
mine is a 4/07 build too and i broke mine in hard. mine started leaking after about 6k miles.
 
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