Whats with the oil I'm seeing??

[Supersteve]

Hi , I really hope someone can offer some assistance with regards to the oil I spotted yesterday.
Obviously I'm concerned as I'm sure this stuff should be inside the engine.
Here are some pics I snapped with my phone:












Ok so here's what happened, I noticed a small oil drop on the floor, light in colour. I lay on my back and looked under the bike and saw there was some "mist" below the airbox and a little bit of oil at the back behind the shock, I traced the oil line up to the gap between the airbox and where the shaft enters the bike, now what concerns me is some have said its what happens when you overfill the oil and others have warned me to throw the bike off a bridge before I get the bill for repairs. I hope its the former, I overfilled the oil a few months ago and realised my fault almost immediately and took her to the dealer to do an oil change, since then its a 100ml top up every now and then. The oil level is now sitting about 1-2mm below the middle of the glass so I didn't lose alot of oil, but I'm bothered since the "leak" is right there where the shaft starts.
Has anyone had this and what is the likely solution besides a small personal loan?

[AZ-Twin]

Could it be gear oil from the seal behind the clutch slave cylinder? I had oil on the back of my transmission from that, however you have much more than I did. Gear oil has a very distinct smell, you should be able to tell by smell if it is gear oil or not.

Here is my thread, hope this helps.

R1200S transmission oil leak


And here is what my oil mess looked like.

[Supersteve]

That was an excellent write up! I'm not terribly gifted with tools so I'll need to be at the mercy of my dealer this time around, from the sounds of it, it seems like its pretty rare, hopefully an affordable fix. Is there something specific that causes this? I have just shy of 17000km on now. Thanks again.

[AZ-Twin]

Thanks for the kind words, you might have a different issue.

Is there oil in your air box?

Can you ID the fluid by taste or smell and determine if it is engine oil, gear oil, clutch fluid?

[Supersteve]

Hi, airbox is dry, all I know about the oil is its light colour almost green and very sweet smell when hot.

[ckcarr]

Originally Posted by Supersteve

Hi, airbox is dry, all I know about the oil is its light colour almost green and very sweet smell when hot.

Antifreeze?
That's wierd.

[Supersteve]

Haha, since it's winter I top up the antifreeze regularly, I actually should have taken the photo of the drop, the colour might be because the floor in the pit lane was light grey, but who knows, I'm calling the dealer today and asking with some knowledge as to Rob's post so I can prevent getting ripped off. Lucky for me if its serious the bike is still under extended warranty and I only have to pay for the liquids...

[darstardly]

Hi Steve mine looked the same as your last picture and as az twin said looks like the sale between gnocchi and clutch cylinder cheap seal and easy fix hope that's it

[Supersteve]

Thanks, I called my trusty BMW dealer, they suspected the same thing from my description and photos but can only take the bike in on the 2nd may.
Question: IS IT SAFE TO DRIVE FOR +-20KM TO THE DEALER?

[roger albert]

No problem for that trip whatsoever.

[AZ-Twin]

Generally motorcycle riding is not a safe activity.

[sgoodwin]

Isn't that why we all do it?

[Supersteve]

This is true, I wrote the F800s off on the EXACT same 24 km trip to the dealership. We shall try not to repeat since I love this bike!!!

[lightfighter]

It's much safer than gun fighting, or talking to women.

Generally motorcycle riding is not a safe activity.

[Supersteve]

Ok, I just got back from my dealership and they said it was gearbox oil, my first reaction was fear since that sounded bad, but they put my mind at ease telling me the oil was coming from a breather and that the gearbox oil was overfull. So they topped it off and it seems to have fixed the problem for now. I will be keeping an eye on it though...

[Droptarotter]

Hey Steve;
That sounds odd........the gearbox was overfull, so they topped it off!

I hope the problem is cured!

Cheers

[AZ-Twin]

Originally Posted by droptarotter

hey steve;
that sounds odd........the gearbox was overfull, so they topped it off!

I hope the problem is cured!

Cheers

+1

[Supersteve]

Sorry it sounded strange, I'm not sure of the term, they corrected the oil level?

[sdaddy]

Originally Posted by Supersteve

Sorry it sounded strange, I'm not sure of the term, they corrected the oil level?

Yes, that's probably the correct term for a bike in the southern hemisphere... since the level is going the opposite direction

[Supersteve]

Aaah, no wonder the oil is always too full, I just assumed the gap at the top is signs of it being too empty..