Well, you did buy a 14-15 year old motorcycle with some miles on it. You have to expect to do a few things as part of the purchase.

Hopefully an easy fix.

 

Yeah I get that it's 15 years old, but I just paid 10,000 dollars for it from a dealership , you'd think it would at least not leak oil after riding it 200 miles with 30k miles not like it has 75k miles. Just frustrated, my last bike was a 2005 R1 with double the miles and it didn't leak a drop of fluid lol.

 

Might just be a sloppy oil or Transmission lube change with out a clean up.

 

I rode it about 200 miles Saturday and did another 50ish miles Sunday, and it didn't leak at all then it just started after a trip to the store today. I'm gonna clean the bottom up with brake cleaner this weekend and try to pinpoint it. I'm just fearing the worst because I've seen a few posts in here of 4000 dollar oil leaks that end up being something serious lol.

 

With two little drops I doubt if it’s something serious. Being directly under the bike in two different spots I’m wondering if when the dealership service the bike did they change the gasket on the engine oil and transmission drain plug.

 

I suppose there’s not a chance that the previous owner rerouted the breathers and there‘s a hose that goes to ground without a filter is there? Might also be the drain plug O-ring or something simple. Do check back with what you find.

 

I'm putting money on blow-by from the breathers. Air filter will be slightly wet, leaves spuradic drops when hot. Just my guess.

 

That’s very low miles for a bike this age, so apparently it wasn’t ridden much which can be tougher on a bike than big miles on it……. I would check the obvious like drain plug o-rings, then just ride it and if it’s gaskets they’ll likely swell…..

 

"... I did purchase a 2 year warranty from the dealer but in the event they won't cover it or fix ( i bought it as is but it came with a 90 day warranty and I purchased a 2 year powertrain warranty)

"I'm just fearing the worst because I've seen a few posts in here of 4000 dollar oil leaks that end up being something serious lol."

First of all, I think you need to walk away from the bike for a day and relax and settle down. You're about a paragraph or two from being pegged as a "Karen". Take a deep breath. You've got a 90 day dealer warranty, as well as the extended powertrain 2 year warranty. So why the panic? You have a twin cam motor in your bike and there have been absolutely no oil drip issues with the TC motors that I'm aware of, and I ride a 103 TC (2011) and have yet to find a drop of oil on my garage floor. Unless the motor has some history of a previous owner blowing it up, or doing radical performance upgrades on it that weren't done right, you're likely to find (as suggested above) it's either oil from a 3 hole change that was spilled and never cleaned up well, or a drain plug gasket that should have been replaced at the oil change and wasn't, or some other owner/dealer caused minor issue.

Looking forward to you getting it fixed under warranty and telling us it was just a minor annoyance and not your feared "$4,000 repair". Good luck, and let us know.

 

"... I did purchase a 2 year warranty from the dealer but in the event they won't cover it or fix ( i bought it as is but it came with a 90 day warranty and I purchased a 2 year powertrain warranty)

"I'm just fearing the worst because I've seen a few posts in here of 4000 dollar oil leaks that end up being something serious lol."

First of all, I think you need to walk away from the bike for a day and relax and settle down. You're about a paragraph or two from being pegged as a "Karen". Take a deep breath. You've got a 90 day dealer warranty, as well as the extended powertrain 2 year warranty. So why the panic? You have a twin cam motor in your bike and there have been absolutely no oil drip issues with the TC motors that I'm aware of, and I ride a 103 TC (2011) and have yet to find a drop of oil on my garage floor. Unless the motor has some history of a previous owner blowing it up, or doing radical performance upgrades on it that weren't done right, you're likely to find (as suggested above) it's either oil from a 3 hole change that was spilled and never cleaned up well, or a drain plug gasket that should have been replaced at the oil change and wasn't, or some other owner/dealer caused minor issue.

Looking forward to you getting it fixed under warranty and telling us it was just a minor annoyance and not your feared "$4,000 repair". Good luck, and let us know.

Nah man, this ain't it. He's well within to be concerned. We all know the rep that Harleys have, deserved or otherwise. Ostracizing the new guy isn't helping anyone.

Dude just dropped 10k on a bike that's potentially leaking with an issue. Or could be nothing. That's why he's here posting. It's not like he's bashing moco or dealer or really anyone else.

To be a hypocrite, a Karen is more like the dude who whined about the saddlebag lid seals on his cvo. Or at least that's what I think it was. He must not have been too concerned bc he edited his post

 

Reach up and make sure the oil filter is tight .

 

@TyGlide93 First off pull the Dip Stick and check the oil level and see if the oil is dirty or new. If new then as was previously stated it could be residual runoff from an oil change. Also check the air cleaner for oil residue from blow by.
If that all checks out fine I wouldn’t worry about a couple of drops just ride it and keep an eye on it.
Best of Luck!
Mike U.

 

My first Harley i bought used knowing that it needed some work and a new rear tire. Dealership told me that all used motorcycles they sell were inspected for safety before they go on the show floor. Knowing that the bike had 38,000 miles on it i bought the extra warranty plane. They replaced the stereo before I left the dealership. Got home started detailing the bike and as I was learning my new to me bike the drive belt had a couple missing teeth and 5 or 6 in a row half torn off. Called the service department and talked to the manager. I asked him about the safety inspection that was performed. His response was yes it was done. After his response I asked what might happen when I make a u turn where I am pulling out with 65 mph traffic. He said get bike to him don't ride it. He replaced the drive belt and resealed the motor as there was some oil leaking. I was at the shop for over ten hours waiting for the work to get done. He said because I bought the warranty he would get all the work covered at no cost to me. Put over 40,too miles after that never had a leak.

 

When you say you bought it from a dealer I'm assuming it was a Harley dealer correct? As long as you got the warranty I wouldn't worry too much about it. Bring it back to them and give them a chance to make it right. If they are a good dealership they will. It may be as simple as residual oil from them changing it or it could be more serious but give them a chance to look at it. One other piece of advice, when/if you bring it in to them, I would remain calm cool and collected when you talk to them. Don't go in flipping out because they can and will make your experience a living hell. You still do have to understand, regardless of whatever safety inspection otlr service they did beforehand, it still is a 15 year old bike and you can't compare them to crotch rockets because they are a complete night and day difference. Good luck and keep us posted

 

I would put my money on some residual dripping from an oil and filter change. There are a lot of crevice's under these bikes where oil can get too during a change and then riding them the air flow will blow it around. Never heard of the cracked head issue you mentioned, but if there is a leak it appears minor and probably a simple fix. As has been mentioned if the breathers have been rerouted away from the air cleaner that could also be what you are seeing.

If all else fails and you return the bike for a refund I have a real pretty 2009 for sale in the classifieds I'll sell you for less than you bought this one for and it doesn't leak a thing.

 

Two items to check:
1. Look at your "stator plug" that is on the left side of the bike, below the shifter, coming out of the front of the "primary".
2. Look at the "primary" drain plug.

 

Ok gents, your points have been made, so let it settle and let’s move on……. 🙌

 

Update - I checked the garage when i got home from work the puddle up front got bigger but still couldn't tell where i came from, cleaned it all up with carb cleaner checked the oil it was still full , went for an hour ride came back and it is no longer leaking at all , super confusing to me but whatever. Didn't mean to sound like a "karen" about it , it's my first Harley and I'm decently mechanically inclined and it just wasnt making sense to me why it didnt leak after over 10 hours of riding over the weekend but then all of the sudden leaked after a 10 min ride around town 2 days later. I understand its a 15 year old bike and it only has 30k miles and probably sat for a while i do get that, but at the same time i spent 10k for it at a dealer who said they checked over everything , and yes i did purchase a 2 year powertrain warranty incase of a misfortune, but still feel like it was within my right to be a little upset about it. The bike was a 1 owner bought brand new with 9 miles on it back in 2009 so i guess thats a good sign that it didnt go through a bunch of people. I wasnt motherfucking the bike or brand when i made the post or made a comment about my sportbikes ive owned , im just not used to the platform yet or really how they operate or perform , ive bought 15 year old sport bikes that sat for years with only 9,000 miles on them and they never leaked a drop of any fluid , i put over 100k miles between all my sportbikes and never had a single leak , or major issue between any of them just brake pads tires and fluid changes on all of them... and i did alot of research before buying a harley and made sure to buy a 96 or 103 and stick with a twin cam and no go to an m8 because the TC are more reliable, it was just frustrating is all. Thanks for all rhe replys hopefully it was just a fluke from the fluid changes the dealer did saturday and they didnt appear until yesterday. I love the bike so much already I haven't even owned it for a week and it's already my favorite bike I've ever owned and I owned all my sport bikes for at least 2-3 years each.

 

My officially unofficial answer on why it didnt leak after 10 hours of riding, but then leaked after a 10 min ride around town 2 days later, was because during the long ride the motor got hot and expanded the metal vs a short ride of 10 minutes isn’t even enough time for it to get up to normal operating temperature.

As mentioned, keep an eye on the three drain plugs underneath. You can buy a 50 pack of O-rings off Amazon for $10.

Amazon.com

I’d also pull the air cleaner and look for excessive blow by from the head breathers.

After each ride give the bike a good visual inspection and you’ll find the source of the leak in time. Or you won’t because the seeping gasket healed itself with heat and use…..

The cases on my 2011 have never been split, but I ride it at least once every two weeks, usually more, and I ride 12 months a year…..

Keep us updated.

 

Glad it seems to have gotten better.

Beer, soda, and whiskey all around.

 

- View attachment 489398

I only wish my 2009 left a spot that small...

 

Dude, you've spent more time here typing than it would take to FIND THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK. Come back when you know what you're dealing with and I'm 100% sure we can help you.

 

The location is in the drain plug area.

 

I would probably have to agree with RoosterMan as to why the leak is there at a 10 minute ride but gone after a full ride. Heat will soften the seals and to a smaller degree cause the shafts to increase in size.

I had a similar leak on the 09 and finally chased it back to the shifter seal. Been a few years back but noticed the other day it is leaking again. I bet it will continue to leak too unless I have to back in that deep for something.

Not sure if you know what oil was put in all 3 holes during the last oil change but some different brands have different colors. Might make it a little easier to figure out where it's coming from

 

My ‘16 103 Rushmore , a year or so ago was smelling like 80/90 wt ( we all know that smell), after even a short ride, and I looked and looked for the cause for weeks before, as luck would have it, the sun shined in just the right location so I saw a wisp of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe near the rear of the right-side footboard. I found the exhaust bracket coming off the bottom of the case to have two bolts slightly loose, allowing an oil seep onto the hot bracket and fill the air with that smell.
I put threadlocker on the bolts, torqued them, and cured it.
Just sayin’, keep looking and you’ll find it.

 

Like Twowheeladdict said earlier, on your next service, either add oil dye or change oil in each location to a different product (color) so leaks are easier to find.
Harley's will eventually leak oil , it's the nature of the beast. Plus like said there are a lot of places to leak from because of the design of the drive line.
On a good note , a small leak is not a big deal . Just let the beast mark it's spot until you tear the bike apart for another repair and the leak is close enough, then you fix the leak.
Definitely buy an oem harley shop manual. Should be pretty easy to find a used one.

 

Trick to that is keep the oil level in the middle of "fill" and "full". That usually stops oil from coming out of the air filter. Just the way it's designed to vent.

 

Whats it mean if I did find oil in the air cleaner ? From what I've read it's normal and harley had to do it for epa regulations , but since I have a 2010 I'm guessing it's different ?

Trick to that is keep the oil level in the middle of "fill" and "full". That usually stops oil from coming out of the air filter. Just the way it's designed to vent.

Yes, the MoCo vents the head breathers into the air cleaner, to be sucked back into the engine, for EPA compliance….. The general consensus around here is that sucking oil through the intake and burning it in the cylinders causes carbon build-up on the pistons which isn’t a good thing…. So if you’re inclined to do so, you can change it to vent through a hose / hoses down to the ground, or vent it into a catch can…... There’s many ways to skin this cat so search this site and you’ll find them.

As Bomber suggested, to help minimize blow by, don’t run the engine oil all the way to the full mark, and instead keep it 4 or 5 dots down from full on the dipstick.

 

Didn't mean to sound like a "karen" about it.... , and yes i did purchase a 2 year powertrain warranty incase of a misfortune, but still feel like it was within my right to be a little upset about it.

There was nothing "Karen" about it. That's just a trendy term people like to throw out whenever they can. It'll fade with something new eventually. You've been tactful with your replies and absolutely have the right to be concerned. This is a new world for you and I can understand having some anxiety and wanting to not leave any stone unturned when seeking answers. Believe me, no one freaks out over the small stuff as much as I do. It's because I'm very passionate about my machine and it sounds like you are, too (I think we all are).

Hopefully resolution is simple and you have a great experience from here, if you haven't figured it out already. Great to hear it's been your favorite bike so far regardless of this minor issue.