GregC
Site Supporter
Thought I’d share this brain dead moment just so everybody will feel better about their own mistakes and foibles.
After putting the new DCT oil cover back on last week, I needed to take the bike in for its annual inspection. When I went out to get on the bike noticed a few drops of oil under the bike and I assumed a little bit had leaked when I took the cover off, while the bike was laying on its left side and dripped out under the plastic shroud. I wiped everything off, hopped on the bike and started toward the the shop that’s done the annual inspections every year since I bought the bike.
About 3/4 of the way there I’m at a red light and I’m smelling what I thought with somebody’s hot brakes. I looked down and see some smoke coming from under my bike. I look toward the DCT side and see oil dripping off the bike. The pull over at the next street hop off the bike and look over and it’s just running oil. So I stop the engine, break out the tools, remove the plastic shroud and see that there’s oil all over everything. So I takeoff the DTC oil cover and I’m glad I stopped because very little oil came out – meaning the engine oil had pretty much all leaked out.
Called my wife and got her to go by the auto parts store and bring me 4 quarts of motorcycle oil so I could refill this and limp home.
Turns out the new DCT oil cover does not come with the O-ring installed. And I didn’t notice it. Mainly because when I normally change the oil, the O-ring is included in the parts kit and so it’s on the parts table so you remember to put it on. Because I was switching out the cover, in my mind the new cover came “complete” and it didn’t occur to me to check for the O-ring.
In order to limp home, I did a MacGyver fix and fashioned a temporary O-ring out of a rubber band I had on the bike. It still leaked, but not as badly and I made it home. I’ve ordered an oil change kit so I can put back in the OEM oil - figured might as well change the filters while I was doing everything. It’s pretty early for my next change, but feels better to reset everything.
I guess I was lucky that I was on a fairly short ride to get the bike inspected and not running up to the Blue Ridge Parkway when this happened. I’m also a bit frustrated that the new DCT oil cover didn’t come with an O-ring and there was no warning sticker anywhere on the part to say “hey dummy, don’t forget to put the O-ring on.”
So I guess the lesson is, always take your time, always check the diagrams, always double check everything is there.
After putting the new DCT oil cover back on last week, I needed to take the bike in for its annual inspection. When I went out to get on the bike noticed a few drops of oil under the bike and I assumed a little bit had leaked when I took the cover off, while the bike was laying on its left side and dripped out under the plastic shroud. I wiped everything off, hopped on the bike and started toward the the shop that’s done the annual inspections every year since I bought the bike.
About 3/4 of the way there I’m at a red light and I’m smelling what I thought with somebody’s hot brakes. I looked down and see some smoke coming from under my bike. I look toward the DCT side and see oil dripping off the bike. The pull over at the next street hop off the bike and look over and it’s just running oil. So I stop the engine, break out the tools, remove the plastic shroud and see that there’s oil all over everything. So I takeoff the DTC oil cover and I’m glad I stopped because very little oil came out – meaning the engine oil had pretty much all leaked out.
Called my wife and got her to go by the auto parts store and bring me 4 quarts of motorcycle oil so I could refill this and limp home.
Turns out the new DCT oil cover does not come with the O-ring installed. And I didn’t notice it. Mainly because when I normally change the oil, the O-ring is included in the parts kit and so it’s on the parts table so you remember to put it on. Because I was switching out the cover, in my mind the new cover came “complete” and it didn’t occur to me to check for the O-ring.
In order to limp home, I did a MacGyver fix and fashioned a temporary O-ring out of a rubber band I had on the bike. It still leaked, but not as badly and I made it home. I’ve ordered an oil change kit so I can put back in the OEM oil - figured might as well change the filters while I was doing everything. It’s pretty early for my next change, but feels better to reset everything.
I guess I was lucky that I was on a fairly short ride to get the bike inspected and not running up to the Blue Ridge Parkway when this happened. I’m also a bit frustrated that the new DCT oil cover didn’t come with an O-ring and there was no warning sticker anywhere on the part to say “hey dummy, don’t forget to put the O-ring on.”
So I guess the lesson is, always take your time, always check the diagrams, always double check everything is there.
