Leaky bandit

[Elmojo]

Hi all,

I was on the old board for quite a while, but let's just say I've been 'away'.
Now I'm back, and I have a problem.

My '02 B12S has developed a fairly serious oil leak.  
This is odd, considering it's only got a bit over 5K miles on the clock.
The leak is from the bottom of the left side engine cover.
According to ronayers.com, this is the starter cover gasket.
The leak only seems to occur when the bike is not running.
It leaks both on the center stand and side stand.
The leak begins shortly after the engine is stopped, and drops about 30-40 drops over a period of 1-2 hrs, then quits.
I suspect the leak is caused by me switching to part-synthetic oil at the last change.  I remember reading on the old board that Bandits shouldn't be switched to full synthetic until after about 5K miles, which is what I plan to do.
However, I may have caused the leak by using even part-synthetic oil too early.
Can I replace the gasket, change the oil (it's time) to full synthetic, and have no more leaks, or is something more sinister at work here?

Thanks in advance,

Mike P.
Silver '02 B12s

[Red01]

Sounds like it may just be a simple gasket failure.

IIRC, you can change it on the centerstand if you put a catch pan under it.
It won't leak much from there... say about 30-40 drops.  

[BBurton]

I had the same oil leak at around 5500 miles on my bike as well.  I can almost promise you that the problem is the gasket. Once I got my left engine case off "which wasn't easy due to the factory gasket seal near the upper left corner of the engine block". I noticed that at  the bottom of the case, the gasket material had been pinched and not alligned correctly from the factory.  I drained my oil completly because I was due for a change anyway, "I'm not a big fan of synthetic oil in bikes". I put on some Permatex ultra copper gasket seal on the engine case and let it dry until tacky, and then I put on the new OEM gasket on the engine block. I didn't run my bike for at least 24hrs and then I went out and ran the bike pretty hard. No more leaks, just take your time and all will be good to go!!!

[Elmojo]

Thanks guys,

I checked out Ronayers.com and Sprocket Specialists last night, and found that I can get a slightly larger front sprocket AND the new gasket for around $35.00, shipping included.  Of course, I only pay shipping for the sprocket, since Ron Ayers is about 3 miles from here.  

Do you think I'll see a significant (200-300) RPM drop in top gear from the larger gear up front or am I wasting my time?
This bike has more power than I need, and I'd love to get a bit better mileage.  Right now I'm only getting about 37mpg mixed hwy/city on Regular Unleaded.
Would the 16 tooth be enough or should I go to a 17?

Thanks and sorry to wander the topic.

I was just hoping to do the sprocket swap and gasket fix at the same time.

Thanks,

Mike P.

[B12Teuton]

I can assure you that with 100% certainty it does NOT have anything to do with synthetic oil.

I would not do anything about it till the next oil change.  Then drain the oil, and pull the side cover.  That's the only way you'll be ale to get it clean (without more oil running out) when putting the new gasket on.  I'll even go so far as to say the gasket might not even need to be replaced.  take the cover off and inspect the gasket.  If it's fine, clean both sides and the contact area on the case and the cover.  Use brake cleaner or some other de-greaser to get all the oil off.  Then use a minimal amount of gasket bond.
Put it back together and let it cure over night.  The next day, fill it with  fresh synthetic and off-you-go!
 

[Red01]

Thanks guys,

I checked out Ronayers.com and Sprocket Specialists last night, and found that I can get a slightly larger front sprocket AND the new gasket for around $35.00, shipping included.  Of course, I only pay shipping for the sprocket, since Ron Ayers is about 3 miles from here.  

Do you think I'll see a significant (200-300) RPM drop in top gear from the larger gear up front or am I wasting my time?
This bike has more power than I need, and I'd love to get a bit better mileage.  Right now I'm only getting about 37mpg mixed hwy/city on Regular Unleaded.
Would the 16 tooth be enough or should I go to a 17?

Thanks and sorry to wander the topic.

I was just hoping to do the sprocket swap and gasket fix at the same time.

Thanks,

Mike P.

A 16T sprocket will change your gearing from stock 3:1 to 2.81:1, or about a 7% change, so you can expect a 7% drop in rpm, or ~280 rpm at 70 mph.

A 16T sprocket requires slight trimming inside the countershaft cover on most, but not all, B6's & B12's. This means a 17T will not fit. If you want to further reduce rpm, you'll need to drop teeth from the rear sprocket.