I thought it was just a motor mount bolt but it just started leaking. It was loose so I tightened it up...but it still leaks oil pretty good. What up?

 

Not sure exactly what that bolt does, but its right below the upper rocker box. Factory gaskets are bad. Lots of bikes are getting new gaskets installed under warranty. Have your bike looked at.

 

Whoa, look out! Flying pencil!! (sorry I couldn't help it.)

 

well either your head has a minor crack allowing oil to get out through the back of the threading, or you simply have a leak from one of the rocker gaskets that just happens to be occuring just over that bolt. And yeah, it is a motor mount, it helps stabilize the cylinders.

 

If the bolt was loose, the head is now cracked and leaking oil.

That bolt is threaded into a blind hole. the hole does not penitrate into the section of the head that floods with oil, therefore the head is cracked. The crack is due to bolt being loose and allowing upper motor mount to rattle. The constant shock of the rattle cause the head to crack.

Make Hd fix it.

 

What ^^^^ he said. Either a gasket leak right above/around that bolt from your rocker or your head cracked allowing that bolt to loosen. Take it in under warranty, if that is still an option.

 

Oil is seeping from rocker box cover over the bolt,no big deal,wait till it gets worse or have it fixed now.

 

Thank you for all of your input. I'm no longer under warranty and, of course, I'll be really pissed if it's a cracked head. Either way, it's got to go in- I'm getting splattered by oil! I'll post the results sometime next week.

 

Just curious, but why is the bike no longer under warranty?

I noticed that the bike is a 2008 Nightster, and the standard factory warranty is to 2 years, unlimited mileage...

Unless the bike was purchased before June 3, 2007 it still should be covered under warranty, unless I'm missing something.

 

It's not a cracked head. It's the rocker gaskets. I had the same thing, replaced the gaskets.