Dilema before road trip
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Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2009
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Dilema before road trip
2005 Heritage softail classic 9,300 miles
I just got done riding 2,000 miles in the last 3 weeks, and brought my bike in for the 10K service (indy shop) because this thursday I'm heading to the badlands and putting another 1500 or so miles on..
When I picked up the bike he said the tranny fluid was less than half full when I picked it up.. HOLY how could this happen ? He also said he "didn't see a leak"
Well I rode around for 20 miles, parked the bike in the garage, laid brown paper bags under the bike..
Came back 2 hours later and saw 2 leaks, one the size of a quarter and one the size of a dime...I then switched out the paper again
Waited over night, and nothing, I think, there was no leas... but there might have been another quarter size lead that missed the paper..
Dilema, is this no big deal ? should I just bring a quart of Syn3 with me on the trip and fill up as needed ?
Or should I try to scramble to find another indy dealer (that one is out of town for a week) and have them try to find it ?
Or should I buy a jiffy stand, try to find the leak and fix it myself ?
What is the likely causes ? I don't know anything about bikes, is there a gasket or something I can replace in there ?
I posted this in here because I saw in the transmission section only had 3 posts in the last year, mods move if you wish..
I just got done riding 2,000 miles in the last 3 weeks, and brought my bike in for the 10K service (indy shop) because this thursday I'm heading to the badlands and putting another 1500 or so miles on..
When I picked up the bike he said the tranny fluid was less than half full when I picked it up.. HOLY how could this happen ? He also said he "didn't see a leak"
Well I rode around for 20 miles, parked the bike in the garage, laid brown paper bags under the bike..
Came back 2 hours later and saw 2 leaks, one the size of a quarter and one the size of a dime...I then switched out the paper again
Waited over night, and nothing, I think, there was no leas... but there might have been another quarter size lead that missed the paper..
Dilema, is this no big deal ? should I just bring a quart of Syn3 with me on the trip and fill up as needed ?
Or should I try to scramble to find another indy dealer (that one is out of town for a week) and have them try to find it ?
Or should I buy a jiffy stand, try to find the leak and fix it myself ?
What is the likely causes ? I don't know anything about bikes, is there a gasket or something I can replace in there ?
I posted this in here because I saw in the transmission section only had 3 posts in the last year, mods move if you wish..
Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 566
Likes: 4
From: First State
I would powerwash the bike and make sure all oil free under the carriage. Let it sit over night to see if and where the leak is. If not leak, then ride you bike and then inspect your bike for leaks.
Once you locate the leak, fit the leak yourself or have someone fit it for you. For such a minor leak, I really would not worry about it, just monitor the level and oil as needed. Autozone or other dealers are everywhere, buy the oil if you need it.
Once you locate the leak, fit the leak yourself or have someone fit it for you. For such a minor leak, I really would not worry about it, just monitor the level and oil as needed. Autozone or other dealers are everywhere, buy the oil if you need it.
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Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2009
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Yeah, I'll prolly just bring a quart with and check often as needed...
Is it possible for a bike to leak only the first two hours after riding, and then stop ? or was that probably just run off or something from when they changed the fluids ?
Is it possible for a bike to leak only the first two hours after riding, and then stop ? or was that probably just run off or something from when they changed the fluids ?
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 175
Likes: 0
I faced the same thing last week before my 3200 mile trip to New Mexico. I took an extra quart of oil and topped off as needed each day. No problems - though the leak got worse.
I took it in yesterday and the problem was a .95 cent o-ring on the drain plug...
I took it in yesterday and the problem was a .95 cent o-ring on the drain plug...
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 12,653
Likes: 18
From: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
+1 You don't want a bigger problem while out on the road.
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Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2009
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Sounds good... by the way, can anyone recomend a good jack to use with my bike... is there one from sears that's good jiffy jack or something ? To make it easier to work on and clean the bottom to find the leak
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Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145,895
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From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
sears does have a better one, think its alum. and is wider and settles lower..
got mine a HF on sale + $10 coupon. think is was 39 or 49 can't remember, but its worked good for 2yrs now.
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A lot of times the seal between the transmission and the primary will bust, and this will cause the leak. The oil will run down the inside of the primary and look like it is coming off your primary drain plug. Just bring a quart with you and check it every day or every other day. You'll be fine.
Road Warrior
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,382
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From: Southern Maryland
HighRoad check all your trans pan bolts. My buddy had a leak on his 05 RK and found the pan bolts to be loose. Retorqued them went out for about a 50 ride came back and rechecked no leaks found.