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Hey guys.. new member here! Just bought a 2004 Sporty 1200c. Few weeks into riding it I noticed the base gasket is seeping some oil. Its not HORRIBLE, however I'm pretty OCD and don't want it to get any worse. I'm not the most mechanically inclined person therefore repairing it myself is out of the question. However, I've seen on some threads that you could use a "Permatex" silicone adhesive for the leak, and that the leak itself is really no big deal?
For this cheat, you just smear the silicone directly onto the base where the oil is leaking, or do you have to loosen the head bolts, lift the cylinder, and apply them underneath? Excuse me for my lack of common motorcycle knowledge. I've yet to attend the Harley New Rider's Course next week. I've been riding on my permit alone during daylight hours on back roads. Thanks! Leak is actually right above the red circle on the black area!
Last edited by njpersaliano; May 31, 2016 at 06:50 PM.
Not a big deal if it's just weeping but no, the silicone will just make a mess and won't help.
Make sure it is leaking at the base as it can be deceiving and actually leaking at the valve cover or head gasket and just ending up down at the bottom of the cylinder.
Copy that. I'm gonna try having a buddy of mine re-torquing some bolts and see if that tightens it up.. if that doesn't solve it, I'll have to get it to a shop or something to check it out! Thanks Hotlap.
That's so minor I would not even bother. If I haven't ridden in a while, my bike will leak the same way during the first few miles, mostly front cylinder base. After that, none at all. Plus, with the chrome primary case no one sees the oil anyway, same as my bike. Now, if you had those painted wrinkle covers the oil might be much more visible.
BTW, I have a 1991 and don't even bother worrying about the minor "seepage." I think it's just oil that's drained down when parked and just weeps through the base gasket a tiny bit. Done it for 25 years and been just fine.
I would not re-torque the heads unless you remove rocker boxes and can do it properly for all 8 bolts.
John
Last edited by John Harper; Jun 1, 2016 at 03:13 PM.
Yeah, don't touch the head bolts unless you get the tank and rocker boxes off. Otherwise, you risk warping the heads. If you do decide to go that route, it's a fair amount of work. Drain and remove the tank and rocker covers, then you do one cylinder at a time. You put the front cylinder on TDCC (Top Dead Center of the Compression stroke) so there's no load on the valvetrain, then remove the rockers/rocker box to access the head bolts. Torque the bolts, re-install, crank engine to TDCC on the rear cylinder, same thing. To crank the engine, take the spark plugs out, put the bike in fifth gear, and spin the rear wheel by hand.
Base gasket leaks...not sure why or how common on a Sportster.
If minor I could agree to just ride the bike.
Opinion: Do some type of leak down test to insure the leak is minor.
If the motor was never opened, I would also agree to just ride the bike.
If motor was opened, a re-torque may help stop the leak and I would consider doing this.
IMO Non the less the gasket has a failure.
Me...I like to tinker and have the tools.
I would check the torque for fun and entertainment.
Any rocker gaskets et al are included in the fun expense account.
If it's minor I would just ride through it. Wipe it up occasionally. The work is not worth the effort. If it does eventually start really leaking, then you will need to change them. Been riding 15k miles on weepy base gaskets on my bike.
Also, I'm in Columbus, where in Ohio are you from?
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2004 Sportster 1200 leaking from Base Gasket
