Mysterious minor oil leak - or maybe not?

[RAS]

One reason for having the vent going to the airbox is that the pressure is not only positive but also negative.
You don´t want unfiltered air to enter the engine.

Personally I have no problems with finding small amount of oil in the airbox

Could have a one way vale on it. But yeah, I open my air box maybe once a year and mop up 5-10cc max. No big deal.

[slyV]

Lifted the tank last weekend to check what kind of air filter I have on my new Aprilia.
Found some oil in the air box, but I can live with that if that's normal & the amount will not increase.
My airbox is deristricted [reduction diaphragm removed], but I have the original restrictive air boot below. What puzzles me is that I've found some sticky nylon/scotch tape stuffed in the middle hole of the air boot [exploded view: No.8 - choke hold]. I guess it's not needed & trying to prevent hot air from engine bay entering the air box, but is this OEM standard ? )

One other oily question: found some minor greasy deposit [oil/fuel+dirt I guess] around the lowest point of the fuel tank [around the exiting fuel line : http://www.af1racing.com/store/Scrip...idproduct=4270 ]. Should I worry about the dreaded fuel pump problems?

[northern phil]

Mines developed a small oil Leak, investigation in progress.

[RAS]

Lifted the tank last weekend to check what kind of air filter I have on my new Aprilia.
Found some oil in the air box, but I can live with that if that's normal & the amount will not increase.
My airbox is deristricted [reduction diaphragm removed], but I have the original restrictive air boot below. What puzzles me is that I've found some sticky nylon/scotch tape stuffed in the middle hole of the air boot [exploded view: No.8 - choke hold]. I guess it's not needed & trying to prevent hot air from engine bay entering the air box, but is this OEM standard ? )

One other oily question: found some minor greasy deposit [oil/fuel+dirt I guess] around the lowest point of the fuel tank [around the exiting fuel line : http://www.af1racing.com/store/Scrip...idproduct=4270 ]. Should I worry about the dreaded fuel pump problems?

Throw that tape away before it finds it's way up into the air cleaner and blocks air getting into the motor.

Leaking fuel will leave a whitish residue after drying. If it's greasy, unless you've been running diesel(uh, no, don't do that) it's not fuel

[oldgeezer]

OK, guys, figure this one out. The mysterious oil leak I posted about is gone, left as mysteriously as it appeared. Last night I took the bike out to fill up the tank, and rode about 25 miles before arriving home where I parked the bike in the garage, placing another white paper towel under the bike to check for the oil leak again. Couple hours later go out to check, and to my surprise, the paper was completely clean - no oil spots at all. This morning I decided to meet a riding buddy for breakfast, after which we took a 180 mile ride, parted ways, and I rode the bike home, again parking it in the garage. Reaching under the lower fairing expecting to find oil buildup, I was surprised to discover everything was bone dry - no oil weepage anywhere. Plus, the oil level, which I immediately checked upon hoisting the bike onto the centerstand, had returned to its normal level and was consistant with the level from the previous night. Why this has happened is beyond me. Could it be that letting the bike warm up and idle for 15-20 minutes in the garage created a condition causing the minor oil leakage? And why then, after having ridden the bike extensively for many many miles, did the weepage just stop, and the oil level return to consistant (normal) levels? Could it be that the bike just needed to be ridden (instead of just idling in the garage) and did the actual riding create a different environment allowing the leakage to cease? This stupifies me, but all I know is that the bike was weeping oil when parked and idling, and after being ridden, the weepage has completely disappeared. If any of you Fut gurus has an explanation for this, I'd love to hear your take. Regardless, she's dry as a bone and I can now sleep at night again. I was seriously thinking of trailering the bike 90 miles to the nearest Aprilia dealership in Murfreesboro, TN (Sloan's) to have it checked out, I was that frustrated. Atached is a pic of the bike parked in the garage after this morning's 180 mile ride - dry as a bone and nary an oil spot anywhere. Opinions????

[flying fox]

Wafo- belatedly.

Not wanting to state the obvious - was / has anything else been parked where the bike is whilst you have been on your travels,which could have left the oil?

[RAS]

Not sure i even want to know why you did that, but letting the bike idle inside a garage for 20 mins. will not result in anything good. The, now gone, oil leak was Mr. Rotax asking "are you _________? Bike looks like it was taken care of nicely. Just ride the thing.

[oldgeezer]

Not sure i even want to know why you did that, but letting the bike idle inside a garage for 20 mins. will not result in anything good. The, now gone, oil leak was Mr. Rotax asking "are you _________? Bike looks like it was taken care of nicely. Just ride the thing.

Well 20 minutes may have been an exaggeration, more likely 10 minutes, but even then I constantly monitored the temp gauge. PO said the lithium battery, in order to maintain power, required the bike be started and ridden at least weekly, thus my reason for letting the bike idle each day (I was unable to ride untill last night and today). PO had me so paranoid about the battery I went overboard. Lesson learned - from now on I'll do as you commanded - "just ride the thing".

[oldgeezer]

Wafo- belatedly.

Not wanting to state the obvious - was / has anything else been parked where the bike is whilst you have been on your travels,which could have left the oil?

No, mate, I may be slow and at times downright negligent (usually after several beers) but the bike was parked on the only clean spot in the garage, the remainder of the floor long since soiled by an endless string of used cars, the worst being mom's Chevy Celebrity which bled oil, coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and other unidentifiable liquids. The vagrants turned pristine concrete into a Jackson Pollock painting.

[RAS]

I was under the impression that the big advantage of the Li batteries is that they could sit longer w/o losing charge. Besides, it would likely take longer than 10 mins at idle to replace what you use at start-up. My basic philosophy, if you can't ride it, don't start it.

[oldgeezer]

I was under the impression that the big advantage of the Li batteries is that they could sit longer w/o losing charge. Besides, it would likely take longer than 10 mins at idle to replace what you use at start-up. My basic philosophy, if you can't ride it, don't start it.

Well I don't know much about Li batteries, RAS, never had one before, but like you, my understanding is that they don't degrade through dormancy like traditional lead/acid batteries. The day I bought the bike, however, the owner had not ridden it in two weeks so upon starting, it initially turned over very slowly and would not start. This seems to contradict our thinking. He said "leave the ignition on and let the battery warm up a minute". I did. On the next attempt, the starter turned over faster and the bike fired up. His theory (and I don't know if this is true or not) is that over time, accessories like the clock, etc. slowly draw current from the Li battery reducing its initial cranking power, therefore the need to start / ride the bike on a regular basis - which supports your philosophy of "if you can't ride it don't start it". I DO know that since riding the bike more frequently, it now cranks rapidly and fires up immediately. Aside from being able to retain charge without degrading, the other advantage to Li batteries, as I understand it, is that they consistantly produce higher peak amperage during prolonged periods of cranking, unlike traditional lead/acid batteries which slowly weaken. My Li battery is a Shorai; their website gives a more comprehensive explanation of Li battery function: http://www.shoraipower.com/t-faq.aspx

[RAS]

Those batteries seem to like being warm. It wasn't the ignition, but the draw from the headlight and tail light that warmed it up. A week of non-use should be nothing to that battery. I have a friend who's got one in a Kaw. That bike sits for weeks sometimes as he rides something else more. Granted, he's not got an ECU drawing a very small current and that 1200 Kaw might be easier on the starter. He had troubles with the original 14 Ah version. Switching to the 18 Ah equiv. fixed some cold starting issues. Shorai now recommends the next bigger yet for the Rex. - Big money for a little battery!

Personally, Id rather just plug a conventional battery into an Optimate if the bike is gonna sit. The other option is to pull the main fuses. In the summer, you should have to do neither with either battery if it's just a week - even 2.

[ericrayl]

I have the 18 aH Shorai and agree with everything written above. Below 50 degrees the battery does need to be warmed up to start a Futura. Initially I followed the advice of others and ran the high beams for a minute or so, then waited half a minute before starting the bike. What seems to work better is to crank the bike very briefly, like 2 crank revolutions, let it sit half a minute, then go.

The cold starting has gotten better over time, it's better now than when the battery was new. Others have had the same experience. I'd have to think hard about getting another one, and that's coming from someone who can get them for under half price.

[oldgeezer]

Personally, Id rather just plug a conventional battery into an Optimate if the bike is gonna sit. The other option is to pull the main fuses. In the summer, you should have to do neither with either battery if it's just a week - even 2.

I agree, for the difference in cost, I'd just as soon have a conventional battery, and leave it on a tender when not ridden. But the Shorai came with the bike when I bought it, so I'll leave things as they are for now. After having ridden the bike more frequently, it now cranks over fine. Not sure if the high cost of a Li battery makes it a viable alternative to conventional. Both my Blackbirds had conventional batteries and sometimes would sit for 3 or 4 weeks (without a battery tender in an unheated garage) before being ridden again, and they ALWAYS fired up instantly. No drama, no hassles, no disappointments, they never ceased to amaze me - 100% reliable - just couldn't handle the extreme ergos any longer.

[northern phil]

Mines sussed, fingers crossed.

My fault, how many times is it not the bike.

Rocker cover gasket front cylinder, not properly seated from cam timing job.