There's a plug in the head cover- basically a rubber stopper situated over one of the four main head bolts. I'll bet dollars to donuts that's the source of your leak. There's a thread around here somewhere in the Tech section...  

Give it a good cleaning and confirm where it's coming from.
Under the head leaks can be fixed by retorquing the two nuts front and back.
A leak coming from some place unseen is usually the head plug.
then some of the head cover bolts are in the oil path so they can leak.
the head cover can leak as well as the inspection covers.
Sometimes a little RTV under a bolt head or a new O-ring can fix a leak.

Hey weracerc,

I'm at Lake Norman and we have a dealer in Cornelius and Statesville- the Statesville guys seem more into the older stuff, tho.  I've got a 98 I just tagged today- and have to find a similar oil leak!  Hope you enjoy yours-  hope I enjoy mine, too!

Dave

That sounds like the head plug. There's an opening next to the exhaust - it's only purpose is to make room for the right front head bolt, which sits a couple of inches lower than the other head bolts. Just above that would be the rubber plug. This plug needs to be removed, cleaned and re-sealed about every five or six thousand miles. The oil stain it leaves usually tracks around the engine from the front right to the left and  then back. The oil tends to flow with the lean of the bike when it's on side stand, then, when you ride, it ooozes towards the rear along the head fins.

Yes, fixing this requires a torque wrench, but it's not very difficult, more of an accounting/cleaning job - I think there are 17 individual bolts to undo to peel the head cover off. There's a template on this site that we use to track which bolt goes where - this job is how a lot of us get introduced to the inside workings of the LS650 engine.  Whenever I do mine, I take the opportunity to set the valve lash and torque down the head.

as I go through all of this excellent information i realize that the leak has to be coming from the plug/bolt cover in the head (the usaual leak)......taking the head cover off is somewhat intimidating to me - i will have to aquire the right tools including the torque wrench.....and as long as it took me to actually buy a bike and then get on it for the first time and ride - i cant afford to let this somewhat minor setback to get in my way......I will get r done sooner than later...as far as cam work goes that i will leave to a highly trained professional.

weracerc wrote on 06/08/10 at 05:13:32:

Best bet would be to contact BP

i figured it couldnt be that simple....wishful thinking and at least i tried....i guess i WILL become a mechanic whether i want to or not!.......I race radio controlled cars (have been since 1988) that is a different kind of mechanic not so dirty and knuckle bustingly frustrating.....plus diabetic neuropathy makes doing stuff with my hands a real challenge at times.....oh well enough whining - the part has been ordered and i will get it fixed.