So, I got home after work on ol' Merco (she's a '95 rat) today and noticed a lot of smokey stuff after stopping. At first I thought it was just hot, but on getting off the bike to have a look I see oil dripping, and it's getting all over the exhaust, which explains the smoke (?). I snapped a quick video. Some important notes.

• Never seen a drop of oil from this bike (though, only my 2nd year with it).
• I did have the clutch cover off this spring to verslavy it (was close!). Installed new gasket afterward.
• Have only been out on it a dozen or so times this spring.
• It was hot as balls out today.

Curious to know if it's likely just the clutch cover gasket (maybe I got a crap one?). Or if oil will try to escape like this for another reason?

TF ,If your leak is on the cover there are three bolts that have oil seals on them because of passages behind them .If the leak is low and to the rear it is most likely coming from the small rubber plug above the oil level window which is the ground wire running to the neutral switch.  The first can be fixed by replacing the seal the second with some high temp silicon but you'll have to remove the side cover.In any event you should wash the engine and restart to determine just where the leak is.

Ah, good idea. I'll try to clean her up and see exactly where it's coming out. If it's the neutral ground pathway, I just cover that little grommet with sealant and then re-install the cover?

I'm half hopeful that maybe I could tighten the cover down some more. I don't have a torque wrench small enough to do anything meaningful with those cover bolts, so when I put the cover on in April I just snugged them 'decently tight'. I did have some concerns about that. Are you supposed to re-torque those bolts after having the engine up to temperature or anything? I gotta believe all that heat could upset the initial installation a little.

Not sure what an oil galley is. Guess I'm going to need a new cover gasket, eh?

I don't have a torque wrench small enough to do anything meaningful with those cover bolts, so when I put the cover on in April I just snugged them 'decently tighT.


I went back with a dry gasket. Never again. It leaked. I WAS able to solve it by tightening, but, only an end wrench fits in there with the exhaust system on. I had to pull on the wrench hard enough to worry me, but with the short little end wrench, you can Feel the threads clamp parts together. I could have hooked another wrench in the open end, but I didn't want to twist off....

When it comes to using sealer, whether with a gasket or not, I use the small utility brushes to apply it.  It enables me to put a minimum on and avoid the excesses that go hither and yon.

Ah... thanks everybody. I fired up the bike today in the hopes of riding it to work. Saw a little bit of oil seeping out close to the neutral switch cable. I snugged up the cover some and took off. Didn't get 1 mile before noticing a cloud of smoke in my rear view and looked down to see oil SPRAYING out everywhere!! oops!

Ordered a new gasket. Will bomb some sealant around the cable grommet and see if that helps.

Don't use too much sealant you don't want it in the oil galley it will plug things up !

Bike shop has what you need. No RTV.  A non hardening sealer, applied thin and even. No hurry, it's not gonna get hard.
Before you start, study the oil passages, and the glue strips on your gasket,