Hello gentlemen,
Thank you all for the replies!

To clarify why I took these nuts off: 100% guaranteed one of them severely leaks oil.  The inside of the cover was totally swamped. If it wasn't for the dust to congeal with: standing puddles. I doubt this amount of oil could have migrated from the nearby front flanged nut. (Although that could be an accessory problem.)
Thus, the plan was to RTV seal the copper washers.

What could cause such a leak with these nuts? Has something deeper in my engine gone to hell? Have I blown seals, o-rings, or gaskets within?

At any rate, before knowing any better, I took both nuts off. Simultaneously. I'm guessing this severely heightens that risk of corrupting the seal and blowing the head gasket. If the plan is to simply reassemble the bike as-is, even with said torque wrench, is it likely I'll face trouble?

If so, would it be a better plan for me to remove the engine from my frame and invest in a local mechanic to go through and redo all my seals, valves, and essentially renovate? What would be a good price for this service? Is it even worth it? Is there anything else I should do while he's in there? Cams? Pistons?

Is there a middle path? I don't want to remove my engine!

Don't just
Fix the whole thing
Because it has a localized problem.

Would you disassemble the car and rebuild it over a radiator leak?

The engines are known to run for a very long time without big maintenance.

I don't know that I'd oil the threads, in case it contaminates the permatex. what do the rest of you think? I'm happy to be corrected. I'd also just do the nut up and call it good. Not retorque it later. That might break the seal made by the permatex and undo your good work.

MirageJack wrote on 08/26/16 at 12:19:46:


Just because you have a tw doesn't mean you apply a great deal of torque your first go.  Use it more like a normal wrench and when it starts snugging up,  do 1/8 or 1/4 turns.  Better yet, practice once or twice on something obsolete as well.  After your done turn it back to the zero settings so it has a better chance of being calibrated correctly.  

Best regards,