Kawi2strokes.com Forum

I have a leak from the right side of the engine via the rubber drain grommet on my H1A. I'm guessing (due to the look and name of this piece) some oil is not unexpected from here?. After a ride, I'll sit her on the main stand and over the next 24 hours, there will be an obvious oil spot on the garage floor. I looked today (after a good 60 mile ride) and the drain grommet itself is glistening with oil - suggesting it is leaking as I ride. Can you tell me where this is coming from and potentially why plus what I may need to do to stop this? Otherwise the beast is running sweet as

Thanks for your thoughts.

_________________
"If a man over 40 still rides a motorbike, think personality disorder" - A not famous Psychologist

What colour is the oil? (2t or gear lube)

There are two sources of leaks in this area on your H1A. One is the distributor shaft seal ( seal can be obtained from your bearing supplier). The clutch cover will have to be removed and the shaft pulled to fix this.

The other is the oil pump. They may leak at the shaft, banjo bolts, or end cap of the pump.

J

Thanks for such a quick response. I have been out and had a bit of a look and the oil looks to be the gear oil as opposed to the 2stroke. Now does this mean a big and messy job to rectify things? Also, what will happen if I don't do the repair for a while - is the leak going to affect things or result in unpleasant damage?

Thanks for any further thoughts.

_________________
"If a man over 40 still rides a motorbike, think personality disorder" - A not famous Psychologist

I'm not clear on what's leaking. The transmission drain hole has a big bolt in it. What is this thing you're calling a "drain grommet" that's leaking?

_________________
If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

My experience is; it is almost always 2 stroke oil, coming from the banjo bolts, either the line-in or the lines-out, you must be very careful with them because the oil pump is soft as butter, maybe even warm butter. I used sealant on the washers (very carefully applied and a very small amount)

If it is the gearbox oil, it could be the distributor, the tach drive or the oil pump gasket, if it is the tach drive it will be running up the tach cable and the signs of this leak should be obvious on the base of the cable, the distributor drive should be visible if you take the cap off (very easy) and pull the rotor and plastic disc then look to see if the oil is running out of the shaft.

The oil pump gasket is changable just take the two screws out and lift the pump. Simple gasket, easy to make one.

_________________
Using a poorly conceived idea along with bad mechanical practice is not an upgrade but rather a recipe for disaster.

Early H1 distributor stuff Jim. The 500s normally have this big drain on the bottom of the oil pump cover. The thing is a black rubber tube about 2in. long and about 3/4in in diameter. The idea is to evacuate oil, fuel, or moisture that may get into the distributor cap area.

As far as the leak goes, other than making a mess (and possibly running the gearbox dry) my only concern would be contamination of the distributor cap. These are getting very scarce and as such it is advisable to take care of them as best possible.

J

OK, Thanks Scott. Early H1s sure are oddball. If I live long enough to die of old age, I'll know all about them by then.

_________________
If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

Thanks for the extra thoughts guys. I probably need to take a longer and more careful look before deciding what to do. Appreciate it.

_________________
"If a man over 40 still rides a motorbike, think personality disorder" - A not famous Psychologist