Oil On Shocks
O.K. rhino17, let`s see what you have going on there. I assume you mean the rear suspension, right? Firstly any oil which I`m aware of isn`t colored gray. Any oil which is gray, as far as I am aware, has metal contamination which could be causing the discoloration which you describe. Now to have oil on those shocks (dampers) is not necessarily that bad of a sign. There are four places which could be the culprit. The engine is easily eliminated by simply looking for any oil on the lower and bottom back end of the motor and the oil lines. Be sure that your oil filter is tightened to spec. If youre engine oil and filter are old-CHANGE THEM!!! The oil filter has a bypass which when stopped with comtaminates and trash allows incoming oil to flow straight through unfiltered. Clean engine oil and filter are cheap insurance and are the life blood of your bike. The transmission has a vent releasing any undue pressure buildup and is easily checked by looking at the end of the vent hose. From time to time a technician will overfill a tranny or motor oil bag causing problems which can cause grief to the owner and oil to leak out from simply from being overfilled. This is easily remedied by checking the oil levels on the dipsticks. The third problem is that of seemingly phantom oil leaks coming from the primary case vent located on the inner case between the motor and the transmission. It is a 1/8" pipe threaded piece with sintered metal inside and small and hard to see. Often this vent has become restricted causeing many to remove the small vent for cleaning which in my estimation is a sound policy. I have made it a priority to remove and clean this little jewel at every service interval. Lastly the dampers may have ruptured the seals causing their oil to drain out. If you have been carrying heavy loads or have possibly hit any pot holes or bad bumps at speed your time for a pair of new shocks may be at hand. The last place for a leak, and it is the one nobody wants to have, can be between the primary and the transmission/starter. Lets all hope that isn`t your problem because it is a time-consuming job. I hope that this helps explain things and I apologize for the long-winded post.
