Stumped (Oil leak, level, gas contamination)

[34nineteen]

Dont say "Buell". Bring them part numbers.

I show the rocker box gasket is $8.16 at St Paul. It appears to be used in Sportsters from 84 and up, so theres no reason why the Harley dealer, or any independent motorcycle repair shop shouldnt have them available and in stock.

The thing with snake oil, is that the cheaper products usually dont do the job. You usually have pony up for the higher end stuff to see results, and even then its iffy. Murphys law says that it will probably try to block off small oil passages in the motor and could reduce lubrication to items that need it, and if that happens you'll have a ruined pile of Buell branded parts on your garage floor.

Its not hard to do if you have patience and can follow the instructions in the manual. That said, I can't follow a cooking recipe to save my life, no matter how clear or "dumbed down" it is. This isnt a dig at you or your skills, as "not everyone can be an astronaut", myself included.

[Jims89]

See now you're making me think I should not try the leak stopper, I was going to spring for whatever was deemed best, but I was also skeptical about the product being able to do what it says on the tin without side-effects so I figured I would ask.

As far as doing the work myself, I do have a copy of the maintenance manual and that's how I was able to pull the carb before (a big stretch from my typical comfort zone), but reading through the procedure to remove the rocker box brings up a lot of question marks for me, I feel like they pre-supposed a level of experience I don't have when, after getting other things out of the way, they simply say "2. Remove rocker cover."... With what tool, do I need a special wrench to fit in any of the places? Will I need a torque wrench to put it back together? Can I do this while the bike is on a kickstand or do I need to buy something to support the bike? Etc.

[34nineteen]

See now you're making me think I should not try the leak stopper, I was going to spring for whatever was deemed best, but I was also skeptical about the product being able to do what it says on the tin without side-effects so I figured I would ask.

As far as doing the work myself, I do have a copy of the maintenance manual and that's how I was able to pull the carb before (a big stretch from my typical comfort zone), but reading through the procedure to remove the rocker box brings up a lot of question marks for me, I feel like they pre-supposed a level of experience I don't have when, after getting other things out of the way, they simply say "2. Remove rocker cover."... With what tool, do I need a special wrench to fit in any of the places? Will I need a torque wrench to put it back together? Can I do this while the bike is on a kickstand or do I need to buy something to support the bike? Etc.

I'm sure there is an assumed level of base knowledge when they write these service manuals. I'd be surprised if there wasnt a disclaimer in the actual paper copy calling it out.

But its like that for just about anything. Take my cooking example, for instance. What do you mean "pre heat the oven"? "why can't i just use a butter knife to cut bread" etc. Granted, these are more common sense, but I think you get the point.


If you're interested in learning how to wrench on a bike, the Blast is a good place to start. But if you just want to put gas in and ride, you're probably better off unloading it and getting into something new. Myself, I think I prefer working on motorcycles more than I like riding them, so a bike like yours is right up my alley. I also realize I am an outlier. SHUT UP COOTER. Once I get a motorcycle running, I get bored and it goes by the wayside until I sell it to buy another project.