[R1200RTMyP51]

Good morning everyone,
I've owned my Bullet for 9 months, and except for adding oil I haven't done squat, except ride it about 800 miles.  I've worked on my own bikes, but have always followed step-by-step direx. I own the book & CD for the RE, and know how to use a forum.
I guess what I'm asking for is someone to meet me locally, and explain what my next steps would be.  I just learned last week that I had the oil filler cap on too tight!  I'm sure I'm doing some other things wrong too, although the bike starts on the first kick & runs pretty good.
I do have an oil leak, two drops on the chain side, pretty consistently. Also both my gauges have leaked, with condensation inside.  Right turn signal not working.
Anyone in the area able to help me figure out this bike in person?
Thanks in advance.
-Scott
Hershey, PA

[R1200RTMyP51]

Oil leak.

[R1200RTMyP51]

Oil leak.

[R1200RTMyP51]

I should also say, I had my mechanic put a new tire on the back & adjust the chain & rear brake for me.
In addition, the dipstick reads on the L side.  I add oil, it leaks out, and then it's back to L. 

[Blltrdr]

From the look of your pics I find it hard to believe you are losing enough oil from the dripping to have to add oil that often. How many miles on your military? How many when you purchased? Your oil most likely is going out your breather. If it is still connected to the catch can under the battery case you should think about routing a new hose to the rear of the bike bypassing the catch can with a duckbill valve on the end of the hose. Plenty has been written on this forum about doing this. A motor that was never properly broke in will blow more oil out the breather since the rings never where seated properly. It is a very laborious task to properly break in a motor on a Bullet.  The dripping from the drain plugs could be stopped with some fiber washers (Napa Auto). I have had better luck with them than the copper ones. Always be careful not to over torque any fastener on any alloy part. Also I see a drip line on your filler plug on your primary cover. The small plug on the bottom of your cover is your fill line on level service. Type F ATF is the forum favorite fluid to use in the primary case. This makes it easier to differentiate your drips from the motor and primary. There are many improvements that are not expensive that you can do to make your Bullet more reliable. Everything is archived on this forum. One thing I would suggest is to do all the maintenance on your Bullet yourself. These are easy bikes to work on and can be a little finicky also. If you do all the maintenance work you will be familiar with everything on the bike and will make it easier for you to diagnose and repair. Hell half the fun of owning a Bullet is working on it.

[baird4444]

could also be your process. are you checking cold after sitting???

go for a little run and warm the oil a little...
shut off and let sit a minute or 2...
then check by just setting the dip stick in hole, not screwed down... 
most Bullets are happy midway tween full and half, seem to blow out to that level...
running WFO will vent more oil...
do not screw down oil cap all the way, this position is for transport only. breathes correctly with cap only on 1st click.

         - Mike
howse your plug? oily? sooty?

[R1200RTMyP51]

Mileage info would be helpful.  I've put 800 on it, and took this photo yesterday.
Yes I check the oil after a ride.
I agree that the oil is coming from the breather area, as this photo illustrates.  Is that just part of the experience?  Any suggestions on clean-up?  I do enjoy riding it in the 50mph range.
-Scott

[Blltrdr]

Quite a mess down there. You could have oil seeping out your seal on the back of your primary cover or if the original owner removed the veedol 00 grease from the gearbox and replaced it with gear oil you could have seepage out of the gearbox on shaft side. If your breather hose was taken off the catch can and replaced with a duckbill breather hose that is run over to the chain that will also make a mess. Any how I would suggest running your breather hose as Ace (Tom) has suggested so very many times up from the breather to the top of the frame then run along the pannier carrier and exiting out the back by your license frame. You can use a hose splicer and attach your existing duckbill to the end. This will eliminate all the oil vapor being sprayed all over your chain and rear wheel. There is a detailed description on how to run the breather hose out the back if you do a forum search. You should thoroughly clean that area around your gearbox and primary so you can see if the oily mess that is shown in your pic is leaking from either of those. 

[azcatfan]

I was going to say the same thing, it is likely a combination from the transmission gearbox shaft, chain lube, and the breather catch can dripping.

It also looks like you have the 4 speed, which I didn't know the IB still came with those in '04.

I did a series of instructional videos if you care to have a look.  Types of oil and such are always up for debate, but I had the same problems when I first got my Iron Barrel (which has almost the same mileage as yours now).  A few drops everytime I parked it.

After draining the catch can, changing the oil and filter and replacing the worn-out fiber washers, changing the primary fluid and replacing the primary gasket while in there I currently have no leaks!

I use motorcycle oil in the motor, ATF in the primary, and a green oil concoction in the transmission so now my leaks are color coded.  If it starts dripping I'll know that Amber=Motor Oil, Red=Primary, Green/Snot=Trans, and Black=Oil Catch Can.

You can find my videos in this link:

http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,18378.0.html

Good Luck!   

[R1200RTMyP51]

As requested, here's a shot of my right thumb & index finger.  haha
Can anyone read the tea leaves, and share with me what my spark plug is telling me?  I put on a new one, and the bike runs noticeably better.
Thanks!

[ace.cafe]

As far as a general appearance goes, it is not too bad. But it is not really indicative of the various throttle positions. It would be more informative to do plug chops at 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and full throttle. This will reveal how the jetting is at all the various jet ranges, which is way more useful info.

[baird4444]

Nuthing runs like a new plug, right?
Plugs are cheap. I used to change mine at every oil change....
      - Mike

[Blltrdr]

I would try advancing your timing slightly to get your anneal mark on your ground strap to reach the apex of the bend. What plug are you showing in the pic? I would also suggest using a NGK B8ES if you are using a resistor cap.

[neil]

I've had my bullet65 Buzzy new since 2004. 23,000 miles on it at present. I'd be overjoyed if Buzzy left only two drip marks after being ridden. As a suggestion, I park over a large piece of flat cardboard. That way I have a better picture of where the drips originate. It doesn't stop them, but it zero's in on the location.

I'd get about 4 ft. of hose that will fit over the engine breather elbow on the left side of the engine and secure it with a small hose clamp. Bend the hose upward as close as possible to the clamp and run the remainder of the hose at the top of the frame, under the seat, and along the frame to the back of the bike at the license plate area and just past it. Attach the duck bill, that is currently in your catch can, and secure it at the back end with another hose clamp and you should be in business.

You will be able to feel the pulsations behind the duck bill each time the piston is in it's downward stroke. That tends to lower the crankcase pressure below ambient pressure and should exhaust only oil mist out the back of the bike. Won't stop all the oil coming out but should help. Putting the oil tank cap on correctly will also help. A N D  - - - don't over fill the tank, then the engine won't keep trying to get rid of what it doesn't need.

You'll still have to wipe your bike down every once in a while. It's the nature of the beast.

 Neil and Buzzy the Bullet.   

[R1200RTMyP51]

I could still use some help if there's anyone in the area that's willing to help me 'learn' my bike. My local dealer is less than ideal, and I'm seriously considering just fire-saleing my bike (and upgrading to an airhead).

[Tarnand]

R1200RTMyP51,
It is not easy to find an oil leak since the rushing air spreads it all over.  However, from the posted pictures it appears that you definitely may have leaks from under the drain plugs.  Good news is that it is easy to fix.  I am using composite washers for 14mm plugs from Autozone, just the same I am using for drain plugs on my Honda Accord at every oil change.  Since then I did not get a drop of oil from that location.  Also, when using these washers torquing these plugs requires minimal force so there is no possibility of stripping the threads ... and this sometimes does happen.

Having these leaks eliminated it will be easier to investigate the remaining leaks.
I would be very glad to meet you and share my Bullet experiences but unfortunately I live in Chicago. 

[Tarnand]

Also, what someone already suggested, inspect your air filter and intake for any oil residue. 

[1 Thump]

I just learned last week that I had the oil filler cap on too tight!  I'm sure I'm doing some other things wrong too, although the bike starts on the first kick & runs pretty good.
I do have an oil leak, two drops on the chain side, pretty consistently. Also both my gauges have leaked, with condensation inside.  Right turn signal not working.
Anyone in the area able to help me figure out this bike in person?
Thanks in advance.
-Scott
Hershey, PA

Just how tight should the oil filler cap be? Is there a cap with a small hole in it? Mine does not have a hole.

[R1200RTMyP51]

The oil filler cap can be turned clockwise until it 'stops' but can then be turned clockwise even further until it REALLY stops. You want it in the first one. I've gathered that the 2nd, fully locked down position is how it comes from the factory.

[ace.cafe]

It depends what year bike it is.
Early ones had a different cap system than the later ones.
Later ones can only be tight, and there are no 2 positions possible.
This change occurred when they moved the breather outlet to the top of the oil tank, probably late 2004-early 2005.

[Bullet Whisperer]

There is NO 'transport' position of the oil filler cap - like the petrol caps that turn, they should be shut tight, end of. Some caps had / have pin holes in them, some don't. The ones that don't are for engines which have a tiny hole from the top rear of the crankcase into the oil tank, the oil tanks breathe through this and the crankcase breather. There is NO, NO, NO 'transport position' of the oil filler cap. Really, honestly, truly, trust me, I have nothing to gain by stating this, but this whole myth just seems to drag on and on and seems to be global. It is bollocks. 

[ace.cafe]

There is NO 'transport' position of the oil filler cap - like the petrol caps that turn, they should be shut tight, end of. Some caps had / have pin holes in them, some don't. The ones that don't are for engines which have a tiny hole from the top rear of the crankcase into the oil tank, the oil tanks breathe through this and the crankcase breather. There is NO, NO, NO 'transport position' of the oil filler cap. Really, honestly, truly, trust me, I have nothing to gain by stating this, but this whole myth just seems to drag on and on and seems to be global. It is bollocks. 

I totally agree with B.W.
I have always run all of my oil filler caps full tight.

[Arizoni]

At one time, the Royal Enfield Bullet did have a two position oil filler cap.

One position was for riding and one position was for shipping the motorcycle.
If the bike was ridden with the cap tightened to the "shipping position" it would blow oil out of the oil tank all over the rear of the motorcycle.

This is well documented by Gordon G. May in his book OVERLAND TO INDIA   © 2008.

It should be remembered, he was riding a 1953 Bullet.

I have no idea when Royal Enfield changed the two position oil filler cap (if the UK company ever did) and I don't know if the Indian version had this feature but as the motorcycle the Indians produced was a 1955 model I assume it did.

When they changed it to a single position cap is also unknown to me.
Perhaps someone here has an actual date for the change by the Indian company?

[ace.cafe]

At one time, the Royal Enfield Bullet did have a two position oil filler cap.

One position was for riding and one position was for shipping the motorcycle.
If the bike was ridden with the cap tightened to the "shipping position" it would blow oil out of the oil tank all over the rear of the motorcycle.

This is well documented by Gordon G. May in his book OVERLAND TO INDIA   © 2008.

It should be remembered, he was riding a 1953 Bullet.

I have no idea when Royal Enfield changed the two position oil filler cap (if the UK company ever did) and I don't know if the Indian version had this feature but as the motorcycle the Indians produced was a 1955 model I assume it did.

When they changed it to a single position cap is also unknown to me.
Perhaps someone here has an actual date for the change by the Indian company?

Oh! So that's where the rumor started!

The caps stayed the same until about when they switched to the 5-spd which had a changed engine case and different breather.
My 2000 has the 2 position cap, and no oil blows out when fully tight.