Ride Three

For Ural Sidecar Motorcycle Enthusiasts

Pardon my puddle

“Is your Ural leaking oil?”

“Ummm… huh?”

It wasn’t the phone call I expected. Earlier yesterday afternoon, I rode Svetlana over to see my friend Jon Meyers, a local photographer. A couple of hours after I got home that evening, he rang me and asked about Svetlana leaking oil.

“Not as far as I know. I just checked the oil this morning, actually. She hasn’t used a drop.”

“Well, there’s this puddle out here where you were parked, and a trail where your front tire tracked it as you backed out.”

Jon took a couple of photos (like the one above) and emailed them to me. The puddle and track are definitely from where Svetlana was parked, and from where I backed her up.

But here’s the thing…

If there is a leak, I can’t find it. I checked the oil this morning, and it was full. There was no oil on the garage floor. I examined the underside of the bike, from the final drive to the gearbox to the oil filter housing, and couldn’t make out anything that looked like a leak. I checked around the engine for any signs of a crack and seepage, and… nothing.

So what now?

Next steps

• Post on Soviet Steeds… check. Soviet Steeds - Hammerin’ & Wrenchin’ - Mystery Oil Puddle
• Post on Ride Three… erm, check.
• Take Sveta for a quick spin and see how she does… check. I ran a quick errand after work, and Sveta ran fine. Felt and sounded normal.
• Check oil and garage floor again… oh yeah, hang on a sec… check. No oil on garage floor… however, did notice a wee drop on the underside of the gearbox oil drain plug. Could that be it?
• Ponder… check. If the oil did come from Svetlana, could it have come from the gearbox? She was parked on a slight incline, so that could’ve caused more seepage from that plug, as the oil would have been pouring back towards that part of the housing. And if that is the case, what does it mean? Is there a way to check the gearbox oil?

Or, could this have just been some weird coincidence where I just happened to park in someone else’s puddle and just didn’t notice?

Update: Oil Leak Follow-up