source of grease????

I went for a short ride today and at my lunch stop noticed several places on the back of the Spyder that appeared to be black grease. It was kind of small streaks like it had been wind blown. I looked up underneath and thought I might have detected more above the rear tire but it was difficult to tell. Had to attend to some other chores so will have to investigate further with better lighting tomorrow. Meanwhile what would be a source of grease appearing under the fender and coming out on the back end, like the back of the top-case and saddlebags? :dontknow:

Grease or oil under the rear fender probably came off the road. Oil, tranny fluid, and other stuff leaks from vehicles at stop lights while they sit waiting for the light to change. You stop there and it slings the mess up on the under side of the fender when you pull off.

that was the answer I was hoping to see. but just wasn't sure if the Spyder even had a source for grease to get loose where it could be blown around and onto the rear of the bags, etc.

It's a common affliction on my rides, nothing to worry about.

Seem to get that from time to time when travelling on major multilane highways. I think it comes from trucks with too much grease on fifth wheel plate.

I see it on the back of my front fenders after long rides. Yup, road sourced.

Thanks everyone. All of your similar reports puts me a little more at ease. I have cleaned up the grease and plan to take it out for another ride to see if there is a recurrence.

Might even have been some of that old Borger Crude - I love the Texas historical signs...

Billybovine, as a truck driver, I assure you that most 5th wheels don't get enough grease! Lol

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Originally Posted by Jackhartjr

Billybovine, as a truck driver, I assure you that most 5th wheels don't get enough grease! Lol

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And most of what they get is scraped off every trailer swap.

If you look, the amount of oil on the pavement at stop lights is obvious. It is usually leaked right in the center of the lane, so 4 wheel vehicles don't run through it, but a Spyder goes through the puddle dead center on the rear wheel. If there is a lot of oil and a light rain comes along, it floats the oil to the surface and the rear tire will break loose when you try to leave on the green light. The leaked oil collects dust, dirt, and whatever else sticks to it, so it gets thicker, like grease the longer it stays on the road.

Well, I took the beast out for another ride yesterday on roads different from the ones I was on the day before. No obvious signs of "grease" or what-ever the gunk was on the rear of the top-case and saddlebags. So happy this wasn't coming from somewhere on the bike.