Houston... We Might Have A Problem...

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: So I'm off to School today for 8 hours...
When I get to the Hall; the right side f the bike seems to have oil on it! :yikes:
I first noticed it on the lowest air deflector; down by my feet.
I checked the oil fill, and all was dry up there...
then I started looking forward...
There's oil on the right front shock body; but not necessarily on the spring... :dontknow:
Have we seen any other reports of bad 2014 shocks?
Is there an oil cooler up front that might have popped a leak?

 

[Chupaca]

Don't know..!!

but would suspect an oil line somewhere. If they switched cooler around. The RS has the oil cooler on the left side sitting on the machine and on the 14's they moved all the radiators up front. If you can check the oil lines and radiator cause if its from there it would blow back to the shock. Hope it is only a loose connection...:gaah:

 

[Silvervette05]

Hopefully just a loose connection ray:

 

[PaSpyderRyder]

:shocked: So I'm off to School today for 8 hours...
When I get to the Hall; the right side f the bike seems to have oil on it! :yikes:
I first noticed it on the lowest air deflector; down by my feet.
I checked the oil fill, and all was dry up there...
then I started looking forward...
There's oil on the right front shock body; but not necessarily on the spring... :dontknow:
Have we seen any other reports of bad 2014 shocks?
Is there an oil cooler up front that might have popped a leak?

Bob,

Keep us posted as what the issue is and the out come

Thanks,
Bob

 

[garb55]

2014 RT has no oil cooler up front
It is mounted on the motor
If oil is on the shock it must be coming from the shock because there is no oil in front of the shock
Are you sure it is oil and not coolant?
Don

 

[cptjam]

Shock

Scrub clean, then inspect. Go on a slow ride, hit the brakes hard a couple of times. Inspect. Sometimes, a dusting of powder helps find the source. Good luck! Joe

 

[StanProff]

I would guess it is the shock. As stated, no external oil cooler on the 1330. It happens, My son has a tricked out 2013 Tacoma pickup that developed a shock leak when it was less than 3 months old. It left a puddle of oil in his driveway. Everyone with a 1330 should notice theirs to see if possibly there was a bad batch of shocks.

 

[Bob Denman]

I did a bit of tracing last evening... There seems to be no "messiness" forward of the shock itself...
But it's kind of tough to try and "Bounce" a front corner of these bikes; there's nothing to grab! :dontknow:

 

[SteveMac]

I did a bit of tracing last evening... There seems to be no "messiness" forward of the shock itself...
But it's kind of tough to try and "Bounce" a front corner of these bikes; there's nothing to grab! :dontknow:

Try Joes suggestion in post 6. That will generate the force you need.


I think bob squirted some oil on that shock, so he can point it out to the missus and say, "see honey, we NEED those Elkas..." :roflblack:

 

[Bob Denman]

Hmmmmm.... That's actually NOT a bad idea...

(You don't happen to have a set stored in that Wing anywhere; do you?
We've got nothing but rain and thunderstorms on the radar up here for about the next week. I'll do some cleaning some cleaning, and see what I can see in the comfort of the garage!

 

[Tango]

Good luck with that Bob. No trailer available? Can dealer come and get it? If not. Drive down the road, park it safe, call for a tow. :f_spider: More than one way to skin a cat, so to speak. :thumbup: Keep us all informed. :chat: Tom :trike:

 

[Bob Denman]

It's rideable; I'm just not sure when the weather is going to co-operate with me again... :shocked:

 

[Nils888]

Bob. If you end up having a bad shock. I have the stock shocks off my 2014 RTS I could send you if you need one.

 

[Bob Denman]

Thanks! I really appreciate that generous offer :clap:... But it would be a warranty issue anyway, so I'm good! :thumbup:

SpyderFolks helping out!! This is a fantastic place!! nojoke

 

[warp10]

Bob, I heard that BRP was able to get the stock shocks price down to $7 each, :yikes: even if that is not true and they are 4 times higher, you get what you pay for. Cheap no adjustment shocks.
I think this is a great time to upgrade to Elkas :yes: :thumbup: You know how good the Elkas are. :firstplace:

Just tell the misses that you don't want to take a chance on anything happening to her by replacing the cheap shocks with more cheap shocks.

 

[Bob Denman]

This has really forced some soul-searching at "Chez-Denman"... :shocked:
I really do LIKE the ride and handling of the bike...
But I fully understand and appreciate the upgraded components too!
I've got a window of opportunity tonight, where i can play around under the bike, and find the source of this.
If it is just a shock; I'll most likely just call my dealer, fill them in, and tell them to give me a call when the replacements arrive.
It'll buy me more time to decide about BajaRon's Bar, and The Elkas from John! :2thumbs:

 

[SteveMac]

Question.
Even though the sway bar and shocks have different functions, would putting a sway bar on, relieve any side to side stress on the shocks? I don't know the physics, but since the shock does have an upper and lower mount, it seems to me that excessive right to left movement might put additional stress on the shock seals. Like the weakest link scenario. Especially on a very cheaply made shock.

Just wondering out loud.

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: That's not a question...
That's a GOOD question! :thumbup:
It would bring more spring into the equation; at least in the turns.

 

[Tango]

Bob, anything on this? If I had my trailer I'd offer. Butt, that's another story. :banghead: Tom :trike:

 

[Bob Denman]

Thanks Tom... :thumbup:
I cleaned all of the "wahdering oil" off the side of the bike...
In between coughing myself unconscious, and blowing my nose; I jumped up and down and generally hassled the shock.
No seepage; no weepage.. :dontknow: