Workshop Update – Current State of the Patient
What I Found
This all started as chasing a stumble and some oil showing up around the heads. Compression checked out strong at 165 / 155, and the top end looks remarkably clean inside. Nothing there suggested a tired motor.
Oil around the heads didn’t trace back to any obvious external leaks. Stud O-rings are the likely culprit, and I’ve got Viton replacements ready. Plan is to replace the four upper stud O-rings under the rocker blocks one at a time without pulling heads or cylinders. It’s possible that the leak is the o-ring under the bolt cover above the rocker arms. Thanks Charlie
The bigger surprise showed up once I pulled the transmission. The bike has a RAM single-plate clutch with an old-school Surflex disc. The disc was completely oil-soaked and tacky, which explains why the clutch was grabby and wouldn’t fully release at a stop.
Someone’s been in here before. The rear main seal was installed crooked, and the breather vent gasket wasn’t seated correctly. There is also a leaking tans input seal and the clutch pushrod.
On the intake side, one idle mixture screw was missing its O-ring entirely. Once that was fixed, the carbs finally adjusted properly and settled into a stable idle.
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What I’m Fixing
All sealing issues are getting addressed properly:
• Rear main seal
• Breather vent gasket
• Transmission reseal while it’s out
• Upper stud O-rings under the rocker blocks (Viton) if the cap o-ring doesn’t fix it.
The rear bearing cover wouldn’t come off( obviously I didn’t look this up first) so I stopped, looked it up, and made the proper puller using cut-down, slotted 6mm bolts as set screws and 8mm bolts in the flange holes. Cover came off cleanly with zero drama. I do have the correct tool for setting the rear main seal depth.
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What I’m Debating
The clutch.
Given a 5,000-mile trip planned for late April, I’m seriously considering ditching the RAM single-plate and going back to a stock dual-plate setup. I’m after smooth engagement, heat tolerance, and long-haul reliability more than quick revs.
For those who’ve run both:
• Stick with the RAM? With new clutch plate
• Or go back to the stock dual-plate for distance riding?
Not dealing with a worn-out motor here—just deferred maintenance and some questionable previous wrenching. I’d rather sort it now in the shop than discover it on the side of the road somewhere west of nowhere.
More updates soon.
I looked in my bolt section and found some long enough to do the job.
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