Please advise - about to leave on a trip - how concerned shall I be?!!

[Kevin frazier]

You had a good idea too, just take on in to shop and thats one of those things that will get knocked out first thing real quick. This is no big deal i bet, that bolt and crush washer hopefully did all the giving and that sump plate is a ok

 

[Gerald]

Thanks for all your advice guys! Still trying to come up with a good solution. Here’s another picture to show the location of the bolt.

I believe tank drain bolt with o-ring is next one back on the left side.

 

[Dr.D]

Aw heck that’s a bitty scratch. I’d take it on a big trip and wring the chit out of it.

If that was mine the image of that bolt would be in my head all day and dreams the night through. It would torture me and ruin my trip. I’m funny about little stuff like that. I had an electrical warning light come on while on a trip in Monument Valley and I got sick and nearly threw up. I found out from a call to the dealer the next day that it was a low fob battery. One whole day in a panic over nothing but it got in my head. I’d have it at a dealer ASAP!

Someone like Kevin would just disassemble the whole bike to check every system, put back together and finish the trip without a sweat.

 

[germ79]

OK, sorry for the slow update for all of you who have helped. we made it to Colorado and I have an appointment to have the bike looked at in the morning. I sent them pictures and while they don’t have the bolt in stock, they do have the washer and gasket and they believe that is what was compromised.

They are essentially going to do an oil change and swap out the parts. If that solves the problem – great! If not, then I will take a long some extra oil just in case I need to top it off. The leak is quite slow.

I can’t thank you enough for jumping in and helping me out! We’ll see what happens!

I guess the worst case scenario is, I’ll have to buy a new Rocket while I’m there.

 

[Dr.D]

OK, sorry for the slow update for all of you who have helped. we made it to Colorado and I have an appointment to have the bike looked at in the morning. I sent them pictures and while they don’t have the bolt in stock, they do have the washer and gasket and they believe that is what was compromised.

They are essentially going to do an oil change and swap out the parts. If that solves the problem – great! If not, then I will take a long some extra oil just in case I need to top it off. The leak is quite slow.

I can’t thank you enough for jumping in and helping me out! We’ll see what happens!

I guess the worst case scenario is, I’ll have to buy a new Rocket while I’m there.

I did that one time. I had a fuel injector system go out on a Ford 250 diesel in west TX while towing a trailer of bikes. I bought a new truck to get home. Most expensive vacation ever.

 

[TURBO200R4]

I would not try to change that washer
better to ride it the way it is.

 

[germ79]

Just an update - I ended up going to Colorado Springs Powersports the morning we were scheduled to leave. They were VERY nice and got me in even though they had a 5 week wait for appts. The techs looked at it and suggested what many of you also said - don't touch it. They felt it looked like the bolt wasn't bent, but had pulled threads out on one side. They said the leak didn't look too bad and thought it was safe to ride for the trip. They mentioned that I could use some sealant on it before I left for the trip, which I did. I bought extra oil and it all held tight for a day and then the leak persisted. Maybe 1/2 a teaspoon on the ground each time it sat at the beginning of the trip, but by the end of the trip it was probably a teaspoon or more. All in all I used maybe 1/4 -1/3 of a quart of oil and everything ran fine.

So, now, I have to do a repair. I think I will first attempt to buy a new bolt and washer and see if it will thread back in correctly. If not, I will need to buy the entire sump plate and I that should take care of it.

I SO appreciate your help and support! And a big shout out to Colorado Springs Powersports for being super cool about the whole thing.

 

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Now that you are home pull that drain plug out and see what you got. The drain plug could be OK but the threads in the hole may be buggered. Let us know what you find.

 

[Koko3052]

So how did this all turn out? My guess would be that the threads were pulled on one side of the hole?

 

[cootertwo]

Yup, looks bad to me. You can tell it's knocked a bit sideways in the hole. Probably a new sump plate in order.