Oil leak from valve cover bolt. Scrambler 2021
I’m new to the BMW RnineT.
Recently bought the bike from a dealer and rode 600km of highway home without any issues. No smoke from the exhaust but at red lights I noticed the smell of hot/burnt oil. No visible leaks at the time.
Rode short distances for a week, then was away for work for 3 weeks. When I got back I found an oil stain where the bike had been parked.
Wiped it off, started the bike as normal and took it for a short ride to track down the source. Turned out to be the valve cover bolt that’s leaking.
Emailed the dealer and they first told me to tighten the bolt a bit more. The bolt was already tight so that didn’t help. They’ve now told me to take it to a local workshop, have them fix it and send the invoice to the dealer.
I still have 5 months of dealer warranty left, so no need to ride 600km back to them.
Also noticed the oil level is slightly higher than normal. Standing upright you can’t see the level on the dipstick, but if you lean the bike to the right (somewhere between 25–45 degrees) the level becomes visible. The oil was changed by the dealer before purchase.
The bike has also had the valve adjustments done according to the service book at the correct mileage. My suspicion is that the o-ring/gasket on the inspection plug wasn’t replaced during the valve service — because it should have been, and if not, that could explain the leak.
Year: 2021 BMW R nineT Scrambler
ODO: 11,800 km
Anyone else experienced a leak from the valve cover bolt? Was it the gasket or just the torque that was the issue?