Checking a Motorcycle for Oil Seepage and Dirt: What I Found on My XR250 BAJA and the Cleaners I Use

Hello everyone.

When I gave my Honda XR250 BAJA (the Japan-market XR250 / MD30) a proper wash for the first time in a while, the underside of the engine and the area around the rear linkage were much dirtier than I'd expected. Looking closely, I also found a spot where oil was seeping out.

In this article, I'll show where I found the dirt and the oil seepage while washing the bike, what I did about it, and the cleaners I use for different jobs.

Mud baked on by the heat of the frame

It's pretty dirty from the mud thrown up by the front tyre. The XR has a dry-sump engine with the oil tank inside the frame, so the frame gets hot when you ride. Mud stuck to the hot frame gradually gets baked on.

The oil seepage was at the base of an oil hose

The seepage was at the base of an oil hose under the engine. Dust had mixed with the oil and caked on black.

I nipped up the fitting at the base and then cleaned the whole area thoroughly. With it clean, it'll be easier to see where the oil is coming from if it starts seeping again.

The rear linkage was covered in mud too

The area around the rear linkage and the underside of the swingarm, which you don't normally see, were also dirty with mud and grease. The second photo shows the Antlion rear linkage arm after I removed it. Sand and mud have stuck to the grease.

After this, I took the rear linkage apart, cleaned it and greased it. I've written up the steps in this article.

I also checked the chain and sprockets at the same time.

The cleaners I use for different jobs

For oily dirt on parts I've removed, I use an alkaline cleaner called KM Clean. It's on the expensive side, but I like it because it's gentle on parts, you can adjust the concentration, and it's kinder to the environment.

The one I usually prefer is WAKO'S Foaming Multi Cleaner. It removes dirt well, and unlike parts cleaner spray, it doesn't splash all over the surroundings.

When it doesn't matter if the solvent splashes, such as when I'm cleaning only removed parts, I use a cheap parts cleaner. But some parts cleaners can damage plastics and rubber parts such as O-rings, so read the instructions carefully and choose the right one for the job.

Summary

• If you look under the engine and around the linkage when you wash the bike, you'll notice dirt and seepage
• On my XR BAJA, the base of an oil hose was seeping. I nipped up the fitting and cleaned it
• On the dry-sump XR, mud tends to get baked on by the heat of the frame
• I use different cleaners depending on the dirt and the situation

Here's the article where I checked the effect of the greasing on a ride.

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