Too much of a mess to know if I should be concerned - glad I found this though

[Lance Mark]

I'm glad I decided to dig in a bit and do a deeper cleaning. A lot of parts have come off the bike, and so far, the bike is in great shape.

Last night I pulled off the cover on the coolant pump and found this:

Here is the coolant pump.



Behind this and underneath the bike I found an oily mess.



I have a theory. I'd be surprised if I have a leak. I've never seen one drop of oil beneath the bike and it get's ridden quite a bit. I've had issues with the oil in the past and I keep a pretty close eye on it. Immediately above this area is my oil filter. If it's not removed carefully, oil can come out and run directly into the area above. I nearly have the bike stripped and ready for cleaning and after I do the wheels, this will be the first area I hit. I want to get the bike up on the lift to get really good access to it. I'll start by carefully wiping it down. I can't flood the area with water or a degreaser as these are electrical connections. Once I get the area cleaned up, I'll have a better idea of whether I have a leak or a careless service guy.

As much as I hate to find something like this, I'd rather find it and address it than not know it's there.