Newzx14/2016 w/300 mi.was installing center stand and noticed a few drops of oil while on side stand. Thinking it was from air cleaner box but not sure. What gives....is it a little blow by from rings seating?

Verify that it's actually oil. Could be chain lube.

Mad

---

Saw it drip out of one of the small hoses under motor left side while re installing exhaust...motor oil

On Gen1 those hoses are airbox drain, fuel overflow and coolant overflow. Possibly a fuel tank breather as well. I have gotten a small amount of oil from the airbox drain. You may be overservicing engine oil. It blows up to the airbox wnen run high. Mine did this when new. Not too big a deal, just a film of oil in the airbox but it will dry up in time. I would not attempt to wipe it out because much of the interior of the aier box has a toothy surface that will pick up cloth fibers. A slight oil film will robably happen to some degree even if you run at the suggested level so don't sweat it. Check air filter at 1000 miles. It will probably need to be changed sooner than scheduled if it got saturated with oil. 6000 miles is normal for my air filter changes and I haven't had the oil blow problem running the specced oil quantity which is 4 quarts 10 oz with new filter for the Gen1.

Check which colored tape is on the tip of the hose and someone may be able to ID where it comes from. I'm betting air box.

* Last updated by: Rook on 8/21/2016 @ 2:51 PM *

---

Great info...bikes new 2016 w factory oil...started it up to movie bike to a diff location to try using rear center stand for first time,plus grease everywhere from over greased chain.etc. another drop of oil fell out of the air box drain so will keep an eye on it..no misuse on my part..if memory serves me I bought my first 14 in 07 I think..,could have been a left over 06... Talking years I turned 71 in June.

Talking years I turned 71 in June.

Happy birthday! I think you got Hub beat. I plan to be riding when I'm 71 too. Hope I can afford a bike or two or three between now and then but the longer I own the current ones, the less I feel like I need that.

---

Its a new bike and some min wage slub at the stealership or somewhere may have overfilled the oil. The drain hoses drain the air box from water and oil if it gets pumped up into the air box. I would pull the fairings and the air filter and have a look into the air box to see whats going on in there and carefully check for proper oil level.

---

When my bike was new it also spat out some oily substance from that hose. It still can on a hot day and it sitting out in the sun but it doesn't do it every day like when it was new. With mine it's usually a little like oil mixed with gass

I asked a few people about it, nothing to worry about GIVEN all else is normal with the bike as others have said (oil level, etc.).

It's Been in the mid nineties here recently....glad you mentioned the heat. These 14's run hot here in central Fl. When stopped in traffic it shows 215 degrees.

The bike comes topped off with oil. If the dealer added more, bad boy! Stand the bike upright. Have someone look at the window level. Is it covering the window. It should be leveled in the middle somewhere. If Rook calls it 4.10qt, that's where the oil lands in the window with the centerstand being used. There's a slight tilt with the centerstand so it's going to look lower.

How many miles were on it before you rode it? Before any alleged sport riding, where is the level first? Welcome, old fart! I'll be there shortly.

---

It's Been in the mid nineties here recently....glad you mentioned the heat.

I had a waxy goop that smelled like gasoline drip out of the fuel overflow hose or the breather after a long ride on a hot day and just filled the gas tank. There is some kind of sealant they squirt in there at the factory I guess. It gets spat out eventually.

...and check the spec for oil capacity. 4 quarts, 10 oz is Gen1 but the Gen2 i think is different.

---

4 miles at purchase,,,first tank of fuel got 37 mpg 2nd tank 38 mpg...trying to ride in a civil responsible manner because all eyes are on crotch rockets...besides given a little throttle,these 14's think they are part of the Star Trek fleet and bam ur in another county before ya know it...warp drive here we come..

Way too many miles for a shakedown. Oil level is where?

---

Let bike sit overnight on center stand...oil level is 3/4th on glass but one pencil line under chuck full mark on site glass. I'm assuming as miserable hot it is here in Florida...expansion has reared its ugly head and contributed to the overflow condition...also the rings going thru the seating process would have created a little blow by...my thoughts,not necessarily correct. When riding bike home from purchase I had those shorty socks on n burnt my ankles from the exhaust coming mostly from the right side...won't do that again...plus the heat coming off that side has lessoned over time or thick white socks helped.thks for everyone's replys. Really starting to like this dull black or what they call grey finish with stealth lettering..painter black the silver ankle protectors..

also the rings going thru the seating process would have created a little blow by...my thoughts,not necessarily correct.

That was my thought. Either we are both wrong or both right. Next is, the dealer location. Are we on a road that is a straight line both ways for miles? 2 miles out and 2 miles back, I can whip shit out of a test ride, be it out of the crate, or a 600mi service. I'd wheelie it and smash down on your front end; brake so hard with the fronts, the seals would leak I stay out longer with YOUR BIKE!

We are now looking at a centerstand position. Where is it with wheels on ground? Have someone look or if you can look and hold, report. If you want to keep going and establish the oil being overfilled that should have not been, to where is it now, because I sort of know the levels owning 3 of these and you'd be surprised where that OE level is out of the crate. What oil is remaining in the engine as in 'normal break-in' level, and the dealer did not road test under 4k rpm as per book break-in? It's that level now being lower and whatever left out the tube, whatever is peppered in the ram chamber is windage off that crank at [alleged] speeds beyond 4k, or is overfilled w/excess rpm.

---

Technically, you do not inspect (as per book) on a centerstand. This is now true [book] level.

---

Check oil with bike off stand so it's standing straight up and down. hold onto seat and hold shin against exhaust to feel the balance point where the bike is 90° to the floor. Make sure floor is level BTW. No nose down/uphill. The oil level is really sensitive to a few degrees this way or that. You might be better off holding the bike and let someone else look/mark with felt tip if you want a really good read. Do not rely on a rear stand being level enough. Always check when cold, lots of oil stays in the motor for an hour or so after shutdown and as you said, hot oil is most definitely bigger than cold oil. IDK how much dif 30° makes if it's a hot day but engine hot makes a big difference. Always check in the same spot on the same floor.

---

I parked the bike where I have some straps hanging down that I can support the bike n check off the center stand as you suggest...it's bout 40 miles to my dealer of purchase and I rode some secondary roads instead of interstate to do the zoom zoom thing to seat in the rings during the first 20 mi.or so...probably didn't exceed 6000 rpm but sure I moved some oil around the motor which started out at 4 mi. On odometer. If this thing was burning oil it would have shown up at exhaust n its bone dry...I don't particularly like filling the oil as full as this is from factory so won't when I do my own...have heard of other bikes not wanting as much oil so close to full mark..one of the things that brought me back to the zx14 was the comfortable ride and of course the beast it becomes when pushed..had a KTM 1290 super Duke in 2014 and didn't like the 33" seat height and figity feeling I got from it..I'm enjoying this bike,put on some foam over grips and the 1" bar risers from eBay,a new wind screen in route and I'm all set

Well, zoom-zoom, we now know what caused the rush up the breather tube. Why you fast old fart you! KTM would be my second choice if I left this model, but there's no other power curve to match this puppy. And because I jumped in the lake with the 20mi break-in, low oil level slows the bike, believe it or not.

---