oil leak

[FastAndLight]

So I'm finally back from Iraq and I finally managed to get the battery disconnected from the bike and onto a charger.  Battery re-installed, quick look over the bike, kill switch off, hit the starter, crank crank crank...boom! Engine comes to life.  Much joy ensues.

So, I let the bike run for a while then bundled up for the 30 mile ride to my friend's garage.  Upon getting to the garage I noticed a good bit of what look like an oil leak from the top of the vertical cylinder. The bike is an 07 S2R1000.  I'm not sure if it was there when I started, but it looked pretty shiny and new (though it could have also been run off from the copious WD-40 used to get the battery disconnected, or the gas drips from the raising of the full tank).

Regardless of what my amateur mind thinks it is, I wanted to show the pictures to the experts.  I figure anything that needs done to the bike I want to do now while it is still too frigid to ride.

Thanks for the help.

[uclabiker06]

Thats caked on there pretty good.  Thoroughly clean the area in question.  Then rub your finger across the area to make sure there is absolutely no liquid. Proceed to go for a long ride and look/feel again.  Hopefully Iraq went smoothly for you. Thank you for your service...  Do a search for "oil leak".  God bless.

[He Man]

i have the same thing. dont know what caused it. but after i had a warranty replacement of my valve guides, it stopped leaking so whatever happened during the warranty, fixed it.

[uclabiker06]

Yeah, i had a leak on my horizontal cylinder.  Turns out the valve cover wasn't torqued to spec.  I tightened it a tad and that did the trick.  I still can't believe I had that problem on a brand new bike! Makes me wonder if the dealer did it on purpose or something but i doubt it.

[FastAndLight]

Thanks for the suggestions.  I have cleaned the area as well as my big hands will allow.  As soon as it warms up a bit more I'll take it for another ride.

I hope it isn't the valve guides, as the bike is an 07 S2R1000 with 11k miles and out of warranty now I believe.  Oh well, it has to go in for some other work as well soon here, hopefully this is just something simple.

[Howie]

Bad guides do not cause an external leak. 

[He Man]

Bad guides do not cause an external leak. 

I believe someone told me that already, but i was trying to refrence that whatever work was done in that area, fixed this issue, though totally unrelated. I got charged for brand new Orings for the valve covers and i think that might of been the issue. they arent the easiest things to put back on.

[Howie]

I believe someone told me that already, but i was trying to refrence that whatever work was done in that area, fixed this issue, though totally unrelated. I got charged for brand new Orings for the valve covers and i think that might of been the issue. they arent the easiest things to put back on.

I understood that.  My reply was meant for FastAndLight since he is worried about the cost of valve guide replacement.

[yotogi]

Is it coming from the head stud?

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=12992.0

This looks really similar to mine and I am 99% sure it is the head stud (behind the spark plug wire in your first picture).