Why do cagers leak so much?

[CDNRatMan]

  I have Metzler's and not had any issues with them in the rain, or frost on the roads early in the morning.....yours might just be hard and old......

[Troll]

My Michelins are not soft tires. The grip is excellent, and the rear one has almost 23,000 miles on it.

[kawasaki.addict]

It.is a metzler white wall but it is in need of replacement. Thanks for your response i was wanting to know of it was just bad tires or if i need to buy super soft tires to grip the road.

[Troll]

On a side not to your first comment about sliding. Does anyone else notice your drifter will slide on almost any amount of moisture?  I was pilling into station yesterday morning an they had sprinklers on, so a very minimal amount of water in driveway entrance. I hit that water an my drifter did a full 180* spin!!!!!! 2 hours later taking off at a light little bit of run off in the 4way intersection i hit that and smoke the rear tire into 3rd it would not grip an stopping in the middle of a 4 way on pch at huntington beach was not an option. My wife thought i did it on purpose. Is it just a bad tire/ me getting used to this bike. Or have you guys noticed these things have tons of torque an love to slide?

I do not have this problem. I've ridden in torrential rain storms and cold temps (32 deg F and less) and the bike is sure footed and feels planted at all but the most extreme (dragging stuff) lean angles. What kind of crap tires do you have? How old are they?

[kawasaki.addict]

On a side not to your first comment about sliding. Does anyone else notice your drifter will slide on almost any amount of moisture?  I was pilling into station yesterday morning an they had sprinklers on, so a very minimal amount of water in driveway entrance. I hit that water an my drifter did a full 180* spin!!!!!! 2 hours later taking off at a light little bit of run off in the 4way intersection i hit that and smoke the rear tire into 3rd it would not grip an stopping in the middle of a 4 way on pch at huntington beach was not an option. My wife thought i did it on purpose. Is it just a bad tire/ me getting used to this bike. Or have you guys noticed these things have tons of torque an love to slide?

[greenbarn]

Just like many other problems in this fallen world - there is no one answer, but many things contribute to why so many automobile engines have leaks of one or more fluids that are not corrected by their owners...

I think one of the major contributors is a combination of poor engineering and the increasing complexity of the auto.  There are a lot of engines that have leaks just due to poor engineering to start with.    Now combine this with the fact that MANY leaks end up being major expensive to fix - this is due with the complexity of the cars AND poor engineering - making what should be a 1 hour job into a 4 hour job- thus making it more expensive than the owner can afford or is willing to pay.

(EDIT):  forgot to mention, everybody else's ideas were pretty much correct too.... neglect runs rampant.

[John Hopkins]

I think a lot of the leakage is down to money and the fact that more people have lost their jobs over the past few years than ever before, big businesses are having their products made in countries that supply cheap labor instead of paying local labor..This in turn leaves local people with less money to buy anything that is not dirt cheap..so they buy a cheap beat up old leaky automobile because they can afford to buy cheap oil to keep it running but can't afford $50 an hour for the labor to replace a gasket.

John.

[Troll]

Nothing I own leaks. My Harleys didn't leak, either. Mostly it comes from lack of proper maintenance and sloppy assembly habits. Most people don't pay any attention to anything, and are surprised when they discover a major gusher. I remember, back in '93, I think it was, a guy passing me on an uphill in Pennsylvania. He was driving a Ranger. I could hear the rod knock as he went by....sure as $hit, as soon as he pulled in front of me, the rod let go...oil and ford parts all over the road...what a mess. I missed most of the flying debris, but got  good dose of burned oil all over the front of my '78 E-Glide...Did I stop to help him ?...Hell no!  anybody stupid enough to drive on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with a bad engine deserves all that's coming to him!

[pcarrell]

Although I will say that some engines are notorious for leaking regardless of condition. Jeep engines fall into this category, which as a self proclaimed "gearhead in training" drives me crazy. I hate leaks, and Jeeps leak, and I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

That's a "feature"!    It's designed to keep the oil fresh at all times because you're always dumping in a fresh quart!

[49Reo]

Don't forget, back in the days of total loss lubrication, almost all roads were dirt. And my ratty old Jeep TJ has no leaks.....yet.

[gdrudd13]

Neglect

Many cagers just view a vehicle as transportation, and that's it.

That. Although I will say that some engines are notorious for leaking regardless of condition. Jeep engines fall into this category, which as a self proclaimed "gearhead in training" drives me crazy. I hate leaks, and Jeeps leak, and I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

Interesting fact about very early motorcycles, because I'm a nerd like that. They used a constant loss oil system. This meant that the oil flowed from the tank into the engine, and when it was done circulating through the engine, all the oil got dumped straight onto the ground. I'm sure that did wonders for traction.

[pcarrell]

Neglect

Many cagers just view a vehicle as transportation, and that's it.

[DC]

I'm telling you, I can't remember a time when I come across so much leakage on the roads.  A couple of months ago, I saw a car turn right onto a side street.  There was a huge trail of oil behind it.  It was too late for me.  I was already in the turn behind it.  I started sliding as I was forced to cross the oil trail.  The back tire started going out from under me. Fortunately, my feet, and steering in the OPPOSITE direction, rescued the situation.  I went past the car which then had pulled over and parked, and there was more oil streaming out from under it, as if it were stabbed directly in the heart.

Fast forward to today.  I was stopping at a light in the turning lane, waiting for the arrow to make a left turn.  As I came to a stop, I noticed a weird discoloration on the road.  It look like greasy coffee with milk, or liquid rust.  Take your pick.  I put my feet down when I came to a stop and my feet were sliding all over the place.  Fortunately, I had some extra space I allowed for between myself and the car in front of me, and I was able to pull up and over to a clearer place in the lane.  When I parked at the store, I noticed I had tracked the mystery fluid onto my floorboards, and then I wiped that slime off right away.

So why do people leak so much?