Kawasaki Concours Forum
The C-14, aka Kawasaki Concours-14, the new one :) => The Bike - C14/GTR 1400 => Topic started by: PlaynInPeoria on April 15, 2013, 11:38:46 AM
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Bike = 2012 C14, 1500 miles. Bone stock (ok, Phil's rack and Givi, also bar risers)
Reddish, doesn't feel like oil? My son spotted it, so I fired up the bike and moved it, it showed up at the new spot also. Is brake fluid in that area? The brakes feel fine and I rode it home 70 miles from there.
I leave for Texas Wednsday am at 6:30, this doesn't give me a warm fuzzy.
Thanks!!!!
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Brake fluid isn't red, at least the last time I looked it wasn't. It's near the kickstand so it could be some overflow of gas mixed with crud...typical on a fairly full tank with the bike on the side stand on a warm day. Reddish is strange, though. I don't think there's any fluid on the bike that's red.
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What's it smell like? As Jim said, it could be over flow from that gas tank. Did you just fill 'er up? Red is strange though.
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red coolant? ???
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red coolant? ???
I was just wondering if they started using the red stuff on the 2012's.
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The vents for the fuel tank end right where that leak is, as does the vent from the air intake. As others have said, I cannot think of anything that color red anywhere in the bike but it might be gasoline mixed with something else (left over lube, thread locker, a thousand other guesses). Smell it- if it smells like gasoline it is nothing to worry about. If it came from the intake it is most likely water that again mixed with something on the bike. Look up just inside the fairing and you will see at least three drain tubes; there are small, capped, bottles on the ends of at least some of them so they can be drained properly (rather than just draining on the road) and maybe one of your has something red in it?
I would not think it was anything serious only because I am not aware of any red fluid that the bike needs to run / ride. ??
And I cannot believe no one mentioned the obvious- your bike is bleeding.... :-)
Best of luck and please do let us know what it turns out to be.
Brian
Bike = 2012 C14, 1500 miles. Bone stock (ok, Phil's rack and Givi, also bar risers)
Reddish, doesn't feel like oil? My son spotted it, so I fired up the bike and moved it, it showed up at the new spot also. Is brake fluid in that area? The brakes feel fine and I rode it home 70 miles from there.
I leave for Texas Wednsday am at 6:30, this doesn't give me a warm fuzzy.
Thanks!!!!
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Blinker fluid? Or maybe the FOB battery is already getting low. ;D
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Snip...
And I cannot believe no one mentioned the obvious- your bike is bleeding.... :-)
Best of luck and please do let us know what it turns out to be.
Brian
Brian! We ALL know that Kawasakis are like Vulcans (the alien race not the motorcycle (although that is a Kawasaki), think Mr Spock) and they bleed green.
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Another thought- as your bike is red, perhaps that is gasoline with a little bit of paint overspray mixed in it? If so then absolutely nothing to worry about and perfectly normal.
Brian
Bike = 2012 C14, 1500 miles. Bone stock (ok, Phil's rack and Givi, also bar risers)
Reddish, doesn't feel like oil? My son spotted it, so I fired up the bike and moved it, it showed up at the new spot also. Is brake fluid in that area? The brakes feel fine and I rode it home 70 miles from there.
I leave for Texas Wednsday am at 6:30, this doesn't give me a warm fuzzy.
Thanks!!!!
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Rusty water vapor drops, or maybe some kind of coloring from gasket at header joint?
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Motor oil in mid-life will be reddish. Modern oil out of a modern engine doesn't turn black till its way past it's useful life. The black is carbon and a good engine sends that out the tail pipe far better than engines of old. Does it feel oily?
Gas mixed with anything would evaporate very quickly.
Antifreeze would be green as anything mixed with it would precipitate to the bottom of the puddle.
Brake fluid looks oily but has a grippiness when rubbed between the fingers and shouldn't be red.
If it's battery acid the red is blood oozing out of your fingers because you left it on too long.
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I've never seen anything red come from my bike.... I've never seen 'reddish' motor oil either, but then I lead a very sheltered life.
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Maybe it's female, has it been a little moody lately? :-\
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Look at your brake/clutch fluid reservoir, they are vaguely reddish. I know, I stared at their levels all the way home.
The consistency was that "not slimey like oil" yet a bit tacky feeling of brake fluid. Is there a brake component (ABS, linked brakes etc) near there? I have heard of (but don't suspect in this instance) 'friends' pouring fluid under a bike repeatedly to drive a rider crazy. I was a long way from home watching a high school play my daughter was directing.
I parked it on the side stand in the garage, I will check it when I get home. I don't recall ever seeing it before. I changed the oil a while back (900 miles ago) and looked for leaks under it after the oil change like I always do. I wasn't in clothes where I could climb under it, I will be tonight though!!
Thanks, guys!
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Maybe it's female, has it been a little moody lately? :-\
:battle:
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My reservoirs...all three of them aren't the vaguest reddish at all. Course I have an 08, not a 12. The red color certainly is strange, though.
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Some local dealers here use (reddish tinted) engine oil and final drive oil.
Maybe the oil level was a bit high and some went in the air box and drained out the drain tube from the airbox?
As everyone mentions the overflow tubes are right there and that doesn't look like it would be anything serious
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My reservoirs...all three of them aren't the vaguest reddish at all. Course I have an 08, not a 12. The red color certainly is strange, though.
+1 My reservoirs are clear and so is the fluid inside.
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My fluid is reddish because she (my 2012) is SPECIAL. And I don't mean short school bus special, unless we're talking about linked brakes.
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Well that explains everything...
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My fluid is reddish because she (my 2012) is SPECIAL. And I don't mean short school bus special, unless we're talking about linked brakes.
(https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6257184768/hC261B8C5/)
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Judging by your behavior as a result of this 'incident', I now suspect it is some type of KiPass failure. KiPass normally does not leak but given you seeing level of terror, it certainly sounds like the behavior of KiPass- I bet KiPass is manufacturing a special fluid, in a color not found on any motorcycle, simply to distract you long enough to have the activation switch fail and strand you a long way from home. This is the M.O. of KiPass and it usually works. Are you sure you are invoking the KiPass incantation correctly- pronunciation counts there ya’ know.
But on a serious note, brake fluid is not remotely red or at least not any that I have ever seen. It is clear when new and turns darker and darker until it is finally black. No motor oil I have ever seen is remotely red either other than my own and that is probably the result of mixing it with that horrifically red cam break in lube (to raise the phosphorous level of the motor oil.... and to turn it red of course). Even 'red' anti- freeze is really reddish- brown and looks nothing like the color you show in your photo.
I find it interesting that you mention that this is something that someone playing a prank would do. Do you know any pranksters like that? You said the bike was at a high school- those places are full of pranksters not to mention all the students. Maybe this is just a kid's joke (inspired by the evilness that is KiPass of course)?
Any chance the spot was there before you parked the bike, is transmission fluid out of a car, and you are pranking yourself with terror?
Brian
Look at your brake/clutch fluid reservoir, they are vaguely reddish. I know, I stared at their levels all the way home.
The consistency was that "not slimey like oil" yet a bit tacky feeling of brake fluid. Is there a brake component (ABS, linked brakes etc) near there? I have heard of (but don't suspect in this instance) 'friends' pouring fluid under a bike repeatedly to drive a rider crazy. I was a long way from home watching a high school play my daughter was directing.
I parked it on the side stand in the garage, I will check it when I get home. I don't recall ever seeing it before. I changed the oil a while back (900 miles ago) and looked for leaks under it after the oil change like I always do. I wasn't in clothes where I could climb under it, I will be tonight though!!
Thanks, guys!
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We've always thought of you as special Conrad.
Brian
<snip horrible self- portrait>
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I've put antifreeze under a friend's bike in my garage. Nearly had to call an ambulance for me I laughed so hard. Ahh, good times. Remind yourselves never to include me on group ride.
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We've always thought of you as special Conrad.
Brian
It's nice when we all can agree on something. :)
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Any chance the spot was there before you parked the bike, is transmission fluid out of a car, and you are pranking yourself with terror?
My son spotted it during intemission of my daughter's high school play, so I moved the bike and came back when the play was over. It had dripped again.
I am sure it will wash off, because the ride to the Austin TX MotoGP is looking like it will be a frog strangler. Should be ok once we get down there. Until I said that, of course. 8 guys in my group total attendance, one comes late and another comes from Phoenix. We had to decide to take the whole day Wednesday instead of the original plan for just taking off the afternoon to account for the storms, some may be "locally heavy", argggh. Just deciding on an initial meet spot and whether to have breakfast and what the meetup time is was a challenge. But on the other hand, I will have a lot of fun showing them the sights down there and the roads are excellent in Hill Country (Lake Loop in Austin, 3 Sisters, Luckenback, 6th Street downtown, woo hoo!)
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2 things.
First, make sure you place a pan of some sort to catch the fluid. My bet is gas.
Second, stop considering car tires 8)
Third ( I cant count) Install a hoof from the animal of your choice, it will give you added insurance against nuts who strap a filled plastic container full of volatile fluid and then poke a hole in their tank to drain said fluid, allowing an even greater chance of becoming dehydrated mere hours from home ;D Come to think of it, that container was red???????
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Did you recently install a K&N filter or clean/re-oil an old one? If so that may be excess oil from the Air filter but I have no idea how it would get to that part of the bike.
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Animal goo... ???
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Did you recently install a K&N filter or clean/re-oil an old one? If so that may be excess oil from the Air filter but I have no idea how it would get to that part of the bike.
Good one!
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Did you recently install a K&N filter or clean/re-oil an old one? If so that may be excess oil from the Air filter but I have no idea how it would get to that part of the bike.
No.
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Had you recently filled up with gas? I had that happen to me once when I filled up then parked the bike. It was leaking from almost the identical spot. What surprised me was that it didn't look like gas. I looked more like brownish red oil but wasn't quite as slick as oil; I think it must have mixed with gunk in the tube or something. I watched it for a little bit and finally saw a drop come out of the tube sticking out down there. Never happened again.
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I will guess gas that has dripped onto the sealed asphalt you are parked on. The gas has dissolved the asphalt sealer which has turned the spill a reddish/brown color. Either that or this bike used to belong to the "friend" of the person who started this thread. http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=11440.0 (http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=11440.0)
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:yikes: :doh:
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I still want to know what happened to the guy who got his bike from the dealer with no oil :-X
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KLOTZ R50 synthetic racing oil is red , of course it is for two strokes thick chit and smells sweet.
I'd put that in my gas before transmission fluid.
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I seem to remember that something I got from AMSOIL years ago was red but I can't remember if it was engine oil or gear lube.
I like the gas overflow mixed with paint over spray.
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Royal Purple oil is red. Or purple.....
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Do you have full synthetic Motul 10W40 in her?? That oil is red like tranny oil.
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Do you have full synthetic Motul 10W40 in her?? That oil is red like tranny oil.
Spectro 10W40 dino oil.
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Not real hard to pull the plastic off that side.....just sayin.
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True but first it would be even easier to look under the fairing and see if one of the three vent lines has any fluid in it (them). Also, the cap(s) could be missing on one of the catch containers and the container could be leaking. At least he could determine the source of said mystery fluid.
Brian
Not real hard to pull the plastic off that side.....just sayin.
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Hey, I forgot all about that epic thread! Thanks for reminding me. Good times, like Haroldo's epic valve adjust thread.
Maybe the dealer that gave the guy the bike with no oil saved it up and dumped it in this new guy's bike? Hence he has 9 or so quarts of oil in the engine which is slowly turning red (probably from all the attention) and leaking onto the ground.
Brian
I still want to know what happened to the guy who got his bike from the dealer with no oil :-X
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Maybe it's blood. Do you know where your C14 goes at night when the moon is full?
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Said animal part will keep away tigers as well which could be especially useful if it is one of those pesky red fluid eating tigers. Nasty creatures I hear.
Brian
2 things.
<snipped the first two of the two things SOP was going to mention>
Third ( I cant count) Install a hoof from the animal of your choice, it will give you added insurance against nuts who strap a filled plastic container full of volatile fluid and then poke a hole in their tank to drain said fluid, allowing an even greater chance of becoming dehydrated mere hours from home ;D Come to think of it, that container was red???????
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How about a little excess grease that got hot and dropped off??
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Good point.
Pepperoni grease is red, sortof, so maybe the OP was carrying a stick of pepperoni under the fairing? :)
Brian
How about a little excess grease that got hot and dropped off??
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C-14's don't leak.
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They gently weep....
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They gently weep....
That would be the gen 2s only. ;)
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Well, it survived Peoria to Austin and back for the MotoGP, with 3 Sisters thrown in for good measure, so ....
I have no clue what was coming out, but it scared the sh*t outa me.
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Bike = 2012 C14, 1500 miles. Bone stock (ok, Phil's rack and Givi, also bar risers)
Reddish, doesn't feel like oil? My son spotted it, so I fired up the bike and moved it, it showed up at the new spot also. Is brake fluid in that area? The brakes feel fine and I rode it home 70 miles from there.
I leave for Texas Wednsday am at 6:30, this doesn't give me a warm fuzzy.
Thanks!!!!
Mine did the same so I took it to the dealer for a look...
Vent hose from the gas tank wasn't routed properly they said...It sure looked like something other than gas to me but since the re-route of the vent hose it has not done it again..
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From the location it's clutch/brake fluid.
May have picked up some colour from somewhere on it's way to the floor.
Looks to me like the slave cylinder seal is leaking.