Uh oh.... where'd that puddle come from?

[daneilah]

It was yesterday when I first noticed a small puddle under my bike, behind the centrestand.  But I was in a Tim Horton's parking lot, and there was lots of crud in the parking spot.  "It can't possibly be my bike" I say to myself.

Then today I noticed it again.  Same looking puddle, same area under the bike, parked somewhere else.  

As you can see from the picture below, it's probably the rear shock.  I did find a couple of threads out there...

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18244

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11668

... but what if I'm not ready to put in a Katana shock yet?  Is this fixable?  or do I have to get a new shock?  Is it something you can do yourself?  Messing with that spring doesn't look like a job for the faint of heart  

The 2004 bike only has 10,000km on it, and it's not like I'm packing a lot of weight (140lbs).  Seems a bit early to need a new shock.

Most importantly, can I still ride it?  The suspension doesn't feel any softer, and regrettably, I do have to get to work.

[raylarrabee]

that might be condensation from the drain tube on either your gas tank or carbs/airbox.  I believe the tube is routed (at least on mine) right in front of the rear shock.  Try rubbing your finger in the puddle and figuring out what kind of fluid you're dealing with.

If your rear shock was leaking enough to puddle up, you would know pretty quickly;  I would guess it was something else.

[JeffD]

If you rode a bike on a shock with no oil it would not stop bouncing.

Have you ever seen a car that hit a bump then bounced down the road for a few hundred feet?  Thats what happens when a shock has bad/no oil.  So a quick and dirty test would be to hop on the bike and bounce,  if it has resistance (not the spring) its ok;  but if it feels like a trampoline then its the shock oil.  And it shouldn't hurt the bike if you ride it without shock oil, I would be more worried of crashing because of poor suspension than ruining the shock.

I doubt the shock would be leaking though. As said above I would check the fluid and see what it is.

The only possibilities I see are:

Battery fluid
Brake fluid
Drainage from the fuel cap area.
Gas
Shock fluid
engine oil
water picked up while riding

Dont fret, as with everything its probably something minor that a mechanic would charge you a $100 for that can really be fixed for $0.50; if anything at all.

See what the fluid is and let us know.

[Kerry]

It could also be whatever substance you're lubing the chain with.

I don't know how it would get to your suspension lever, but it has been known to ooze along the gear shift shaft, down the lever, and onto my boot.  Also down the sidestand.  So who knows?

[daneilah]

Thanks for the posts guys!  

It's hard to tell if the fluid is grey, or if it started off clear and just picked up some "gunk" on it's travels down the frame.

It does feel slippery between your fingers and it also feels quite "thin".  Almost like slippery water.

It has a metallic odour, but then so does everything else on the bike    It definitely does not smell like gas... more like oil.

It's not chain lube.  I use Chain Wax, which is much stickier and thicker than this.

Another interesting observation.  After I stop riding, it drips for a while, then seems to stop.  I seem to end up with the same size puddle no matter how long the bike has been sitting there.

[raylarrabee]

sounds like that is either engine oil or brake fluid.  Try inspecting the rear master cylinder and brake lines to see if they have the same fluid on them.  If so, clean them off, and pump your brakes for a little while.  Then re-inspect.

A "slippery" feeling on the skin should eliminate gas or plain water.  My guess   is brake fluid--DEFINITELY check this out thouroughly before you ride again.  It is a safety issue, and if it's brake fluid, it will also eat your paint.

[gsJack]

Sure looks like a leaking shock to me, had one myself.  My 02 GS which I bought used with about 4k miles on it started leaking rear shock oil at about 5k miles. Think it went about 1k more miles till the handling went real bad and I parked it till replacement shock arrived.  Put on a good used shock sent to me by Manjul.  He had removed it from his 01 or 02 to put on a Kat shock.  Bike now has 26k+ miles on it with no further shock problems.  

There must be some more good used low milage shocks laying around that were removed by others if you don't want to go to a Kat  shock at this time.  I know I wanted to keep a standard shock on mine to keep the bike as low as possible due to increasing arthritis making it harder every year to swing my leg over a tall bike.  Just gave up on the radial tires I favored for 3 years (3 sets) to go back to OEM size biased ply tires to lower my bike back to normal heighth.  Sure wish they made a good sport touring radial in our OEM sizes.

[gavin]

I have a stock shock w/ 8k on it that I'll send you for the price of shipping.  It's just sitting in the trunk of my car.  Replacing the shock is a breeze, and doesn't require compressing the spring.  Just remove a few bolts and out it falls.

-Gavin

[daneilah]

I have a stock shock w/ 8k on it that I'll send you for the price of shipping.  It's just sitting in the trunk of my car.  Replacing the shock is a breeze, and doesn't require compressing the spring.  Just remove a few bolts and out it falls.

-Gavin

Hold that thought!  Once I eliminate the other possibilities that folks have suggested, I'm gonna be all over that offer!    

[daneilah]

Well my rear shock sems to have finally given up the last drops of oil in it.  Hit some rough roads on the weekend and bounced my way down the road as the spring just rebounded and rebounded.  On the big bumps the engine revs higher as the rear wheel leaves the ground for an instant.

The bike is just out of warranty but Suzuki has offered to pay the bulk of the cost of a new shock, so it's not going to hurt too bad to get it replaced.  The part is on back-order though, hopefully not for too long.

I'm still riding it to work but I don't think I want to go on any more long cruises 'til it gets replaced.  

[The Buddha]

Make them get you a used Katana shock ... free ... BTW I can locate you one for like $25-30 ... or ebay it. Stock shocks are crap, no reason you'd not want to toss a good new stocker in the nearest dumpster ... warranty or not ... Make them get ya Katana.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Code4]

I don't have a comment on the leak. However I noticed that you said you use chain wax. I would like to ask anyone who would like to comment about CHAIN WAX vs other chain lubes. Thanks

[ginoe]

a basic commuter bike, last years model, relatively average mileage & average load, it does not sound like you are an abusive rider.

did you hit a big pothole or jump a few curbs - what do you think contributed to the shock leak?

:dunno:

[My Name Is Dave]

Speaking of puddles...

This morning I got to work and went inside and got a few paper towels to check my oil. I went back out and did so, and it was fine (a little above the Full line won't kill me, right? I put in just a smidge under 3 qts. last change) As I was walking away, I noticed a small puddle under the front of the bike. I got down and looked, and it was dripping off the front part of the fairing.

So I traced it, and it ran down the right side of the fairing and seems to be coming from the smaller of the two black tubes that sit near the back of the fairings. One tube was a little smaller than the other, and I think the fluid came from there. Are these the gas tank and battery breather tubes???  :dunno: And if so, should I be concerned?

D

[daneilah]

a basic commuter bike, last years model, relatively average mileage & average load, it does not sound like you are an abusive rider.

did you hit a big pothole or jump a few curbs - what do you think contributed to the shock leak?

:dunno:

No big potholes or curbs, no two-up riding to speak of, and I weigh in at 140lbs.  I can't comment on how the bike was treated by the previous owner, but visibly it was in beautiful shape when I got it.  I'm just assuming a defective part.  :dunno:

[The Buddha]

Yea a shock usually will need abuse/neglect/just plain lots of use (mine was on mine for a good 30K+ and I pulled it off the floor of junkyard, and it was 10 years old at that point ... but they have figired how to make things shittier and shittier ... so no surprise there ... Now at 140 lbs, katana shock is not needed really ... so stock new is fine. You wanna take a passenger or plan on gaining weight ...  :lol: ... then Kat.
2005-PDX- Now the hoses by the rear of the motor are battery drain, airbox drain, and gas overflow. Most likely the fluid if it was mostly water and traces of gas, oil, and carbon ... it was blow by, water and sulphuric acid (white powder) = battery, and pure gas = tank over flow. A few drops once in a while of all 3 is normal, lots and lots of it all the time ... means someone is screwing with ya ...  :lol:
Cool.
Srinath.