Condensation in oil level viewer (engine)

[tchallenger]

it rained ALOT the other day, i had my bike under a cover i started bike the next day and went to work, just before leaving work i looked at the view finder and there was condensation or so it appears , checked it over quickly no leaks etc so road it home and "condensation" was gone due to hot engine oc , thought that would be the end of it, but now today its the same? its 22C and it hasn't rained , is it double glassed the view finder ? or have i got a BIG problem ? head gasket ?
only had bike just shy of a week !

many thanks tom

[CaNsA]

Have a look tomorrow morning, 1st thing, before it starts to get warm outside.
You might have to leave your bike in the shade of something other than a cover, and you should see condensation on the oil window.

Another symptom of a HG fubar is to hear bubbling from the cooler overflow bottle when the bike is hot, and the temp needle is off the scale.

Search for Head Gasket and there will loads of info about how to tell.

[RedexRobB]

Its quite normal to have a bit of condensation, usually a good thrash clears it.

[tchallenger]

thank you both , with the bubbling from the cooler overflow, ive heard bubbling from somewhere once, when i did a 80 mile motorway trip home, but then the temp wasn't of the scale ? , maybe to put my mind at rest do a sniffer test at my friends garage will put my mind at ease,
but hopefully it is just condensation ! i will take a picture if it happens again just to try and show because its behind the glass viewer ? and i didn't think any sort of water presence was a good water presence :L

[Tirpitz]

How far is your ride to work? You will get condensation building up in your engine if it is run on shortish journeys which are not good for a bike of this type.

From what you describe I suspect condensation is all you have in there, nothing to worry about too much. As suggested, you need to give it a good long run for an hour or so to really clear it all out. If you have a HG issue then your oil will be emulsifying, so providing it is looking clear after you've given it a run then there's nothing to panic about.

Problem with covers is that they tend to seal condensation in and you can end up getting water where you don't want it. Bit like wrapping the bike up in a poly bag. Any water on the bike from the ride evaporates from the bike's heat under the cover and creates a sauna. In winter make that a salty sauna. If there's any chance you can build some sort of small shelter for the bike to sit under, if you haven't got a shed, even if it is open sided you'll probably find it will do the bike a lot more good in the long run. Air can circulate around it and you don't get condensation. Course, it all depends on your personal circumstances and if a cover is the only option it is better than nowt. Try getting a canvas one - the plastic ones are the very worst.

[tchallenger]

hi tirpitz, well the ride to work is probably about 15-20 mins its a blast down the bypass followed by a duel carriage way and then a country lane only about 10 miles or so,
i looked to see if i had "mayo" oil and thats a negative so it looks like its only condensation from the short runs to the shops etc , my last bike was a 2000 rs125 and i didn't worry about short distance i almost praised it :L, hopefully on Sunday i will be going for a 60 mile round trip to my nearest city (nice roads) so that should hopefully do it some good,
thanks for the advice about covers , i moved house and i used to be able to keep my bike in the garage however the garage at my new house has been bricked up and turned into another room so thats a no go,its just a reflective polyester im assuming " bike bag" from Halfords that i cover it up with, will now be looking into creating some sort of shelter ! if not a canvas cover
many thanks tom

[parby81]

thats not a particularly long commute and at duel carriageway speeds its probably not even getting up to normal operating temperature. Bigger blasts required at least once a week i recommend!!

[Tirpitz]

No, as parby81 says, that's not a very long run for a 4-stroke and the engine is probably not getting hot for long enough to drive any condensation out. The runs to the shops will be worse. I reckon this is your only problem, so thankfully nothing major.

If you can build yourself some kind of a lean-to structure just tall enough to fit the bike under that would be much better for it. Few bits of timber, some board for a roof covered with shed felt. If you can board in the sides that would be even better. Best of all a little shed, if finances and room permit. Doors can be a bit narrow but you can always put a wider one on if you're handy, or adapt one of the side panels to become a door, like this

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Time and money spent on keeping your bike dry is always well spent. Nothing more soul destroying than seeing your bike corrode despite your efforts to look after it.

[tchallenger]

I took all of your advice maybe too much and today did a 85 mile run to my dads for fathers day and back so 170 ish miles, And what can I say ! Bike seems 10x better now, Maybe the long blast was what it needed , and as a extra triumph today it sailed through 30,000 miles problem free ! Hurah !

Going to be making a small shelter for it over the next week or so thanks guys for the help