[mondofresh]

I had a low-speed off in some rocks (I'm learning, be gentle) and crash bars did their job, but a rock managed to come up between the skid plate and lower bars.

I was on a narrow, isolated road and terrain got ugly before I realized I was outside my element (note to self - recon the route in person before proceeding). Once I got the bike lifted (thank you YT videos explaining the techniques), I noticed a pretty significant oil drip at what looked like a minor scrape on the stator cover. Pyramid shaped rock hit between skid plate and lower crash bars.

This was an isolated road with no cel coverage. Fairly warm and I had full camp gear and 4L of water. And VERY little traffic on this road (2 cars per day maybe). So, I elected to ride the 7 miles to a nearby shady creek to camp overnight. My reasoning was - 1) get to a safer spot with shade/water and 2) more likely to encounter someone that would be heading to cellular range and make a call to my wife to arrange rescue.

My questions: 1) Was I right to ride < 10 miles to get to a safer extraction point? 2) With no low oil pressure light on, should I have just kept riding (despite the oil spray) the additional 20 miles to cel coverage? 3) Would something like Quiksteel help with a trail repair? How does one prep the oily surface so the QS sticks? 4) Shop said hole in this location is messy but not a huge deal. They suggested I keep riding until low oil pressure light came on. They high?

Thanks for any help/advice/admonishments/heckling! This community rocks (timely dad pun)!

FWIW - I overnighted in a beautiful spot, met some lovely people, got a tow the next day, bike at shop, me bruised but home safe.

 

[DoubleThumper]

Ah, sorry to learn @mondofresh. Hard from the [very good] image to see the puncture from the scrape. I can't see it.

Cover gasket still sound?

The AltRider lower bar is awesome, but terrain is highly random. This is some misfortune and hopefully routinely remedied. You will have a genuine battle scar.

 

[Cuchulainn]

That is the kind of situation where I am happy to have my InReach with me (Spot will do as well) because you are almost assured that there will be no cell service. I don't think you would have had much success with Quicksteel. I think you did OK riding the additional 10 miles to a safer extraction point. Sometimes you have to consider the two alternatives to decide which alternative is worse and go from there.

 

[Tuono07]

I think the quick steel is a good approach when out in the boonies. Pretty sure if you were to lay the bike on the opposite side you could clean the area and apply the quick steel'

I carry it

 

[mondofresh]

I think the quick steel is a good approach when out in the boonies. Pretty sure if you were to lay the bike on the opposite side you could clean the area and apply the quick steel'

I carry it

I'm going to add some to my kit (doesn't take much space). Thanks for the advice!

 

[black99S]

Some answers to your questions.
AT has 4litres of oil. decision to fix in-situ with steel-stick or ride to better place depends on the size of hole and oil leak rate.
I believe oil light indicates low oil pressure ie no oil left, not low oil level. I could be wrong.
Regardless, it’s Always better to repair before you loose too much oil.
Steel-stick repair is easy for engine side cases. Lay bike on side to stop oil pouring out. Use some gas on rag to degrease area. Rough up area with file from leatherman or emery from your tire patch kit. If hole is big use a quarter or other coin. Degrease again
Mix up the stick and form the patch.
Wait 15 minutes and ride.
I’ve patched BMW valve covers. Still leak free a year later.

 

[DoubleThumper]

I once blew a seal and no "QuikSteel" could have fixed it, nor "QuikSteel" existed at the time.

The sump capacity was maybe 2.5 to 3 L. Oil was dripping rapidly. I rode about three more kilometers without the oil warning light coming on and made it to a safe place. I still had half a crankcase of oil left and no damage to the engine. I believe bike engines are better than one thinks, but each situation has to be judged carefully.

 

[WeeWilly]

+1 on J-B Weld products. Willy carries SteelStik reinforced epoxy and WaterWeld for fuel or cooling system punctures. Both in 2 oz. containers. They take up almost zero room in your kit and can be a life saver. Also recommend carrying several feet of Gorilla All Weather waterproof duct tape. This stuff is good up to 200 deg. F.

While I'm at it, a handful of stainless steel tie wraps can come in handy out in the field.

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Amazon.com: J-B Weld 8267 SteelStik Steel Reinforced Epoxy Putty Stick - 2 oz.: Automotive

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[SkipD]

My questions: 1) Was I right to ride < 10 miles to get to a safer extraction point? 2) With no low oil pressure light on, should I have just kept riding (despite the oil spray) the additional 20 miles to cel coverage? 3) Would something like Quiksteel help with a trail repair? How does one prep the oily surface so the QS sticks? 4) Shop said hole in this location is messy but not a huge deal. They suggested I keep riding until low oil pressure light came on. They high?

Thanks for any help/advice/admonishments/heckling! This community rocks (timely dad pun)!

FWIW - I overnighted in a beautiful spot, met some lovely people, got a tow the next day, bike at shop, me bruised but home safe.

Hate to say it but thats why I dont like bars and prefer a bigger bash plate.
Fix it as soon as you can, you want to keep as much oil as you can, clean as best you can (Use petrol out of your tank on a bit of cloth if you have to) alcohol wipes in the small tear off packs are best and get the epoxy (QS) on there, use anything coins washers bits of stick to provide support to the hole. Even if you just wrap it in tape its better than nothing (waterproof bandages from your medical kit also work OK under a few layers of tape). Then just stop every so often and check oil level see if you are still dropping oil, if its ok keep riding (not a big fan of waiting for an oil light to come on) . I have gone several days in that condition just take it easy dont hammer it. I have been on a trip where a 650 Suzuki lasted 3 days and about 1800km with zero water in the cooling system had to stay at 100kmh but it made it home just fine (it had to be put down though) Rocks have a natural attraction to engine cases.

Last trip added some more scar'

s to bash plate but it still working well

 

[Beowulf]

JB Weld is your friend... never leave home without it!

Oil light is too late...

 

[AdvArt]

Some good responses. I carry a JB weld type product for that type of situation, But as mentioned above I have a large bash plate, a Bumot Defender. It negates the need for lower crash bars as well and has really good coverage.

 

[superfunkomatic]

Yep, JB Weld. It will do the trick and will actually adhere to the case. I used it on a bike that had a leaky case and it held up and stopped the leak for thousands of kilometres until I bought a new cover. I'd have done the same thing - check the oil level first, assess the leak, ride to a safe location to work on the bike or get a tow. A stick of the two part epoxy in your tool kit could be the difference between riding out and a really expensive tow.

 

[mondofresh]

Just heard from the shop. My engine is fine. Just need a simple replacement of the alternator cover. Also, this week I got my Garmin InReach device and also some SteelStik to include in my toolkit. Again - big thanks for the tips/support/advice. Y'all are wonderful!