04 1150 R smells hot after riding

My "new to me" 04 1150 R seems to smell hot at the end of my rides. I'm not pushing any envelopes, or turning 500 mile days or any such. I had an 80 R100 RT and I don't recall any such scent.

Nothing leaking, fluids appear normal. Haven't changed the oil since I got it in Nov., but doubt I've put 500 miles on the clock.

I'm a noob to the forum, a relative noob to motorcycles in general, and really enjoy getting a bit of your wisdom from the forums.

Thanks so much.

JSteve
Trying to learn every time I go out.

My 2002 RT smells like cooked bugs after a day of riding. Check your oil cooler. That seems to be where the odor comes from on my bike

ks kurmudgeon said:

My 2002 RT smells like cooked bugs after a day of riding. Check your oil cooler. That seems to be where the odor comes from on my bike

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The only bugs I appear to have are in my teeth! This smell is more "hot engine". I just don't know what normal is.

Smells

Hot oil smell or burnt wire electrical smell? Also stuff can drip on top of catalytic converter, last check front and rear break areas could be a brake dragging and smelling hot.

179212 said:

Hot oil smell or burnt wire electrical smell? Also stuff can drip on top of catalytic converter, last check front and rear break areas could be a brake dragging and smelling hot.

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Not really an electrical smell (sadly, I know that one!). Didn't think about the brakes. I will inspect the cat to see if it's clean.

If the bike is running well, and all else being equal, I'm going to venture a guess that its "normal".

PS Those are very attractive motorcycles. Post a picture of it in the "post a picture of your oilhead" thread at the top of the Oilhead page.

If it smells like oil, do look at the top of catalytic converter: it is very easy to get a little transmission oil there when doing an oil change; many of us use a tube to divert the drainage away from the bike while doing this, and even lay a large piece of foil over the cat to avoid this. Even so, on an RT (haven't looked at an R lately), a little may get behind the footpeg plate and eventually work its way down.

Another famous spot is the oil filler cap - there are two O-rings, an inner and an outer, that sometimes leak; their replacement is easy and covered in other threads in this Oilheads section.

And just like that oil filler, there is another cap on the left rear underside of the airbox (just one O-ring); this is to permit occasional drainage of the excess crankcase breather oil (if the case has ever been over-filled, or just over time stuff will accumulate there).

Some bikes have had issues with seepage from the perimeter of the oil level sight glass; also an easy fix covered elsewhere in here.

Take a look at the very bottom rear of the transmission; oil there may be a leaky seal around the clutch slave cylinder/throwout bearing assembly.

If it just "smells hot", that seems normal, as long as it cools down quickly, isn't smoking, or doing anything else to raise concern...

I own a R1150R and agree it is a beautiful bike. I agree that the most likely spot to check is the oil filler cap. I replaced mine with an alloy upgrade from Wunderlich USA. It worked well for me.