[APtech77]

What the hell is this? This better not be like the OLD triumph, were the engines leaked oil like a cream pie mama. After my ride back from the gym today I noticed this.....(look at pics)..... I called the dealer to schedule the first service and find out what was going on. I wanted to wait until I got my new slipons and do the service all at once, but now this. The dealer told me to not worry. He said it is a "cozmoline" type of grease used when they ship the bike from the factory. He said that he get this call often, and all it needs is to be decreased with some Simple Green. He suggested that I try that first and watch it for a bit, and wait until my stuff comes. Then they can do the first service and new TORS tune all at once, and see if there is any oil leak problems. He stated that, when they get the bike from Triumph, they degrease, clean, and wax a new bike, but never can get ALL the grease out of the nooks and crannies. Has any one see this much oil/grease and road grime seep form a new bike? I figured it looked like a oil cooler leak. I checked all surrounding bolts and fittings, and nothing was loose. Anywhere!

 

[Devious2xs]

It looks like the lower oil cooler line has a slight leak where it bolts to the block.
Mine has never had this issue.

 

[APtech77]

That is what I figured.....all bolts were tight though. :-\ I have oil/grease all the way up on the oil cooler too. :-\ Even with the degreaser it was a pain to get off. It WAS more like a grease. ??? I just never heard of them using this for shipping protection.

 

[APtech77]

I guess, I will wait and see if it comes back.... :-\

 

[slack_cat]

Don't worry, it gives it character. :laugh: Can you tell I've been hanging around Harley guys again?

:afro:

 

[Devious2xs]

Some places on my bike had a light coating of what looked like cosmoline on it when I first received it. Not sure what it was really, but it smelled like it.

It may be something that is done before crating the bikes.

 

[rbrsddn]

I would wash it with soap and water, and then ride it a bit. then you can spot the leak and point it out to the service guy. And don't use Simple Green. It will dull the shit out of you black casings. My bike is 6 years old, and I could eat off the bottom of the engine, it's so clean. Take advantage of your warranty until you're satisfied.

 

[itchin]

Cosmoline is a super thick, almost bees wax type of grease. Thats NOT cosmoline.

 

[Devious2xs]

Cosmoline is a super thick, almost bees wax type of grease. Thats NOT cosmoline.

Not always. Many times cosmoline is mixed with wax to make it stick, but it can be a lighter wiped on coating.
I have several rifles that are still packed in heavy cosmoline, but I also have a couple of tins of it that wipe on much thinner. I have never seen cosmoline thin enough to spray. So I doubt it is cosmoline. On my bike this looked like a spray coating that simply smells a lot like cosmoline, and has the same coloring.

It came off fairly easily.

 

[BillT]

I helped my dealer uncrate a couple of bikes last month. Each had a layer of cosmoline, pretty much all over. If you've seen the crates these bikes come in, you'd understand.

The crates are composed of a liftable pallet, on which is strapped the bike, with regular nylon ratchet tie-down straps. Plastic bags are placed over some of the parts, the sides are put on, and the top nailed down. If its a bike with a bunch of extra bits, they're placed in a cardboard box just under the lid.

These crates do a good job of protecting the bike during shipment, but are not airtight. They're also designed to pack pretty tight in a container, but could spend a lot of time on loading docks or ship decks exposed to weather. Hence, the liberal coating of cosmoline. The dealer said it was a royal pain to wash off.
If its not all washed off before delivery, the waxy component will soften and run down to the bottom of the engine, once the engine gets good and hot. This hot wax will also collect any road grime it comes in contact with, making it look like dirty oil.

I use "Scrubbing Bubbles" bathroom cleaner on all my engines. It gets the road grime off, doesn't hurt paint, and is a lot cheaper than "Gunk" or one of the other automotive products.

Clean your bike really well, and you'll see the engine is dry and tight ;D

 

[Devious2xs]

Thanks for the info Bill. Not many of us get a chance to see how the new bikes come in, so this is good to know stuff.

I used a citrus degreaser and it came right off. I use the same stuff on tires to get the mold release off, and not harm the rubber.

 

[kuhlka]

Never use Simple Green on a bike with carbon fiber. My buddy has a LOT of the CF on his bike form a milky white sheen over it after using Simple Green to wash it.

My guess is that the dealer did a very quick job cleaning off the Cosmoline and didn't double check to make sure it was really mostly gone. There is no good reason to have that much muck on your bike brand new unless you've been riding through oil slicks.

 

[Catahoulabulldog]

I too have been around during some uncratings and have seen the bikes engine bits coated in what seemed to be a grease.

 

[BigRedandRiding]

Ditto. My dealer warned me of the same thing re: cosmolene, but they did a real good job cleaning it so I had no real problem - just a small bit of grease and smell for the first 100 miles. Plus, when I went back a week later for my first 500 miles service, much to my surprise, they washed the bike again as part of the service.

Great service from a great service department! (Jack Trebor Triumph - Ledgewood, NJ - ask for Joe).

 

[thegoat]

My friend had bought an America and that happened to his.That crap was everywhere.

 

[APtech77]

Good...I'm feeling better. Time to get cleaning.

 

[APtech77]

Well, at my first service last weekend, the dealer found a bad o-ring on the lower fitting, on the oil return line. He ordered all four o-rings for the two oil cooler lines, and is going to replace them all just in case. We will see if that does the trick... :-\

 

[Sparti]

I had the same scare when i got my bike. I called the dealer and said that my oil cooler was leaking. I had the bike in the shop quick smart only to be told it was left over transport coating.

As much as this stuff is a bitch to get off I think we all would rather that be the case than have a bike rusting one week after we bought it.

Lets drink to that :beer:

 

[APtech77]

Update,

So, today I took Speedy to the dealer after work for the re tune, to finish up the first service, and warranty (oil leak) work. Found out the NONE of the o-rings were installed in ANY of the oil cooler line fittings. NONE! All four o-ring were missing. That explanes the oil leak. Instead of draining the lines/cooler and replacing the amount of oil lost, Jay the tech, dumped ALL the oil and gave me a fresh change. Installed ALL new o-rings and did a thorough clean up of the oily mess that was on everything. He let me hang in the back shop with him the whole time, while I talked his ear off. He then finished up a few peeks and tweaks while he loaded the new TORS tune for my new slip-ons. He gave me a few tricks and tips and sent me on my way, a VERY HAPPY MAN!!!! All said and done, they charged me 1/2 shop time, $45 bucks. NO more oil leak, new tune, first service finished, a few adjustments, clean bike, another fresh oil change( I did the first one at 650miles and today they did it again at 1400). HOLY SHIT, the tune helps the new slip-ons sing. I'm good to go on the oil for a while and all adjustments made really helped. I can't say enough about SHORELINE MOTORSPORTS.

:wave: GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[StuckInKansas]

Lucky bastard! My dealer strips bolts, charges 35 bucks to load a tune, forgets to put shit on, and missed over $1000 in damage during a crash repair! But they are the only dealer less than 4 hrs away.