Replacing Oil Pipes

[csbuckn]

Hey all, new here. I recently picked up a 92 Katana 1100 that has a big oil leak coming from what I think are called oil downpipes. I am a car mechanic but new to motorcycles. I've had an old Honda CB500 that I got running after sitting for many years. On the Honda, I rebuilt and synced the carbs, redid the exhaust, cleaned the gas tank and fixed some other little stuff so I am familiar with the general ordeal of bikes but really new to riding.

For the Katana, it looks like the head will have to come off or, at least, lifted up a little to get the oil pipes off, is this right? Can this be done with the engine in the bike? Another issue I have is finding a front left peg bracket, mine is broken. Anybody have one or ever made one? Pic't below are the parts I'm talking about. The engine pic is a pic of the computer screen and shows the two pipes that are leaking.

Thanks for any help

[Kreylyn]

Yes, you have to lift the head. The pipes have a rubber O-Ring that seals either end. The head bolted in place holds the pipes in.

Krey

[csbuckn]

Can I get to these with the motor in the bike?

[Stumpy]

I have no idea about engine internals like that, but once she's running and cleaned up you'll have once nice looking bike

[Kreylyn]

Not really easy.

What I would suggest is you lift and support the frame at the front from the top.

Remove the front forks/wheel.

Take the large rear center bolts for the engine out.

Take the 2 bolts either side of the engine cradle out

Take the forward bolts out of the rear engine cradle, and use the rear ones to pivot on.

The engine will tilt down and you can do the swap out then.

Lift it back up and put the bolts back in.

Krey

[csbuckn]

Damn. Well its gonna have to come apart then. Thanks for the compliments on the bike. The old owner let me have it for 500 bucks since she didn't want to deal with it. 69k miles as a guy used it to travel state to state. 69k makes me think I should take it all the way out anyway. It runs fine as I've been riding for a couple days now but the cloud of smoke at the stoplights is embarrassing.

[ErrEs]

Damn. Well its gonna have to come apart then. Thanks for the compliments on the bike. The old owner let me have it for 500 bucks since she didn't want to deal with it. 69k miles as a guy used it to travel state to state. 69k makes me think I should take it all the way out anyway. It runs fine as I've been riding for a couple days now but the cloud of smoke at the stoplights is embarrassing.

Seems to me that if you have to take it apart for the downpipes, you might as well give it a good look over while you're at it. Clean it up, put it back together and enjoy the carefree rides.
Beautiful bike man, enjoy!

[notten]

Could this be the reason my 750 smokes from the front after a bit of riding when stopped? How did you find out this was the problem? I need to fix it as smoke like that at a light is quite embarrassing.

[notten]

Those oil drain pipes dont look in bad condition for a bike of that age & milage which makes me suspect that the top end has been off before & from where it appears to be leaking i would guess that whoever did this didn't replace the O rings

Its fairly common over here to have to replace the oil drains due to them not surviving the winters very well & having done the job a few times i can tell you its far more easy to drop the engine all the way out to do it, the extra time involved is made up later because you have proper access

The head needs to come off & most of the time the drains are stuck in the bottom crankcase so you usually damage them getting them out but if it has been off before you may be lucky, just be prepared to replace the tubes rather than just the O rings

When rebuilding smear the O rings with a lightweight grease or fine oil to help fitting otherwise they will pop out slightly & you will end up doing it all again

Hope it helps

This might be my fault for jacking someone else's thread and not explaining what I mean, but that's not my ride. Mine is a 750 and i have smoke coming out from underneath the front of the tank and the right side after I ride in traffic for some time. I believe some oil is leaking out around there and that's what is causing the smoke. I really should investigate some more, but so far it's just a nuisance. I thought it was the fact that my fuel sending unit was leaking, but I've sealed my tank, sealed the sender in place, and then some. It's quite embarrassing to pull up to a light with a bike that's smoking quite a bit. Starting to get annoying.

[csbuckn]

I'm with Tone, gotta take a look. I could easily see the tubes leaking by the puddle that was in the bottom tube seats. Its a pretty decent leak if its smoking so its gonna be easy to see.

[92xjunker]

May just need new o-ring on the oil line.

[shpielers]

Still means pulling the head though doesn't it? At least that's the impression I'm under. And since I've got a slight leak there myself that will at some point need addressing, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Won't be my first time pulling a bike head (1st on a Kat though) but if its the first time for the OP, could be daunting.

[csbuckn]

If I did it again, I'd try to do it without pulling the motor completely out. I'd just unbolt everything needed to pull the head and then lean it back. Not sure if the frame will get in the way but it only needs to go up about an inch. My pipes had no signs of rust or rot, just rock hard orings on a bike that has 69K miles. It might actually be a little tricky because of all the little orings that go between the head and jugs but I'd try it.

[Locomotion]

Thats one reason I took my engine out those pesky O rings, its a rubbish job but one worth doing and whilst the head is off you can lap the valves do the stem seals etc