Leaky Rocker Cover
I arrived in Alvor at the home of my friend and her husband to spend a few days catching up but the bike had developed a slight oil leak from the rocker/cylinder head cover so I spent the next few days attending to that. The removal was pretty straightforward except for the removal of the camshaft end plate, it was stuck solid with gasket sealant. However, once I finally got if off without damaging it, the removal of the old gasket sealant was pretty straightforward. I used ethanol and a small plastic scourer, the type they sell in multi-packs in every supermarket, and with a bit of time and effort both mating surfaces were cleaned.
The only thing that I noticed was that whoever had previously assembled it had used way too much gasket sealant and the oilway at the opposite end of the cylinder head from the timing chain was full of sealant. This was obviously restricting the oil flow so now that it has been cleared, hopefully any potential future disaster has been avoided.
Once back together again I rode it to Sagres on the extreme South Western tip of Portugal and back, no leaks, so job done.
This part of Portugal is apparently the most Westerly part of the European mainland, so that’s another box ticked for my trip.
Sadly my time staying with my friend and her husband was at an end.
Their hospitality left me humbled and spending time with them and their friends was one of the highlight of my journey so far but all good things must end and it was time to resume my travels. I reluctantly said goodbye to them and headed for Gibraltar.
