Recently bought my first Ducati a 2001 M750 Dark

Hello all, yes just had it 6 months and it’s like nothing else I’ve ridden or experienced. Absolutely fantastic and I can’t stop staring at it.
However after participating in today’s DGR charity ride my bike has developed an oil leak around the area of the base of the vertical cylinder. I am not entirely sure where it’s coming from but it’s fresh clean oil. I’m not at all mechanically astute and need to get it fixed. The bike has done just short of a genuine 14,000 miles and has a full service history.
Can anyone please recommend a trustworthy mechanic/shop in the Merseyside area?
Cheers, DMC

Hello D-M-C.
Welcome to the forum, I’m not form the area, but I think your tow local shops are Woods at Abergele and Moto-R at Ruthin.
Kevin.

Cheers Kevin,

Appreciate the advice, I am just worried that it’s leaking that much oil that is then burning off the hot engine that I won’t be able to make it as they are both approx. an hour and a bit from where I live.

I will contact both though and see what they suggest/advise.

Thanks again.

Is it that bad, which side is it coming from?

Hi Kevin,

It’s coming from the engine breather side and then dripping down on to the lower exhaust. The horizontal cooling fins are full of oil but the overall oil level is still fine. After checking on some sites (mainly American) the engine breather system seems quite complex - do you think it could it be something to do with this rather than needing a replacement cylinder base gasket? Hard to tell I know without actually seeing it!

At the end of one ride there was a loud pop and that’s when the leak started and there was a small but noticeable amount of burning oil fumes that continued to come out of the right hand (off side) exhaust when the engine was switched off.

Any info/advice would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
Dave McC

Dave.
The breather valve is on the off side of the engine a tube comes from the top of this to the breather trap to the left of the suspension crank and then another tube goes to the airbox.
There shouldn’t really be much oil up there anyway, but check that all the pipes are attached.
The only other place I can think that it would be coming from is one of the o rings between the head and the barrel?
You need to clean the oil off and run it to see where it’s coming from?

Kevin.

Cheers Kevin,

I will do as you suggest and try and isolate and identify where the leak is coming from and check the hoses are connected etc.

Thanks again for the advice, I will let you know what transpires.

Regards, Dave McC