Black grit

[Earl43P]

Shown here:


New to me 99 IS.
Have put a little over 4.5k miles on it since late July.

I find this fine grit all around the area shown, near the dipstick.
There is no oil to it, just this dusty black grit, almost like fine rubber.  Not soot.
Can't find it anywhere else, not forward near the belt covers.

No, I haven't removed any of the chrome engine covers to look underneath them.

Could this be alternator brushes debris?  Seems like an awfu lot of it, if so.  I have no aftermarket electrical loads, just the stereo/intercom/cb.  There are added driving lights, but I don't turn them on.

Normal?

[John Schmidt]

The alternator is on the other side of the engine so doubt it's from that. If you have chrome enging/transmission covers, it's possible someone has sprayed a poor quality sound deadening meterial on the back side. That's what some have done to help cut down on resonant gear noise after installing the covers. If a good quality undercoating wasn't used, it may well be dust from some slight vibration. Just a thought.

[Grandpot]

Check the rubber grommets that hold the side cover.  They may have dried up and flaked.  Also, right above that area there is a rubber pad on the frame under the gas tank that may be flaking.

[Earl43P]

Thanks, I'll take a good look, when I 'm not RIDING it.  That puts my mind at ease until then.

[YoungPUP]

Just a WAG but u joint chewing on the boot?

[Rio Wil]

Looks like your oil dipstick is also a temp gauge.....any chance of a oring/gasket on the dipstick disintegrating?

[hairyteeth]

Have you been around that area with any kind of a buffing tool, disc or pad. Looks like paint buffing compound. I'd clean it all off and see if it re-appears.
HT

[Gryphon Rider]

A really short coal miner sneezed?

[Tropic traveler]

You have a slight seepage of oil that kind of comes out of the dipstick and/or oil fill plug while you ride. It settles on the engine which then allows road dirt to stick to your engine in that area.
As long as there is no oil consumption you are fine. All three of my Valkyries do that to one degree or another.
Rio Will hit it, check the seal on the dipstick o-ring.    

[salty1]

Looks like your oil dipstick is also a temp gauge.....any chance of a oring/gasket on the dipstick disintegrating?

[Earl43P]

My dipstick is not a temp gage and I have cleaned off the grit and it reappears.
At first I thought it was road rubber, bit it is a fine gritty powder that wipes off your finger with no mark left on the skin.  Completely black.  Puzzling, but I'll look where advised to and report back.  I rode the Oldwing today.

[Rio Wil]

Is it rubber/plastic grit or is it metal...magnetic?

[salty1]

Is it rubber/plastic grit or is it metal...magnetic?

I bet it's good ole road grime. The O-ring at the base of the dipstick is missing or is shot allowing for a mist of oil to escape which in turns captures the dirt. I would sanitize the area well and replace/change the O-ring to see if that was the fix needed.  ???

[Earl43P]

You have a slight seepage of oil that kind of comes out of the dipstick and/or oil fill plug while you ride. It settles on the engine which then allows road dirt to stick to your engine in that area.
As long as there is no oil consumption you are fine. All three of my Valkyries do that to one degree or another.
Rio Will hit it, check the seal on the dipstick o-ring.    

Well, color me red,  .  My motorcycle is dirty.

Seriously.  I've looked all over it, can't find a problem.
I suppose when the fan kicks on, it sets up an airflow that pushes this dirt around.

Perhaps even natural airflow, what with all those chrome covers.
Thank you all for the inputs.  I'll be washing it with crevis brushes one of these days soon.
The only water that's touched it since I got it in late July has been rain.

It is not magnetic dirt and close inspection from swabs show brown in with the black, depending where you wipe from.

[Michvalk]

Is there any of that crud, or an oily residue around or behind the intake closest to the dipstick? Just fishin for an answer. The intakes can leak there due to bad O-rings, and could run down in that area, collecting road dirt. Just a thought, wouldn't hurt to check.

[BonS]

Maybe your dragon drool tube needs to be emptied? If the crankcase ventilation system is stopped up due to the drool tube being backed up to the plastic "tank storage" device beneath the air filter then excess crankcase pressure could be the culprit. The pressure may be pushing oil vapor out of the dip stick. Just a SWAG but easy to check and remedy.

[Gryphon Rider]

This black powder in that location will happen in very specific circumstances; all these conditions need to be met:
1. Dry road and air.
2. Going around a right hand corner at 37 MPH, following a radius that allows you to lean such that the rightmost edge of your right boot is grinding against the pavement.
3. Your boots must have black Vibram^® soles. There is limited success with other types of soles, although not all have been tested.
4. There must be a 23-28MPH crosswind from the left, coming from a direction within 11° of perpendicular with the motorcycle.
The pavement grinds a fine dust off of your boot, which is caught in the vortex of the crosswind, and approximately 27% of the powder is deposited on the side of the transmission, behind the dipstick.  It proved impossible to determine where the remaining 73% ended up.

I wish I could find the source of this information again, but I clearly remember reading it on a highly credible web site about 18 years ago.

[Bone]

I hate it when that happens !

[jarid]

My 98 tourer gets this soot all over the side covers/rear fender. Maybe as stated earlier (alternator brushes.)

[john]

          " My motorcycle is dirty."                      

[Ricky-D]

Alternator brushes?

Not a chance.

The alternator life span would be counted in months if that were the case.

***

[Earl43P]

Alternator brushes?

Not a chance.

The alternator life span would be counted in months if that were the case.

***

Hence my concern. 

I scrubbed it pretty well today with several crevis brushes and rags.
I also spied the crankcase vent tube under the tank.  It is covered with this debris and will get attention during its next cleaning.  Looks as if the tank has to come off to get at it.

Yes, my motorcycle  WAS dirty. But there was this one sweeping turn with my foot under the peg, but my vibram soles are tan, so that's out.

[greggh]

Same prob I had.
Replaced the O  ring on the dip stickand its all gone

[musclehead]

This black powder in that location will happen in very specific circumstances; all these conditions need to be met:
1. Dry road and air.
2. Going around a right hand corner at 37 MPH, following a radius that allows you to lean such that the rightmost edge of your right boot is grinding against the pavement.
3. Your boots must have black Vibram^® soles. There is limited success with other types of soles, although not all have been tested.
4. There must be a 23-28MPH crosswind from the left, coming from a direction within 11° of perpendicular with the motorcycle.
The pavement grinds a fine dust off of your boot, which is caught in the vortex of the crosswind, and approximately 27% of the powder is deposited on the side of the transmission, behind the dipstick.  It proved impossible to determine where the remaining 73% ended up.

I wish I could find the source of this information again, but I clearly remember reading it on a highly credible web site about 18 years ago.

there's one in every crowd folks,  and here he is