93 K1100RS Valve Cover Hole

[Jacklovesbricks]

Hello all,

I recently purchased my 1993 K bike and just a few days ago I dropped it going pretty slow. I popped off the fairings and noticed an oil leak coming from the valve cover. I initially assumed it was the valve cover gasket but then I saw this strange hole on the top of it. Is this hole normal or what is it from?

[Laitch]

Welcome to the site!
I haven't yet come across a hole in that position on a K1100 camshaft cover in photos or in person. Maybe the previous owner screwed some personal ornament or talisman into that hole. All could be revealed if you remove that cover for inspection but it doesn't seem the cover is leaking anywhere else. Do you have photos of that side for reference from the ad or the owner who sold you the Brick? Anyway, plugging it won't be a big challenge regardless.

[daveson]

Welcome Jack,

It looks like someone drilled a hole through the cover. We could guess until the cows come home as to why that was done. You might be able to ask the previous owner about it. Another approach would be to ignore the reason and install a bolt with a rubber sided washer to eliminate the problem.

Here's my guess, it's just one possibility. A previous owner might have installed a bypass oil filter and connected the return hose where that hole is. It's in about the right location for someone who would have that in mind. There might be signs of location points for where the bypass filter was installed. People who install those would typically remove them before selling a bike on, since most people don't give them any value. That would be a pretty shitty thing to do, removing it and just leaving a hole, hopefully there's a less shitty explanation. I used to install them on my cars and remove them before selling them. Just a guess.

[Edward]

Just use multi-metal epoxy designed for high-strength, durable, and temperature-resistant applications like Epoxy54, JB, Permatex, or Devcon. Many available. Pop the cover, clean with brake cleaner, apply, wait, sand rough, sand smooth. On the outside, you might be able to approximate the case texture with a little skill. The inside can overlap a little bit to act like a plug. Easy peasy.