G650X stuck in Riga, Latvia, with blown head gasket, advice needed
 

Quoting my travel companion, as we are in a rather problematic situation.

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Hey I'm in Riga after turning back here from half a day riding in intense summer heat (32C) and noticing massive oil leaking from the cylinder head gasket area. My trip is possibly ruined one day in, but perhaps you guys can offer some thoughts before we head to the BMW dealer tomorrow.

Facts;
-I replaced the coolant before the trip but had trouble doing it. Might have done it improperly and I didn't check the thermostat.
-we rode really slow in sand, stopped often and the bike felt hotter than it ever had (but I never did stuff this hard in such heat)
-the thermostat light never came on, it also doesn't turn on when switching the contract on I noticed now. It does however consistently blink when using the engine kill switch.
-oil is leaking at an alarming rate, almost gushing down the frame. Almost looks like it leaks a drop a second when riding.

To me it sounds like a very unfortunate chain of events leading to a blown gasket or even a warped head...

Miracles do happened!
Quote:

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BMW were not a big help, just some guys in suits saying it would take more than a week. An Aprilia dealer pointed us to an old mechanic though. He and his apprentice figured out that the oil line from the valve cover was leaking (melted and/or cracked) , and the oil ran along the seam of the cover making it look like that area leaked. They replaced it for 25 euro and the leaking stopped apparently. We're going to continue and try to take it a bit easier in this heat, no more sandy tractor trails!

If you are ever stuck in Riga, go to Ivars at Adminu iela 4 ;)

I have two sayings I tell my daughters:

1. It's not over until the fat lady sings ( a British thing)
2. Never ever, ever, ever ....... give up!

Glad it worked out for you :clap: