Liquid noticed under the bike at a filling station

[potatan]

2021 R1250RT - at a filling station after a reasonably sprited ride, I pulled up onto the side stand, my pillion passenger got off, then me, and I opened the fuel filler cap to add some unleaded.

My partner claims to have noticed some fluid exiting below the bike, maybe a small wine glass amount or less. I wasn't told this until I'd paid, and there was nothing coming out then. I looked at the wet patch about 6" across under the bike but because I was at a filling station any further diagnosis of the fluid might have been affected by the fact that the forecourt was covered in oil stains anyway. Plus there was nothing dripping out at that point. I rode home without further incident.

Any ideas?

My thoughts were it was some sort of cooling system expansion overflow. It looked clear and wet rather than oily, for instance. No warnings on the dash etc.

[burridge01]

Sniff n lick would have told you a lot more.

[Steve398]

Sniff n lick would have told you a lot more.

That so begs a response…

[potatan]

Sniff n lick would have told you a lot more.

Maybe, but here we are after the fact. Any helpful suggestions?

[EasyRider]

That so begs a response…

[Steve398]

1) Coolant if it’s been overfilled or recently got very hot.

2) Your bike was on the side stand at the garage, if it’s normally kept on the centre stand it may have been water collected somewhere after washing thats drained off with the bike leant over. .

3) Water if it’s been recently washed or been rained on, it can collect in the ring around the fuel tank spout then drops out through a breather tube under the bike. This sounds the most likely, especially with you undoing the cap then you notice the liquid under the bike.

As a further point, I spoke to my mechie recently, he had a Triumph with a blocked breather as above and the accumulated water went into the tank. Over time it displaced the petrol at the bottom of the tank and the bike wouldn’t start resulting in a bit of a large bill to diagnose and sort it out.

[potatan]

Thanks - some good suggestions. It was completely dry that day and I'd been out for an hour or two (it hasn't rained in the UK for around a month either) so I can probably rule out water from washing the bike / rain etc.

I'll keep an eye out for it every time I park up from now on, see if I can see what may be causing it

[burridge01]

That so begs a response…

Don't you be telling me you don't stick ya finger in when you see a wet patch,give it a rub between ya fore finger and thumb and then finish off with a mighty sniff

I mean,how many liquids does the RT hold.Its one of 4 things,oil,fuel,coolant or brake/hydrolic fluid.

[simbo]

Probably water from a cars air con unit.

[Glenn]

Worst case, the fuel pump unit could be leaking, on the 2011 bike I had it leaked from the front left, removing the plastics revealed a hairline crack in the pump housing