I stink after a ride

[teck_mountain]

No kidding, this is getting bad. After a ride my pant legs stink something awful of exhaust. I have replaced the gaskets at the head, connecting the pipes at the bend, at the mid point on the length of the exhaust and the middle where they join.

I'm out of ideas. Started the bike on a cold morning to see if i can see any leaks, but nothing.

Any ideas

[mitch]

exhaust????

Maybe its gas fumes do you have induvidual filters is it possibly blowing gas out of the carbs. Maybe you have a small gas leak when running. Just a thought.......MITCH

[Hepcat]

Do you have a fairing or saddle bags? I've noticed that I stink after riding my xs with fairing, saddle bags, and a trunk, but not after riding my xj, which has none of the above. Something about the configuration drafts the exhaust back towards me. I don't smell it while I'm riding, but when I get off the bike, I reek. It makes me wonder how much of that I'm breathing...

I'm thinking about cutting vent holes in my windshield like I've seen on Craig Vetter's website. Maybe that would keep the exhaust from being recirculated around me.

[nashville_bill]

It happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I got home from a two hundred mile ride, opened a can of my favorite beverage, sat down in my favorite chair and the gas smell hit me.

Come to find out, the vacuum shutoff in my octopus had a leak in the diaphragm and was leaking a small amount of gas out the drain hole. I haven't been able to find a new diaphragm yet so I just removed the octopus and I have no more gas odor problems.

[ratbyk]

Stink Pants

The odors you are smelling could be originating from the breather tube from the top.rear of the crankcase to the air box. Blow by gases from the engine really do stink. If this tube is not connected up to the air box blow by fumes will be circulating around your calves/boots.
Ken/Sooke

[teck_mountain]

Still stinky

checked all the ideas you sent in. Every things seems to check out. I wondering if I needed some type of gasket sealent for the joints of the exhause?

Any idea

[D. P. Larmee]

I don't know-Call me crazy, but as men, isn't it our god given right to smell like gas and exhaust. I personally love the smell. I don't wear cologne, but it just might be because I haven't found eau de gasoline yet.

[teck_mountain]

Solution to stinky pants

Hi all

Not that I want to break the rights of us men to smell like gas and exhaust but I did find a solution to my problem.

Purchased from Canadian Tire a tube of exhaust joint sealer. This stuff is a very soft solution that I was able to work into the joints, all five of them, of the exhaust system. this stuff dries hard. (They say its easy to break off if need be,...this could be another story) I then wrapped the joints with alumminum joint tape.

Rode for two hours today and still smell Octobery fresh.

Teck

PS hard to believe it two week it October and I can still ride. Forcast says near 20 for the weekend. A lot more riding to do

[don07tncav]

Re: Solution to stinky pants

My wife wanted me to remind you that God gave women the right to reject men who stink!

I have this same problem on my 81 standard and plan to try the solutions on here. This thread poped up in a search on exhaust fumes.

[MartyA]

I suddenly noticed a strong gas smell at a stop light this past summer. Turns out my petcock was seeping. As I rode the gas would run along the tank and soak into my jeans and leathers. When the engine was off there was no leak.

I could see if you had an exhaust leak at the headers the fumes could be a problem. My fairing lowers do channel air along the engine fins and a little upward around the outsides of the tank into my chest.

[fountainbiker]

Unburned fluorocarbons...

I was told one day that they could tell I was on my bike because of these unburned fluorocarbons! Since then, I always enjoyed the aroma, felt like a real biker, in fact I enjoy most of the smells you get when riding the open road... the spring flowers and trees and the fresh air, but you can keep the skunk smells, dead animals and cattle farms away!!

[don07tncav]

I used some muffler sealent on the junctions of the pipes but still get a bit of the fumes. The enginge breather tube may have a hole in it, I'll be checking that this weekend. These are stronger than the usual bike smells.

[skids]

Check your exhaust header gaskets. I recall someone at xs camp 98 that had to replace at least one because it was making him nasious(sp?). Was that Dave Hogue?

Originally posted by don07tncav
I used some muffler sealent on the junctions of the pipes but still get a bit of the fumes. The enginge breather tube may have a hole in it, I'll be checking that this weekend. These are stronger than the usual bike smells.