Leaking oil - any ideas

[Biggzed]

Mike - My Dad has an '01 Fatboy with a S&S 106" stroker kit and BC Gerolamy TC2PK heads. After a short ride (50 miles) we noticed the front cylinder covered in oil. The rocker covers and entire head were dry, just the cylinder was oiled. We pulled the rocker cover and found nothing out of the ordinary inside or to the gaskets.

Could the head gasket have failed? The bike was running perfect when he got home, hasn't been fired since.

Thanks in advance,
Biggzed

[Mike]

My best guess would be the oil return from the head to the crankcase through the cylinder. This can be a function of a failed, or failing, head gasket. It is on the front (low) side of the cylinder and is sealed by the head gasket. Second guess would be a pushrod cover o-ring, either the top or center (a leaking top will often run down the cover until it gets to the center sleeve and then drip off from there. Wind can blow the oil around the cylinder and when the bike is at rest it will migrate to the front and opposit side. Last, I've seen a bad exhaust valve guide seal leak enough to run out the port and drip down onto the cylinder, then the wind blows it back. This oil will typically be blackened and easily identified as an exhaust leak. Other possibles, would be the lower cylinder to case o-ring, carryover from the air cleaner, air cleaner backing plate to head o-ring or rocker cover base gasket leaking from the inside.
Thanks, Mike