[clubine]

Hey! First time poster here on HondaTwins.

I just bought my first bike on Craigslist the other night - an '81 CM400e. Seemed to be running fine, the PO gave me all of the repair logs up until this point (replaced sparkplugs, Flushed / synced carbs, updated electronics etc.) He says he rode it this past summer and it was running without issue.

Today I turned it on and idled it then revved it to show off the bike to a buddy. Right away, I noticed the bike was leaking oil and there was black sludge/oil sputtering out of the exhaust. (pictured below) Texted the seller pics and he straight away sent them to his mechanic for a diagnostic. In the meantime, I'm wondering if anyone could point me towards a starting point to addressing the issue and understand whats going on. I'm completely new to this and am excited to get my hands greasy!

 

[dtsmjr8dan]

Doesn't look like oil to me. I believe it's carbon inside the pipe mixed with the normal by product of combustion......water. You need to seal that joint

 

[longdistancerider]

I agree with Dan, that's not oil. It's carbon and water from the pipes. Go ride it for 20 miles to clean and dry out the entire exhaust system.