Black soot under cylinder cover and on tupperware?

[valeriek]

Had my biked dealer serviced at 12K miles - now spotting some black soot on the underside of right cylinder cover and onto the tupperware. Anyone have an idea of the problem? Could it be a bad gasket?

[Chip]

Valerie:

Could it have been there when you got your bike back? I could be all wet here but I still have a bad taste in my mouth for letting a bunch of crack heads at a dealership work on my bike. Sometimes those folks are just messy!

 

I'm inclined to say wash it off, ride it a bit and see if it comes back. At that point, if there is a problem, you're likely to see what's causing it.

[Ken H.]

Could it be a bad gasket?

Could be. It would be surprising for the dealer to have the exhaust disconnected for routine service however. Unless you know of something else they were doing, cause/blame may lie elsewhere.

 

At any rate it's an easy repair. The pipe to head gasket is 18211341323.