A Question for Motorcycle Owners...

[RoyGBiv]

Reasons for coolant in your oil....

1. Head gasket bad.... Easy to fix, unless you've been driving it that way for a while. Then you would need to worry about the lack of lubrication causing damage to moving parts... Bearings, rods, pistons, etc. Could be easy fix, could be very expensive.

2. Cracked head. Run away.

3. Other bad gasket... Depends on the bike... In a car, another common cause is an intake manifold gasket failure... Some bikes have intake seals that can go bad, depends on the engine... Finding the problem is usually harder than fixing the problem in this case.

[E.Marquez]

Reasons for coolant in your oil....

1. Head gasket bad.... Easy to fix, unless you've been driving it that way for a while. Then you would need to worry about the lack of lubrication causing damage to moving parts... Bearings, rods, pistons, etc. Could be easy fix, could be very expensive.
No disrespect intended, and all the above is valid info ....but If I may.. it is only part of the concerns... Any amount of coolant emulsified in the oil and allowed to remain in contact with bearing or gear steel will cause issues.. Gears and most of the steel shafts are pretty resilient and can take some surface corrosion.. BUT bearing, or things like the rod and crank pin, or the bearing surface on a shaft have zero tolerance for water in contact. Have a leaking gasket or O ring, seal...that allows coolant mixed 50/50 with water left in the motor for weeks or months will likely end motors service life.

2. Cracked head. Run away.
Yes and no.... good used heads are a common find for most motors... not all, and less common on short run models.... But replacing the damaged head with a good used one is the same work and needed competence level as replacing teh head gasket
Here is a good used one for $60 http://www.ebay.com/itm/2002-honda-shad ... w1&vxp=mtr
,,, JUst an example.. the OP did not say which version 2002 Shadow he was looking at, and we don't know if it is a head at all, never mind front or rear..
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3. Other bad gasket... Depends on the bike... In a car, another common cause is an intake manifold gasket failure... Some bikes have intake seals that can go bad, depends on the engine... Finding the problem is usually harder than fixing the problem in this case
Water pump seals, engine cover gaskets are common causes of coolant in oil.. easily tracked down and repaired most cases on a motorcycle.

[RoyGBiv]

^^ No disrespect taken.

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