Buying sv650 with oil leak, is it worth it?

Hi, new member here! I've been looking at buying a SV for a while now, finally got some funds together and I went to view and potentially buy one yesterday. The one i viewed is on ebay at the moment but i don't think its on this forum. The owner was looking for 1000ono. Its a 1999 sv650s, cosmetic damage but quite tidy otherwise. Could do with a service.

Basicly when me and my friend were going over it carefully we found some oil on the engine. A few droplets had collected on the bolts on the bottom of the sump. There was a thin film of oil on the sump and up the sprocket side of the case. The sprocket itself was coated with slightly more than just a film of oily looking substance even though the chain was a bit dry. We followed the oil film up and onto the rear cylinder but couldn't pin point where it was coming from. There wasn't loads of it, there wasnt enough for it to drip onto the garage floor. There was no oil on the other side of the engine any higher than the sump.

The owner says the bike hasn't been used since November, apparently had never noticed the leak before (supposedly because it hasn't been dripping when parked). The rest of the bike is quite tidy for year, engine ran nicely, smoothly, quietly no rattles or knocks or smoke or weird noises from cold to warm. Recent consumables, bike seemed straight, no structural damage from drop.

Im not offering anywhere near the 1000ono after seeing the bike, and the seller will not accept my offer for the moment. If it doesnt sell on ebay however i think she might be tempted. I just want to ask is it worth getting this sv, or should i walk away and save a bit more and look over the £1k mark? Do you have any idea where the leak might come from, or a worst case scenario?

I just wanted to dip into the wealth of knowledge on this excellent forum before i shoot myself in the foot and get left with a dud bike!

If you need any more info before answering my questions let me know.

Thanks for reading

Also MOT and tax due late next month. Will need instrument light and an exhaust gasket repairing for mot, probably nothing else. Recorded cat D 2005.

Keep looking there will be better about - only my opinion tho`-

Thanks, i need to hear peoples opinions

[yorkie_chris]

That area is likely a crankcase breather which has split or become detached from the airbox. Easy fix.
Other possibility is it is output shaft seal, not so easy to fix, but when they go it's more of a fountain than a mist.

Make sure it has not run low on oil and is not making any knocking as 99s like to eat big ends if run low, or even if not.

The oil level was low, just around minimum mark. Looked a bit too dark for our liking. No knocking noises engine sounded sweet as a nut!

[yorkie_chris]

Oil being black is normal, nothing to worry about.

I know, my friend was making a big fuss about it so i thought id mention it.

The owner has contacted me to say a mechanic power washed the engine and then looked to find the leak. There seems to be no oil now. Any ideas?

Thanks

[yorkie_chris]

It's a bad idea power washing bikes for one.

Has it been ridden?