I recently bought a 2011 DR650 from a dealer selling it as used with 2.8 Km (Yes Virginia, as in 2,800 meters!). It was originally sold to someone else and prepped last March but never was deliver to the original customer, so the bike never left the dealership and has been sitting there until I bought it two weeks ago.

I have not rode the bike and have only started it few times to idle to for a few minuites. I decided to drain the original oil and change the filter because the original oil, I assumed, had never been  changed.

After pulling the filter cover I found what looked like grease caught on the filter spring and some (not much) caught on the filter. This grease like substance has a carmel colour, opaque, and is very soft. It almost looks like plain old regular wheel bearing grease or a bicycle grease, but opaque and wax like.
It is not an oil/water sludge.

Any ideas what it might be? Left over assemby lub? A soap based thickener separated out of original oil. Also seems to have a low melting point, almost with the heat of your hand.

The old oil was quite dark brown in colour when drained.

Any insights welcome,

Thanks in advance,
Hoot.

Edited by Hootlad, 11 March 2012 - 08:21 PM.

the grease is factory installed, probably to catch any larger peices of sharp metal debris before it tears the filter during break-in, or its simply assembly lube that the filter caught

Edited by ickfinger, 12 March 2012 - 07:07 AM.