I checked the oil window and....

[vision_chris]

so my oil window looked mostly black but i shone a flashlight on it and it looks like it's right at the fill line.  I had never really looked that closely at the bottoom side of the bike and all around the area in the vicinity of the oil window, there is a thin film of a gritty oil-like substance.  Is that normal or something I should be worried about?

[jasonm.]

GRIT???  I have never seen grit through the oil window of any of my bikes. Dark oil ..yes, that's the detergents working. Oil should look like oil, not chocolate ice cream. Drain it, change the filter. Remember to drain the output area. Most don't do it. You'll see a large allen bolt by your left peg at 6 o'clock with a copper washer on it. This lets another 6-8 oz. out.

[QBS]

Jason: There are at least 3 Allen heads that match that description in that general area.  Could you please be a little more specific.

[jasonm.]

6 o'clock....the lowest "large" allen head. The large ones are arranged in a circle on the cover...by your left foot.

[Superfly]

Jason,

is that the cover for the shaft drive gear?  (right where the shaft hooks into the engine by the u-joint)?

[silicon_toad2000]

I think chris meant the grit was on the outside of the oil window.
Don't worry too much about that chris, just give it a clean with some degreaser, its just a little oil leak and some road grime. It can get pretty grubby down there being so close to the road. You may not even have an oil leak, its just pure road grime.