Leaking base gasket?

I recently purchased a 2004 SM450R, and it almost immediately developed an oil leak. From what I can tell, it's leaking from the cylinder base where it meets the case. Could there be any explanation for this besides a bad base gasket? Any other solutions besides a tear down to replace the gasket?
thanks
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Never seen that before. Oil leaks are hard to diagnose some times.

Make sure it is not leaking down from the valve cover.

The DR650 had an issue with base gasket oil leaks. the fix was to clean the area and cover with a thin film of silicone. That stopped my leak for 4 years.

Clean it thoroughly and ride and revisit. R. Little is quite correct, oil can migrate quite easily from other areas.

From the photo, it looks like the oil is coming down from the valve cover.

Paw Paw

Thanks for the input. I'll warm it up, get it level on the bike stand, and watch it bleed.

I got the whole cylinder and case clean on oil, started it up, and the pool by the base gasket formed within seconds. I could not see it streaming down from anywhere else. However unlikely, I do think it's the base gasket.

Clean it, dry it, baby powder it, then ride it, you will see where it comes from.
Later george

Baby powder, now that,s a darn good idea.

Cylinder studs can loosen and cause several issues, including base and head gasket leaks.