excessive white smoke

[jodavie]

here's the deal...72 T500 seems to run fine...maybe not as dynamic of a response when i punch it as it had prior to me swapping out the gear cluster a few years back. But i could live with it. i just wanted to ride. now i'm getting excessive white smoke out of the exhaust...seems to be at idle, in gear & in neutral...and more so when i open the throttle. oil lines are a bit brown from their years, but it seems like the oil is not flowing through at an excessive pace.
some have said
* i need a top end rebuild
* others say it needs to be ridden harder (a blow to my ego)
* clean your baffles
* change the oil you are using
I guess i'm just looking for your "expert" opinions before i get too deep going in the wrong direction.

thanks!

[advant63]

monitor you gearbox oil level carefully. the centre crank bearing is lubed with the transmission's oil. oil use is a sign of a failed inner seal.

[titan performance]

Failed crank seals are of course the worst case scenario. But check out the easier stuff first. Is it possibly just residue burning out of the silencers?
Check your ignition timing, carb settings, and the state of your air cleaner for starters.

[MikeH1A]

How long does the smoke last for when riding? I had a similar problem with my 71 T500 but the clouds of white smoke were voluminous, worse with acceleration and present throughout the whole ride i.e. didn't settle when cruising. Sadly this turned out to be a crank seal replacement issue. Hope yours is just gunged up pipes etc.