What would cause this?

[Adamal47]

I recently went on a small roadtrip and on the way back I developed an oil leak. It looks to be dripping from the cam cover gasket. I've read the manual on how to take this apart and what to expect to see but my question is what would have caused this gasket to fail and leak in the first place? Should I expect to see a broken gear or bushing? It only leaks when the motor is running. When sitting at a stop light it will make a half dollar sized puddle. Bike feels like it still runs perfect. It's a 1997 Heritage Classic.

 

[stray dog]

Before you run out and buy gaskets get things cleaned up and try to find out for sure where the leak is coming from.

 

[fin_676]

Gaskets do deteriorate with age as the metal parts of the engine heat and expand and cool and contract they can rub against the gasket and the gasket can rip or tear

Brian