82 750 Severe Oil Leak, Where to start...?

So I bought an 82 xj750 that I fell in love with. It's my first bike. This poor thing has sat for a few years and I believe was horribly neglected prior to sitting. I've already put a bit of work into it. Took it for a ride up the road, and it started smoking from the right side...ok, that's new. So, no oil. Nice. It took in 3 quarts of oil and wasn't even full. Well, that's because it was literally leaking right out. This absolutely can't be good. I haven't the slightest idea where to begin. I'm no mechanic, but I'm not scared of the task. (Are you laughing at me yet??) Any suggestions?

 

Use a bright light and start at the top of the engine check both sides of the engine and work your way down, look for anything that appears wet , put bike on center stand , start it up look underneath see if you see anything dripping ( or worse flowing out) Look at oil filter area and drain plug, Valve cover is another culprit. Check cylinder base gasket . If you still can't quite locate, put on center stand put some card board down , leave over night , check and see if one side is worse than the other work up from there. Good luck.

 

leaking out as you poured it in?
find the lowest oil leak and start from there.

check oil filter housing check oil level sensor, drain plug and its crush washer the bolts that hold the oil pan to motor and look for a hole in the case.
clutch cover , is the crankcase vent hooked up?
if oil is blowing out that there is a big problem.

you check the oil level with bike on centerstand correct? and level left to right.

 

The first place I'd look at is the oil drain bolt. Front, center beween th two middle exhaust headers, right below the oil filter housing.

Get yourself a service manual too. They really are an important tool.