......... rebuilding the motor on my son's F650. Again. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
A long and sad tale of motorcycle abuse (my son) and piss poor mechanical skills (me)
Had the motor out four times in the last few months, three times more than necessary if the old man actually had known what he was doing. Painful to work on, just about any heavy work means the motor out of the bike. Crankcase spilts vertically, so to get gearbox and/or crank out it's a full strip down.
Let me start by saying that the following tale of woe is entiley my son's fault. He rides this bike like it's a GP racer, and is very, very hard on it, especially the gearbox. Max acceleration everywhere, all the time. And I don't think he ever changes the oil or filters. He just waits for it to break down and we do a full rebuild, with an oil change thrown in. I'm blamless. Maybe not.
Two years ago a bearing in motor failed, balancer shaft, and resulted in damage to the crankcases. Bike had done ~ 42000 miles. Cases toast, most of the inards okay. Sourced a used motor, mileage unknown.
Fitted replacement motor, but few months later it loses second gear. Leave it a while but without second the clutch is getting knackered. So I eventually get around to rebuilding it. Selector fork badly bent. All new bearings, including main (plain) bearings, selector fork or two, clutch plates, etc etc. All back together.
Late this summer it loses second gear again. Not a happy bunny am I. Son has a Hornet 600 by now so I leave it a while, and October I get around to taking it apart. Both 2nd and the dogs on it's adjacent driving gear 5th are badly worn. Fortunately I have two better ones from his first engine, (remember that?), and a better selector drum, another new selector fork, and all back together. On start up, bike doesn't sound right, cam chain knock, but eventually it settles down. It's a hydraulic cam chain tensioner and this was a missed clue to subsequent failure.
Bike runs fine but sadly, after maybe 30 miles it has a big end seize. Bollocks would be a very appropriate British term to use at this point in time.
So engine out again. Can't find anything wrong apart from seized big end. Send crank away for rebuild. Get it back, rebuild the motor. Back in the frame. Start it up, similar noise to before, knocking in the top end area. cam chain. Then after a minute or two or running, the oil pressure warning light comes on, first intermittently, then it won't go off. Bollocks. New pressure switch just to make sure. Still bollocks.
So I conclude it's the top oil pump. Dry sump motor, two pumps, top (pressure) and lower(scavenge). Scavenge is working fine. So with the motor in the frame, I remove clutch cover and clutch to get at the pump. Three M5 screws holding it in. Two come out fine, last one breaks off in the crankcase. Bollocks. So now I'm trying to drill the broken screw out, making a bigger and messier hole as I do so, but eventually I get it all out, with just enough material left there to redrill and helicoil. Phew. All back together, but on reassembly I decide to clean out a metal filter in the oil tank (in bike frame) and the oil pipes. Filter is full of cack and oil lines full of water/oil emulsion. I now realise that oil pump was probably fine and bike was just suffering from oil starvation, which killed the big end. Bollocks. Clean filer and fush lines.
Bike runs fine. Day later son is on the phone. Can't get the bike out of third gear. We get it home. Motor out and stripped and in the bowels of the gearbox is a small selector spring sitting there laughing at me. It has a little hook that clips over the selector arm. On reassembly guess what I hadn't done.
No big deal to fix, but i need new gaskets, centre and bas gasket as a minimum. But it's the Christmas holiday everywhere is shut until 2nd Jan 08, what to do? Oh bollocks, risk it, what could possibly go wrong. Apart from a major oil leak perhaps. So back together, runs beautifully, sweet as a nut. But guess what. Yep, a farking big oil leak from the base gasket. Bollocks.
So yesterday, motor out, stripped on bench, new gaskets, all back together, and back in the frame, and this afternoon bike fired up and taken for a test ride. Phew. Looking good
Motor quiet, no knocks, no leaks, all five gears seem to be working (for the moment )
At least the weather was decent and I was able to work outside. Coldish but bright.Pics attached. Like the carpet on the patio? My poor knees need some comfort at their age.
Doubt I'll ever make it to Grattan, but if I ever do and out of politeness offer to help you with some spannering on your bikes, you might be wise to tell me to bugger off.
He rides this bike like it's a GP racer, and is very, very hard on it, especially the gearbox. Max acceleration everywhere, all the time. And I don't think he ever changes the oil or filters. He just waits for it to break down
Maybe you should have a chat with him about this? Or make him start doing the rebuilds.
...dude you ride an offroad bike with slicks, 1/2 the weight of a GS, double the suspension, with a browning 50 cal going off 32" from your skull as a daily freaking driver - I'd expect anything except a nitro dragbike to be bland by comparison - SSG
I have had multiple forays into machinery that I misdiagnosed the first time around (Hammer, Kawboy69 and I getting the carbs in and out of my SV650 32 times at Putnam comes to mind)- Somehow impressing bystanders with the facility with which I can open the thing up isn't all that rewarding..
Nice writeup, though - hope you nailed it this time. If not, keep the Brit swear words coming; we're taking notes!
At 23, I either have to do my own hamhanded repairs or pay my way. My dad made me start covering the bills on my old CX500 when I was learning, and it was enough to make me stop beating the shit out of the thing.
At 23, I either have to do my own hamhanded repairs or pay my way. My dad made me start covering the bills on my old CX500 when I was learning, and it was enough to make me stop beating the shit out of the thing.
Ditto for me, can't count how many papers I tossed or lawns mowed to get work done to my XR 75. Work all winter shovelling just so I could have tires for the next yr.
Let him hoof it for awhile. Maybe next time he will treat it with more respect.
When you were 23 did you listen to your dad? I'm just a know nothing dinosoaur
By 23 I did. I had outgrown "that" by about 18, however like the others above I was also responsible for all repairs from an age much younger than that. At 23 I had been out of the house for five years. My dad would have happily offered an extra set of hands (and often did) if I had asked but it still would have been "my" project.
...dude you ride an offroad bike with slicks, 1/2 the weight of a GS, double the suspension, with a browning 50 cal going off 32" from your skull as a daily freaking driver - I'd expect anything except a nitro dragbike to be bland by comparison - SSG
I won't jack this thread with my own stories of similar mechanical woes, but mine are legion.
If you twist wrenches long enough you get quite an inventory.
As far as the father/son thing, or even just friends that you have to bail out mechanically, there is a bonding event that happens in such instances.
Who doesn't fondly recall some of the more important aspects of mechanical knowledge that comes from jointly digging into a car, bike, or something mechanical?
I mean the essentials: Identifying the proper cuss words, conjugating them correctly, applying them with the proper inflections, and at the right times. Knowing how to find the bandaids, or at least axle grease. The proper misuse of tools, and of course, when to break out the inevitable duct tape/bailing wire solution.
When going through it just remember the famous line: "Someday we will look back on this and laugh". Well, at least it will be over...maybe.
Character is not formed in a crisis...only exhibited.
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Originally Posted by slickwill
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