dropped a valve, what a mare

Motorcycling
1

not the best of weeks. bike lost power at brands and by the time i was back in the pits, the engine was a gonner

have to say i’m not overly happy with the second big issue in a year. last year it was the genny chewing itself to bits, this time the valve decided a game of pinball was in order. costly, and highly irritating/inconvenient

bike is being stripped down to see the extent of the damage but am told that at the very least the valve in question, the piston, and the cylinder head are all likely to have got involved in the party so will have to get on the hunt for parts again, assuming there is enough of the engine to salvage.

bit unsure what is best next step. is it likely that even with a rebuild that the engine will be good again? do i need to find a new engine? is the bike even worth keeping after i’ve done all this or am i best to get it running, get shot and buy something else?

have to say i’m pretty uninspired by the recent crop of sportsbikes out there. they all seem to have been penned by a cross-eyed work experience student. well that is apart from the ducati, which is eyewatering to buy newish spec, not to mention running costs.

not the start to the summer i was hoping for…:frowning:

2

could always borrow susie’s bike :wink:

3

i have, but sadly its her vanvan, which i’m not enjoying in the slightest

the 675 is her new toy. not going near it!

4

I’ll gives ya £100 quid for it :wink:

5

dont try to pretend that you have a 100 quid mate :wink:

6

http://www.yorkshireengines.co.uk/website/Home.html

Malcolm at Yorkshire Engines always has a selection of good engines available, has a great reputation and each engine comes with a warranty. Can often be cheaper to just slot in a second hand unit and sell yours on eBay than try to fix a damaged engine.

(His web host appears to have a problem right now)

7

Really sorry to hear this Ben, that sucks mate! There must be good engines about at breakers, how many bikes are written off because the forks are bent and the swingarm has a scratch on it…

Hope you get it sorted soon.

8

Is it an early (ier) R1?

I’ve always wanted one but never trusted their engines…:frowning:

9

cheers mark

just had a word with the guy at yorkshire engines, very knowledgeable guy. thanks steve

unfortunately he doesn’t have engines for it in stock but well worth the call. from the sounds of things spare engines are a bit thin on the ground at the moment

apparently my genny chomping itself is actually pretty common on the 04-06 bikes so at least i’m not alone in that repair from last year. apparently its worth taking a look at every time you drop the oil. who knew eh?

given the fact that i wasn’t bouncing it off the limiter or being overly aggressive with the downshifting, it appears i’ve just been unlucky with the valve. i’m not sure if that’s comforting or not :wink:

a new head, cam and valve is defo on the cards.

10

I take back my offer of £100 and i’ll give you £75 quid if it’s a regular occurance with these dodgy R1’s :wink:

Also worth putting a ‘wanted ad’ on motoforum for a head / engine pal

11

ill give you a grand for it ben :smiley: and a honda cb1 :hehe:

but its worth sticking a motor in it as i think the cost of stripping and rebuilding is going to be errr shocking!!

its a 20 valve motor if your very lucky the piston will be ok… and why did it go? hit piston, timing out?