Bike in the shop

[desertdog]

08 Vulcan Nomad, with 62,000 miles on it. Started burning oil, first a little then a qt every 1,000 miles. Front cylinder was burning oil.

Put it in the shop Saturday, they finished the tear down yesterday.

Front piston had a 1 inch crack across the face of it, and a cracked oil ring. Also hydraulic lifter was malfunctioning.

So top end rebuild and all new parts, cam chains, etc. Cylinder walls were not scored.

They said bottom end checks out ok.

They are also putting new steering bearings in.

I did not ride it hard, oil changes and all maintenance done on time. If anything I tend to over maintain it.

Bummer, going to be expensive, good thing is it will be a new engine when they are done.

Two weeks to complete if they can get all the parts from U.S. suppliers, 4 weeks if they need to get any thing from Japan.

[recumbentbob]

That hurts. Did you buy it new?

IMHO that should not have happened.

[desertdog]

Bought the bike new in 08, it had 2 miles on it when I test rode it, after my test ride it had 5 miles on it, and I took it home.

Some times, no matter the quality control, you can get a bad part or two. It does not happen very often, but nothing is 100%.

Bike is old enough and has enough miles on it that Kawa has no responsibility for the issues.

I don't like it, but have to suck it up.

I do like the bike tho. Thats why I am putting the money into it.

[MAS Tequila]

What is your mileage, and how much are they asking for the rebuild?

Out of curiosity, has it ever ran hot?

[desertdog]

62,000 miles, did not notice it ever running hot, altho when I rode this fall the fan seemed to cut on more, but it was in the high 90s to low 100s out.

Its gonna be over $3,000 for the rebuild, new pistons, cam chains, hoses, fork stem bearings, and some other goodies.

I called around to a number of shops about a rebuild and they all referred me to the one I took it to.

I had thought about a used motor, but decided I would rather stick with this engine, rather than take a chance on an unknown.

Its still cheaper than a new bike. And my riding days are winding down slowly, ( but thats another story).

[roadhawg]

What brand and viscosity oil did you use? How often did you change it?

[desertdog]

Mobile 1 V twin Synthetic 20-50 due to heat, change every 3-5k miles, changed filter every oil change

[redjay]

Originally Posted by desertdog

Mobile 1 V twin Synthetic 20-50 due to heat, change every 3-5k miles, changed filter every oil change

What oil filter do you use ?

[DragonLady58]

Well, a good quality rebuild would cost about $1800 or there abouts. depends on what else they did for use to give you a good idea if you were given a good deal. One thing though. Your bike will be like new.
Sounds like it might've had either a bad piston, might've dripped some carbon on top of said piston (creating a hot spot), or piece of ring welded in groove, created a hot spot and ate the piston. Just lucky the bore wasn't damaged.
Did the bike sit up at anytime during one bad winter? Condensation, or washing the bike and getting water in thru the intake could cause this also....
The 1500/1600s are super reliable, so, I would consider this a fluke. This is one of the reasons why folks need to blow the carbon out often....
If everything was gone thru, a really good quality rebuild could be closer to $2000, maybe $2200, depending on what was done,
Good news is your bike will be ready for 150,000 miles of trouble free cruisin'....

[thebierguy]

Originally Posted by DragonLady58

Well, a good quality rebuild would cost about $1800 or there abouts. depends on what else they did for use to give you a good idea if you were given a good deal. One thing though. Your bike will be like new.
Sounds like it might've had either a bad piston, might've dripped some carbon on top of said piston (creating a hot spot), or piece of ring welded in groove, created a hot spot and ate the piston. Just lucky the bore wasn't damaged.
Did the bike sit up at anytime during one bad winter? Condensation, or washing the bike and getting water in thru the intake could cause this also....
The 1500/1600s are super reliable, so, I would consider this a fluke. This is one of the reasons why folks need to blow the carbon out often....
If everything was gone thru, a really good quality rebuild could be closer to $2000, maybe $2200, depending on what was done,
Good news is your bike will be ready for 150,000 miles of trouble free cruisin'....

What do you mean "Blow the carbon out"? What's the process?

[recumbentbob]

Originally Posted by thebierguy

What do you mean "Blow the carbon out"? What's the process?

Run it in first, second and third gear don't shift up until you hit the rev limiter in each gear.

[JD Hog]

Originally Posted by recumbentbob

Run it in first, second and third gear don't shift up until you hit the rev limiter in each gear.

If my bike has been Ivanized will it still have a rev limiter?

[DragonLady58]

Originally Posted by JD Hog

If my bike has been Ivanized will it still have a rev limiter?

Damn Betcha! He doesn't screw with that safety factor.....

[desertdog]

I live in Arizona, so bike is run year round, but not as much in the summer. In the fall and winter I ride alot more. I don't twist the throttle alot any more, but the carbon does get blown out on a regular basis.

I agree its just some type of fluke. The shop has a good reputation for being honest and fair. I checked around and other shops suggested I take it there, the google reveiws were good, so I am sure I am not getting over charged.

It will be nice to have a new engine.

I am going to ask to see the pistons tho, just to satisfy my curiosity as to what might have happened.

[Top Cat]

Just think, you could have purchased my 2008 with 54,000 miles on it and saved all the hassle