Went for a ride the other day and on the way home picked up a slight tick nothing real loud. Yesterday I changed the oil and filter and started her up and heard a pretty loud knock coming from the right side of top end. Called my tech and took her down to the shop and dropped her off. Hopefully we'll hear something today. He seems to think it's a CCT failure but not sure.

I'm anal retentive with my bikes, oil and filter change every 2500 miles, and always check the oil for shavings or debri and have never seen any. When I changed it yesterday same thing oil clean and pretty, I hope it's just that this has been a good bike and I've put 25,000 miles on it in 2 years so yea I ride a good bit. Hopefully I'll get a call by 3pm on it and see.

* Last updated by: heathun on 12/5/2009 @ 7:46 AM *

Good luck. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for ya.

Not good news. Just talked to him and it's a rod. He's not sure yet until he tears into but I suspect the dreaded number 3. This bike had a mild knock from 500 miles and he's aware of it, he said he's going to try and Kawi to help on this. We'll see on that one. Anyway he's going to start tearing down so we can see what happened and go from there.

Only good thing is it wasn't a catastrophic failure and we caught it before anything just let go and killed the bottom end too.

That's not cool, the 14 has let down some owners that pride themeselves in taking good care of their machines.

I always tell myself that I'm picking up a low mileage 08-09 engine if mine shits the bed, hope it never happens though.

Owner says: ... heard a pretty loud knock coming from the right side of top end.

Tech says: Just talked to him and it's a rod.

Owner hears noise in NW direction. Mechanic hears it from the deep South.

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How can two different ears hear two extreme directions?
Did you tear open the filter cartridge and inspect the pleats?

South side: You can drop the pan, look up at #3 and shake that big rod end.
NW corner: You can pull the right cover, turn the crank backward a few degrees, check slop in cam chain.

Two fast inspections without a tear down is pull a rod cap. Maybe 1bad can remember if you have room to screw those nuts off. I'm trying to remember how much room you have to it, because my recollection is that you can. And if the crank journal is not wiped out, you can reinstall new inserts without tearing down the engine.

Yea Hub, thats what he is doing. He's going to start at the top then look at the botom without taking her completely apart and see where we are at on this thing. The knock was real hard to isolate to a specific area just by ear. I'm going by on Tuesday and get with him and take a closer look.

Sorry to hear that Heathun-as many high end runs as I've done-I'm surprised mine is still "noiseless".Hope ya get er fixed without too much problem.

What year is ur bike Heat?? That sucks man I hope it all works out for u in the end, especially when you do everything right to maintain it then something goes wrong... I am like you Heat with the oil as well, full synthetic change but it is every 2500KM..... on brighter note if you are out a bike maybe Rook can lend u his Busa!! heehee yes Rook i am still very jealous!!!! Good Luck Heat....

Fuzz it's an 07'. I just spoke with him again and it's the #4 rod bearing. He did say it's not an oiling issue and that it appeared to him to be a clearance issue from the beginning hence the slight knock from 500 miles on, that Kawi said was normal (NOTTT). Anyway he's going to get on the horn with Kawi Tuesday morning and see what happens.

Good thing you know your machine. Could have been bad if it went on you at high speed. I guess the message for new owners is if you start hearing engine tapping noise start up all the sudden, have it checked right away. That seems to be the thing that people who have spun bearings say -- "I heard a tapping and then".......it always varies - from rapid oil consumption all the way to busted out crankcase and full blown spill.

About the fifth one I have heard of in the last two years. The others ended up with junked bikes.

Yea if I had taken that well I'll go for one more ride attitude it probably would have let go. So now we'll see if Kawi stands by their product or not, I'm not holding me breath but we'll see.

A new crank isn't cheap

Good decision on the riding-had it been me-whoops-probably would STILL be stuck on the side of the road.Kawi will brobably repair it-if you can get that mech to vouch for ya on when it actually started?You have an extended warranty Heathun?If so-ya-they'll make it right I'm pretty sure.Glad ya didn't wind up in a ditch or worse.You'll be back on er in no time(glad she didn't bust loose and trash yer motor!)Stay positive Bro!!Take care.(this "slight knock"...which is normal"-did anyone from Kawi hear it when it was happening?Or was that a generic answer from a mechanic?There's a "few" "normal" engine noises with these bad boys.Anyway-glad it will be worked out. (what's a CCT failure?Crankcase what?)

* Last updated by: blue07 on 12/5/2009 @ 4:04 PM *

... to him to be a clearance issue from the beginning hence the slight knock from 500 miles on

If you do not cut open the oil filter, check the pleats, you are missing an X-Ray scan of the bike. Have your mechanic cut that cartridge open, see how much was sent to the filter.

Engines seem to let loose sooner than later. Ask Bad about his turbo rebuild. Like down the street was it?

If you heard a knock at 500 miles; 24,500 miles later she now lets go? And you hammer, I mean, sport ride the bike occasionally?

E knee mean ear, minor blow... What is the leak-down number on #4 cylinder as opposed to another? Let the forensics begin.

You have the fly... ' ' '' ' '

Blue,

CCT ~ Cam Chain Tensioner

Hub, I'll going by there Tuesday morning when they open and take a look for myself. I want to see the oil filter and the pan. I know when I changed the oil on saturday there wasn't so much as a sliver of metal in it. As always at every oil change I filter the oil and check it and since day one never saw any even at the first and second oil change when you ocassionally see a little bit. Never had any oil usage with the bike either. But yea I sport ride her, thats what she's built for. She's never been bounced off the rev limiter, never been run hot, regular 2500 mile oil and filter changes, new plugs at 17000 (even though the stockers still looked good) and I've put 3 oem air filters in her so she's been well taken care of.

* Last updated by: heathun on 12/5/2009 @ 9:35 PM *

Thanks Hub!

* Last updated by: blue07 on 12/6/2009 @ 12:16 AM *

Well Kawi isn't going to help out. Gave them the go ahead today to start getting her back together. New crank, #4 rod, bearings and rings.

heathun,
any idea what created this issue (rod)? Also the #4 rod is on the right side? sorry 4 the questions not mechanic incline

heathun wrote:

...New crank, #4 rod, bearings and rings.

Cybill will be a brand new baby again.

Heathun,

Now that it's out of pocket 25K later, what are the mods and how hard did you really ride it? I'm not backing off of mine if all the rods let loose. This bike lives in the TON. Kind of like a throwaway bike she blows up.

Sit on the bike. Left cylinder is #1. The most right is cylinder #4. So you were correct, Juicey. As far as how #4 went out, we have to see how hard the rider takes that throttle up to the rev limiter or chunks the crank a lot, being in the wrong gear, lugging the load. Things like that.

Tolerance limits let go within seconds she is assembled wrong.

Hub,

I haven't abused her. She's been riden like a sportbike. She's seen some top end runs and some hard launches, nothing that this bike shouldn't be able to handle. When I ride I don't lug her I usually ride in a gear that keeps me around 4500 to 5000 so all I have to do is roll on. 90% of the miles on this bike is 2 up riding including the top end runs and some of the launches just to see what kind of speed she could turn in the quarter 2 up.

As for mods just the typical, flies out, PCIII, muzzy dual slipons and 16 counter sprocket.

I looked at the motor and the only issue was the #4 bearing, the crank journal wasn't even scored all the way around maybe just about 1/2 (so we caught it early, it could have been alot worse). Oiling wasn't an issue and there was only a couple of small bearing slivers in the oil pan. I've got a couple of pics I'll post up here in a few. The rest of the engine including the other 3 bearings looks perfect so the mechanic still stands by what he originally stated as it being a clearance issue.

so the mechanic still stands by what he originally stated as it being a clearance issue.

Well, say a little bit of 2-UP/WOT and a slight detonation could bang #4 and hammer that bearing. The more hours on the engine, the more wear-out factor moves in. So, if there was a clearance problem, flies out can knock on the low speed 2-Up tap at the throttle. The sequential ping with the PC calling the shots/sequential... How can a clearance problem occur when 25K worth of hours are wearing that bearing loose, not tight.

And if that bearing was tight from the get go is let go; then the chips roll off the bearing, dig into the soft bearing, cause a snowball effect of material beginning to unravel on the spin... I'm not buying the clearance part of it! I'd say detonation would be more likely.

See how much carbon buildup is there [on the piston] with the PC adding too much soot to settle on each fire off.

Any pics ??

Yea hub I'm going down tommorrow to take a look at the piston tops. Like you said if it was a clearance issue it should have shown itself many miles ago. I just find it strange that evrything except that bearing looks perfect.

I'll post up a couple of pics in just a bit

Well Kawi isn't going to help out. Gave them the go ahead today to start getting her back together. New crank, #4 rod, bearings and rings.

why is the rod defective .. i know its cheap insurance to replace it now... i hope your replaceing ALL rods and crank bearings and getting it plastic gauged to insure this don't happen again in 25500 miles .. and i put 300hp and run the dog shitt out of my motor'S and never had any rod failure .. I'VE MELTED PISTONS ..

but do post pics i've seen a few rod bearing