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Afro locks wheel up at 80mph...thrown piston rod is the culprit!


AfroCBR

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For all of you who have not read my previous posts, I should warn you, I am long winded. You have been warned. Remember though...if it wasn't worth it...I wouldn't have spent the time writing it...

Alright...so I was riding w/ some of my crew this past weekend, and right before we left to hit the twisties I put my hand on my exhaust and realized that it was very loose. The best way to describe it was that the end canister would move side to side and up and down freely. I told them to keep a look out if it looks like it may fall out. Not more than five minutes later I heard a clicking sound (even through my earphones). I pulled over and told my buddies that I think my exhaust was making a noise. Unfortunately, it was not my exhaust...but indeed my engine making a knocking noise. Although I am not mechanic, I have read posts on this site...and a knocking in the motor is not good....not good at all. I told my brothers that I would need to head back...and didn't want to risk my bike. They agreed that I should get it checked out ASAP. I had turned off the bike while I was talking to them, and when I tried to restart the bike...it would not fire. I had one of my buddies give me a push start...and the engine started...but with a more pronounced knocking sound than before.

Hindsight is 20-20...that's what my parents told me...and so don't judge me for what I did next....as I began making the short 4-mile trip back to my place, I quickly realized that the faster I went, the louder the knocking sound. In hindsight, I should have correlated the louder knocking sound with a need to slow down....unfortunately for me, I did not make such an inference. Instead, in my mind at the time, I thought to myself "the faster I go, the faster I will get to my destination...thus getting my bike to safety faster." This was not a good move. I quickly left my fellow compadres in the dust as I accelerated to 40...50....60mph...the knocking sound began to be almost deafening...I accelerated up to 80mph...and then I heard a loud BOOOM...

I looked down at the instrument cluster and all the lights were blinking (I would have counted the blinks to see what the code was...but I thought I was going to die...lol).....this is when my wheel locked up...now let me tell you..it felt as if 8-10 school children just jumped onto the back of my bike...I couldn't control it at all...my rear wheel swung wildly to the left...and then right...and I somehow managed to keep it upright...my wheel momentarily unlocked itself, and I proceeded to change lanes and downshift...this is when the engine made another loud popping sound...I looked back and saw blue smoke, white smoke...and black stuff everywhere...miraculously I still kept the "shiny side up" as they say.

As I pulled over I smelled the smell no one wants too...the smell of burning metal...and saw large amounts of oil pouring from the lower fairings....my brothers caught up with me...immediately took off their helmets...and said "dude...I thought you died...we saw an explosion and huge amounts of white and blue smoke...then oil everywhere"....I suffered no injuries..besides a broken heart...and realizing that I should have stopped before doing such a stupid thing....

Fast forward to yesterday...I was able to find a reputable seller in a little place called Madison, IN. The guy was super nice and sold me the 05' engine for $700 cash. It is now being put in by a Honda mechanic. This same Honda mechanic showed me the carnage I had done to my baby...and it was not pretty....there was a grapefruit-sized hole in my engine casing...and debris everywhere...he stated that I had "thrown a piston rod." I'm now looking (with labor) at about $1500 to get her back and ready for a track day at Nelson's for 4/16. The mechanic said he has no idea how I was able to keep it up...and that what I did was one of the dumbest things he's ever heard....he had a good laugh (at my expense.....literally)...and the bike should be back this upcoming week.

Moral of the story...don't ride when you hear knocking.....o...and if you practice wheelies too much...apparently it starves the engine of oil (a much needed component)...and you jack your shit up! That is all...let me know your thoughts... (flame suit on)...

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Yeah definitely should have kept it easy going home, not that it would have cost you less to fix. More importantly good to hear you didn't wreck when it blew and are alright.

Very true...thx for the well wishes fusion!

Knocking is bad, stop now.

Shiny side up is good.

$1500 is bad.

Not dead is good.

A cheap lesson, priceless.

That made me lol 4-real....thx..and well said!

damn dude, glad you are okay. I think I would have had a heart attack if I was in your position. Calling for a tow is always cheaper than your life.

So very true...my friends made a good point...if this would have happened on a turn...I would have been toast...

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You are definitely lucky no doubt. Being only out $1500 for an engine replacement is CHEAP!

You speak the truth....I bought the bike 2-years ago and it had low compression in all 4 cylinders....the shop got me for $3200.....this time I thought I better find my own... :D

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Way to keep it up. Better it happened when it did that on the track. Probably wouldn't have lasted long at high revs.

This was an ex-stuntbike that probably also saw a few too many whoolies in its time. Thankfully the race lower caught every drop of oil that didn't go up in flames.

http://tinypic.com/r/o07aes/7

Edited by brn6604
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Way to keep it up. Better it happened when it did that on the track. Probably wouldn't have lasted long at high revs.

This was an ex-stuntbike that probably also saw a few too many whoolies in its time. Thankfully the race lower caught every drop of oil that didn't go up in flames.

http://tinypic.com/r/o07aes/7

Thanks for the well wishes...and wow...that video is exactly like what I experienced (w/out the flames)...I bet his butthole puckered up just like mine did :p

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glad your alright man! glad you learned a few lessons too! knocking= baddd

Very true! Glad I was alive to learn this valuable lesson...

Damn! You don't look the same at all! :eek:

Glad to hear you're okay man. That could've sucked a whole lot more.

Thanks for the well wishes.....

....the question is Casper...do I look hotter now or before....;)

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....the question is Casper...do I look hotter now or before....;)

My penis moved a little...but that happens with every guy pic. So...take it how you want. :D

Glad to hear your ok and got everything sorted out. Sounds like a day you won't forget anytime soon.

How long did it take for you to track down an engine?

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You're a sexy beast. :D

That goes both ways.... :rolleyes:

glad you're okay man, but I don't think your bike has a shiny side to keep up

Very true...well...at least I kept the flat-black side up....lol...how you been little brother?!

My penis moved a little...but that happens with every guy pic. So...take it how you want. :D

Glad to hear your ok and got everything sorted out. Sounds like a day you won't forget anytime soon.

How long did it take for you to track down an engine?

Well I'm glad your penis moved for me....it makes me happy deep down inside somewhere....

I will surely not forget that day...anytime soon..

This happened this past Saturday (3/19) and I just picked up the motor yesterday....so about a week...but I was searching hard...I used the "search craigslist like a madman" website....it helped tons! :)

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lol, what part of knocking doesn't sound like "I'm trying to punch a hole in your engine"...

I seized a crankshaft once. The engine runs surprisingly great right before it quits. Makes you wonder what's going on. There's only about one or two seconds to get the clutch pulled in when it happens, just before things get much worse.

edit: it was the crankshaft I seized, not the piston... oops

Edited by ReconRat
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