Looks like an early end to my season...
 

My bike was running decent all summer and that was fine with me. I had planned to maybe track down the cause of it burning a little oil and overfueling over the winter. Yesterday that changed pretty quick. I went for a little ride and then hit the highway to make it home in time. While I was droning along a Mustang passed me at about 2x the speed limit. It was on a perfectly straight, flat stretch of divided 4 lane highway that goes on for about 5 miles so I decided to catch up to him. I simply rolled on to it in 6th and quickly hit about 220KM/H which reeled him in pretty good. But then I realized it just wouldnt pull anymore. I found myself giving more throttle just to hold that speed. In the couple of seconds it took to realize this I started losing speed and I was at WOT. I quickly let off and dropped down to the speed limit. I knew something was wrong and I had a pretty good idea what. Since the bike has been running so rich, I figured it probably fouled another plug. I limped it home and put it away for the night. (Now some guy in a Mustang thinks he totally smoked me:lol:) But I noticed something when I slowed down enough to really hear the engine...It almost sounded like a hissing in the exhaust...Uh oh.

Today I pulled the fairings off, moved the rad and pulled the plug on #3. I found what a expected, and what I feared. The plug was incredibly fouled and missing most of the electrode. Something tells me it bounced off the crown of the piston and exited right through an Exhaust valve. I've seen this happen to a small car engine before so I'm sure it's more than possible with something like this. Hopefully I'm wrong. This week I plan to replace the plug and try it again to see how it works. If it still runs like shit and hisses at me then the engine will have to come out. (Really, it should anyway to track down the oil consumption problem. Which is obviously related to, if not causing, this problem.)

This bike has been a whole lot of problems this summer and it looks like they're going to extend into the winter. I managed to get about 5000KMs on it and it didnt leave me stranded when I took it about 1000Kms from home so at least that much went well.

I can say this and mean it now... Mine is faster.. :lol:

Ouch. I wouldn't be able to sleep until I knew for certain :lol:

Dont make me line up the old GS with you.

:owned:

Compression Check..I'm betting that cylinder is at100% leakdown... valve stuck open would cause the hissing.

I'm guessing there's either one stuck open or one has a hole burned right through it from the Electrode going through.

It sure would be nice to just put a plug in it and have it run fine again. I really did not want to fuck with the engine in it right now. Especially since the engine is a stressed member and it looks like the bike will pretty much have to split in half to take it out:bash:

Oh maaaaaaaan, that sucks. So sorry...

And :lol: at Tmall.

oh man, that sucks dude

Nice looking plug. How old are the plugs? About 7 years old? hahaha

Guessing the good one is original. The fouled one is about 5,000Kms old. The bike only has about 26,000 on it. (~16,250 Miles)

I replaced it tonight and, just as I thought, it's still not firing and spitting would-be compression straight out the exhaust. I'm starting to accept my faith. I gave in and started some minor disassembly tonight. Removed the fairings, exhaust and the rad is hanging by the hoses until I drain it. I guess I'll just pick away at it in the evenings for now.

I'm speaking with a guy down your way Tmall that has another engine for sale. I'm still not sure what I want to do.

1. Buy another and fix this one to sell.
2. Buy another and sell this one as is.
3. Just try fix this one.

It would be nice to just stick another one in it and then fix the other at my own leisure.