My poor motorcycle

exalted512

So last week, my bike just died at a light, couldn't get it started back up again...today...found the problem.

Took the motor cover off the left side of the engine...metal shavings everywhere. More than likely from a bearing.

Heres a pic after most of the shavings had been removed.


And another of the bike completely gutted, about 2 hours before I found out the good news:(:(


A co-worker of mine said he can probably fix it...$350ish. Im thinking about getting it fixed and selling it and getting a new 600. the 09 kawi zx6s are just plain sexy, and a big improvement from the 08s. Theyre almost 10k...for a 600, which seems steep to me, but they are priced right along with all the other 600s. I was wanting to wait til the summer of 2010 to get a liter bike, but I really want to get rid of this thing before it blows up again. I need something reliable because I commute pretty far away. Thats why I bought this thing last August. 2005 model with barely 2000 miles on it, owned by an older man. I routinely changed the oil and do everything I can to baby it...sucks.

Decisions decisions.
-Cody

Pics arent too bad coming from a camera phone.

Early B.

Hmmm. $350 vs. $10,000 -- just fix it and keep driving. There will always be new bikes to buy. The year 2010 will be here soon. Stick to your plan.

fossy

that's in the electrical area right ??? A bearing in the electrical area should cost that much ??

350 vs 10,000 --- like above poster--- 350 fo sure

Sherardp

for 10K you can get a fully loaded 07/08 R1 or ZX10. 600s are fun though, given the experience you can smoke a guy on a 1k(wont be me though)

exalted512

But I'm worried about it doing the same thing again. I've heard once something like this happens on motorcycles, the probability of the same problem happening again is 3 fold. Im still up in the air about it but I dont want something constantly breaking down on me. It defeated the whole purpose of buying a smaller engine bike because i wanted something newer and had low miles. I can afford a 600 now where I couldnt before.

I know what I want to do, but youre 100% correct...$350 vs $10,000 is an easy choice. But at the same time, I'm not sure its just going to be $350 and I'm not sure if the reliability will be there afterwards.
-Cody

exalted512

fossy wrote: »

that's in the electrical part right ??? A bearing in the electrical area should cost that much ??

No, a bearing in the motor.
-Cody

exalted512

Sherardp wrote: »

for 10K you can get a fully loaded 07/08 R1 or ZX10. 600s are fun though, given the experience you can smoke a guy on a 1k(wont be me though)

Another thing I was thinking about...but I dont want to pay the insurance
-Cody

Early B.

exalted512 wrote: »

But I'm worried about it doing the same thing again. I've heard once something like this happens on motorcycles, the probability of the same problem happening again is 3 fold. Im still up in the air about it but I dont want something constantly breaking down on me. It defeated the whole purpose of buying a smaller engine bike because i wanted something newer and had low miles. I can afford a 600 now where I couldnt before.

I know what I want to do, but youre 100% correct...$350 vs $10,000 is an easy choice. But at the same time, I'm not sure its just going to be $350 and I'm not sure if the reliability will be there afterwards.
-Cody

Don't let worries drive a big ticket purchase decision. If you were assured this problem would not occur again, would you consider buying a new bike? Probably not, so look at this situation from a positive perspective, not a negative one.

shadowofnight

Even though it looked nasty...actually I have seen that failure before....that vertical twin is famous for both stator delamination and magnets falling off of the rotor.....one comes apart and the spinning rotor eats it and whatever is near it up....looks a lot worse then it really is.

A buddies wife rode an ex500 ( Same engine ) before she graduated to a CBR600 ( HOT and could ride ) ....and the same thing happened to hers.

Your particular stator doesnt look bad though...looks like a magnet came off the charging rotor ....found your stator from 100 to 121.......most expensive here... http://www.gdlcycles.com/asp1/modetails.asp?ItemID=4451-18123&qsmake=EX500 ....and the rotor for http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWASAKI-EX500-EN454-CHARGING-ROTOR-STARTER-CLUTCH-!!!_W0QQitemZ110311636313QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20081113?IMSfp=TL0811131210002r27488 those are just examples.....look for your specific model and year...even though the engines are identical...particular details may be slightly different.


Read this ..... http://www.aboutautomobile.com/Complaint/1993/Kawasaki/EX500 ...its your same engine.

If you read the complaint ...apparently they didnt fix the problem yet because your engine is a lot newer then mentioned in the article.

thsmith

I would take it to a reliable shop for estimate. Looks like the magnet from the stator let go.

Unless this bike was severly abused it should be repairable and reliable.

Sometimes friends opinions are better left to experts. You let someone in there that thinks they know what they are doing and it will never be the same or cost twice as much to make it right.

Listen or not, balls in your court.

FA - Q

-pull the stator off...gingerly [maybe grab some more pics ]

-if theres a seal underneath [crankshaft to engine case] and shes unmolested

-that would indicate the rotor magnets have begun to fragment [inner] or rotors outside iz interfering w/ the inside of case
[are the shavings ferous]
-hopefully thats all thats needed [rotor and gaskets]

-to check stator...set meter to ohms, usualy 3-4 w/ ignition OFF, but check service manual or call a shop for spec

-go slo

FA - Q

thsmith wrote: »

I would take it to a reliable shop for estimate. Looks like the magnet from the stator let go.

Unless this bike was severly abused it should be repairable and reliable.

Sometimes friends opinions are better left to experts. You let someone in there that thinks they know what they are doing and it will never be the same or cost twice as much to make it right.

Listen or not, balls in your court.

-right idea ...the stator are the coils in the pic

-the rotor iz the magnetic cover

shadowofnight

FA - Q wrote: »

-right idea ...the stator are the coils in the pic

-the rotor iz the magnetic cover

I was in a non-typical easy going mood when I didnt correct him when I read it Tracy said it with such authority too

shadowofnight

FA - Q wrote: »

-pull the stator off...gingerly [maybe grab some more pics ]

-if theres a seal underneath [crankshaft to engine case] and shes unmolested

-that would indicate the rotor magnets have begun to fragment [inner] or rotors outside iz interfering w/ the inside of case
[are the shavings ferous]
-hopefully thats all thats needed [rotor and gaskets]

-to check stator...set meter to ohms, usualy 3-4 w/ ignition OFF, but check service manual or call a shop for spec

-go slo

I actually fixed it for her....on hers a rotor magnet had let go and her stator ohmed out fine ....I remember getting her rotor from cycle salvage on el camino in sunnyvale and I also remember it was a piece of cake to install.

Before marrying my buddy ( Before she even knew him ) I had given her rides on some of my motorcycles...and the particular way she used to hold on.....the repair was free

thsmith

shadowofnight wrote: »

I was in a non-typical easy going mood when I didnt correct him when I read it Tracy said it with such authority too

Yep, I have not worked on anything except Harleys for the last 30 years but I knew I was in the ball park on this one.

I actually prefer generators anyway;)

There are a lot of great bikes out there that have been destroyed by friends and releatives who think they know something. Or worse yet setting in the garage for 10 years with full tanks of gas, Tanks end up being destroyed and the carbs requiring more time than they are worth to clean and fix.

A guy at work had a Kawasaki 440LTD like this he gave me. New battery, unfroze clutches, replaced tank and spent weeks on the carbs but finally got ot running well enough to give to my brother.

OP could get a shop manual and learn how to fix it. They are so reliable it is almost always something fairly minor to fix.


Here was my last project, 49EL with year matching sidecar. Quite rare but needed the cash and she went to the Netherlands to never see US soil again, that is kind of sad. Site does not allow me to DL completed project since they are posted elsewhere here.

treitz3

When it comes to motorcycles and motorcycle repairs, FA-Q is top notch and a very valuable asset to have around. You can listen to his advice with complete confidence.

FA - Q

thsmith wrote: »

I actually prefer generators anyway;)

-generators 'whining' iz the ultimate in kuul

-my '49fl was at least 13' long when purchased lol lol

-[47el/ 49fl/ 55fl/ 51fl/ 63fl/ 68fl]...most are on foriegn soil now too :mad:


-thanx sir trex...iz shadow from that other sight ???

treitz3

FA - Q wrote: »

-thanx sir trex...iz shadow from that other sight ???

I dunno. I'll have to ask.

thsmith

FA - Q wrote: »

-generators 'whining' iz the ultimate in kuul

-my '49fl was at least 13' long when purchased lol lol

-[47el/ 49fl/ 55fl/ 51fl/ 63fl/ 68fl]...most are on foriegn soil now too :mad:


-thanx sir trex...iz shadow from that other sight ???

I like runnng clutch plates without ant-rattlers, 49s came that way. Can't do it on the EVOs and later.

exalted512

I am going to start to take it apart soon.

Today I had some more awesome luck.

For some reason, my battery back up for my computer started beeping like the power was out and shut my computer down instantly. I turned it off for a few minutes and then turned it back on. It made a loud pop and now my computer doesnt turn on...power supply is bad.

THEN, I found out my psu is built into the case on my Dell XPS, so I cant just buy one to replace it because it wont fit. I have to buy a new case as well. Then I just have to hope that it didnt fry anything else...wonderful month im having.
-Cody

ben62670

Dude on the PC try this trick before you go nuts. It does work sometimes. Unplug the power cord, and hold the power button in for about 10 seconds. Try to boot it again after that.
Ben

nadams

What model is the PC, specifically???

exalted512

Too late now, already spent the $250 for a new case and power supply...lol. I also just found a small fuse on the power supply that I never saw. I'll try doing that on tuesday though, see what happens. If so, I can sell it as working. I dont want something I cant upgrade to something universal anyway...thats bull crap.
-Cody

ben62670

Well I don't know about the new XPS's, but some of the older Dell's did use a non standard 20-24 pin PS connector on the MB's. You may want to see if you can get the original to work. Watch out for those PS caps. They do hold power for quit some time. I know:( Ouch!
Ben

exalted512

ben62670 wrote: »

Well I don't know about the new XPS's, but some of the older Dell's did use a non standard 20-24 pin PS connector on the MB's. You may want to see if you can get the original to work. Watch out for those PS caps. They do hold power for quit some time. I know:( Ouch!
Ben

this is an 04, doesnt that count as 'older'?
heres a pic i took with my phone, hopefully someone can tell by that.
-Cody

nadams

You removed it from the PC.... you should be able to find a replacement somewhere. What model is the PC?

exalted512

Well, in the next few years I'm going to start upgrading it piece by piece, so I dont want the power supply to be the limiting factor. I'm sure I can get it from dell directly, but I dont want to screw with it.

I'm at work right now, but this is what it looks like:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/pcs/news/2004/06/22/Product-News-New-Dell-Systems-for-Corporates-and-Gamers/p1

If you look at the picture, you can see the line on the bottom of the machine about 2" from the ground. That whole thing is the power supply.
-Cody

exalted512

My new case and power supply will be here on Thursday. If I have time tonight I will put the computer back together and try holding down the power button...if it works, at least that means i can sell it as working!
-Cody