| Author | Message | ||
     Toddlmr |
Just curious? I wanna hit 100k before replacement. | ||
| Etennuly |
I was going to! But then the economy went down and drastically slowed my need, time, and desire to ride. I had 60,000 miles in the first five years.....but only 1,700 over the four years since. I still plan to hit 100,000 before retiring my Uly. I have a plan to build a new office where I can mount it into a wall as a display art piece. | ||
| Toddlmr |
After reading crank failure thread... I am worried (07 bike). Mine is a knocky, chirpy sound... | ||
| Etennuly |
Don't read failure threads! Ride the bike. Take things as they come, don't stress over things that may never happen. These engines are particularly noisy, especially with synthetic oils. Toss in a pint of STP or LUCAS oil additive when you can. See if the noises tone down. | ||
| Hughlysses |
A bad crank sounds "knocky" but I wouldn't describe it as "chirpy". Hopefully that means you have a different problem. Here's what mine sounded like: When I disassembled the engine, it had about 1/8" of free play in the front connecting rod big end bearing. | ||
| Xbimmer |
I wanna hit 100k before replacement. Before replacement of what? | ||
| Froggy |
There are several 100k XBs out there already. | ||
| Steveford |
I'm currently stuck at 93,000. It needs some TLC to hit the 100,000 mile mark but it'll get there, like it or not! | ||
| Uly_man |
I am not sure what this "100k miles" thing is with you US guys regards the Uly. From my experience most people would consider a 50k bike as becoming beyond economical to maintain. I had this with my XTZ-750. A great bike but at 70k the poor beast was WELL worn out. I had done lots of work on it but there comes a time when you need to let go. Bikes do not, like everything else, last forever but the Uly is well built and much better than most these days. I see no reason not to get 200k and/ or 20 years out of a Uly. It just depends on how much you want to pay for it. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Marc- I guess traditionally, 100,000 miles is a "magic number" for US vehicles. When I took Machine Design in college, I remember the professor telling us this was the design target for US auto makers and it was the number used in fatigue calculations when designing components like crankshafts and connecting rods for a certain number of cycles before failure. He went on to say that manufacturers viewed parts that lasted a long time past this as being over-designed and therefore a waste of profit! Of course now it's pretty common for automobiles to go well past 100k miles with no problems at all. My Uly's up to about 55k miles now, unfortunately on its second engine. The original lasted 30k miles before the dreaded 07 crank failure. The second (an 09) was acquired with ~5k miles on it, so it's also got about 30k miles on it now. I see no reason my Uly shouldn't last to 100k miles. | ||
| Toddlmr |
Hughlysses, thanks for the video. What year motors will swap? I don't want another 07 motor  . My knock sounds like a quiet version of yours with a bit more clink. -Hit 100k and replace with a new bike. Call me strange but the closer to 10k or more a bike originally sells for should me longevity >100k. If I go by a $2000 chinese bike I would expect a lot less. Thanks | ||
| Hughlysses |
Todd- I believe any 2004-2006 XB12 engine is a straight swap. The 2006 engine has an improved transmission, so I'd recommend sticking with that if you can. The newer 2008-2010 engines have different ignition, fuel injection, and oiling systems. If you swap one of those you need the newer ECM and wiring harness, the newer oil cooler and lines, and I believe the newer "Y" bracket that supports the oil cooler. If you want to rebuild your engine, the 2008-up crankshaft and rods will drop right in, provided you also use the 2008-up primary sprocket. That gets you a larger crankpin and rod bearings and stronger rods. I likely would have gone that route but I found that my cylinders were chewed up apparently as a result of debris spewed from the rod bearings. The cost of all the parts needed for an overhaul was about the same as the cost of the 09 engine I bought, which came with all the parts I needed except for the Uly wiring harness. | ||
| Uly_man |
Yes I see what you are saying Hugh but that was then and not now. Anything you buy these days has a "built in" life expectancy. Something the Japanese seem to have perfected and is the hub of consumerism today. For instance I run a 1988 BMW 730i SE. It has 130k on it, had it 12 years now, and it still runs like new but I have spent some money on it during my ownership but less than running a cheap Euro box over the same period. This was and still is a "top of the line" luxury saloon car that cost, at the time, more than half the price of a big house in the UK. Yes it is starting to show its age now but like the Uly it has a very solid build that lends its self to just replacing normal wearing parts. It is also, like the Uly, an amazing machine to drive. Or to put it another way they "don't make em like the used to" so if you have one, bike/ car, respect it/ enjoy it as they are NOT coming this way any time soon if ever. | ||
| Uly_man |
Todd. I have no wish to be rude but I would suggest that you take your bike to someone who would know what, if any, the mechanical problem may be. | ||
| Toddlmr |
Uly man, I don't take any offense to that. I just fear throwing a bunch of money at a prob that may not be worth fixing. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Todd- The first thing I'd do is change the engine oil. If the magnetic drain plug comes out of the swingarm covered in filings, that's a pretty good indication that the rod bearings are failing. If the drain plug looks OK, I'd still send a sample of oil in for Used Oil Analysis. Two places that I know of that do this are Blackstone Labs and Amsoil. IIRC, that'll cost you about $20 and take a week or so to get results. If nothing weird comes up in that, odds are your crank is OK and you've got a more minor problem. | ||
| Phelan |
Could be noisy lifters  . | ||
| Toddlmr |
In was thinking of cutting up the oil filter. Oil analysis is a great idea. This is more than lifters. Replaced rocker cover gaskets yesterday. Waiting on parts from Al, great guy! | ||
| Toddlmr |
In was thinking of cutting up the oil filter. Oil analysis is a great idea. This is more than lifters. Replaced rocker cover gaskets yesterday. Waiting on parts from Al, great guy! | ||
| Hughlysses |
Cutting the oil filter open (if you can do it without making a bunch of steel filings which wind up on the filter) is a good idea. | ||
| Tootal |
Hitting a 100,000 miles for us is like hitting the Pound, (100 mph) back in the 50's and 60's. It's just a number that's considered a decent goal to attain. | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
For cutting the oil filter without making a bunch of metal filing you can use a butcher knife ,cuts it very easy so watch out for your fingers | ||
| Steveford |
Wouldn't that be Doing The Ton (100 MPH)? | ||
| Uly_man |
"Wouldn't that be Doing The Ton (100 MPH)?". Yes this was the "Ton-Up" boys. The idea was that you had to get to 100 mph as you pasted the Ace Cafe on London's A406 North Circular road. On a modern bike, even a Uly, this is nothing today. Back then it was a very dangerous thing to do and many riders died trying. | ||
| Steveford |
Back then it was a very dangerous thing to do and many riders died trying. Kind of like trying to push the Useless to 100K, ha, ha. | ||
| Tootal |
Holy crap I don't believe I said pound!! HA! How about 2000 pounds! Sorry Uly-Man, I meant the ton but these drugs I'm on aren't helping my brain any! | ||
| Steveford |
Don't feel bad, I was on pain killers and when I went to make a pot of coffee on the stove with the Pyrex percolator I left the top off. That made a bit of a mess. |
