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- Dec 27, 2008
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I would not jump to pulling the timing chest cover to check the seal quite yet. Look at it as a decision tree process. If you find the piston to skirt clearance tighter than a clams ass, then it's a reasonable assumption that you found the problem though I find it tough to reconcile with your assertion that it was put together by a knowledgeable person with some good standard of care though we all have our off days. Checking the oil lines and oil tank sump screen is easy peasy as they are right there out in the open. You can just look at the lines to determine whether they are OEM or after market. Do you have an anti drain valve in your oil feed line? Digging deeper should only be done if indicated. Installing (temporary or permanent) an oil pressure gauge would be less intrusive and more telling when you get back under way though you may not want to wait if the current cylinder to skirt clearances suggest they were set up correctly.
hobot has a good point about cylinder washing if over a prolonged period of time. Jetting from the top down is the normal course of action yet I venture to say most of your road time is usually in the low to mid throttle settings. I hear about "fuel washing" with diesels but not so much on spark ignition engines - probably because diesels continue to perform whereas a spark ignition would not behave very well with an over rich condition, over rich to the point of washing the lubrication away. On the other hand, what you don't have in extreme over richness you can perhaps make up with time - driving it too long with a too rich condition. What did the condition of the oil tell you after each oil change? Did the viscosity appear to be down when cold and did it reek with the smell of gasoline (petrol)?
Understand the decision tree process, believe it or not I'm tring to keep this thread short rather than itemising everything I plan on doing and in what order!!
I will of course wait until I get datum from other tests before taking everything apart. Appreciate you keeping an eye on me
No anti-drain valve but when I got the bike it did have one, supplied, I think from RGM. I got the bike serviced & given the once over in SRM before I brought it back to Ireland. They refused to give the bike back without removing the valve, god bless them!! Back then I had no clue about such things, I barely have a clue now
I must admit, I was not paying much attention to the oil, other than checking for 'bits', again my rookie background coming into play!