Kissed on the arse by a golden fairy!

Well we found out why Mark’s bike was making a funny noise! It had no bloody oil in it! Well it did, about 400ml!

Amazingly the big ends, although scuffed, were the only damage we can see!

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So why did it drink a sump full in 1500km? Well apart from the fact it was a new motor I have no idea!

Pete

And now my embarrassment is public, I would like to say that it never ran hot, never did anything weird, never even flickered a light on the dash.

....and it was 2330km!

Don’t sweat. We’ve all missed the obvious from time to time. The question is why did it do it? As I said on the phone it’s like the weird thing twin TB 750 Smallblocks do of being fine for ages and then suddenly, for no apparent reason, they drink a sump full in less than 200km. I’ve no idea why they did that either but the later models don’t do it! Go figure???

Oh, the distance it took is fairly immaterial. It’s still far too little!

Pete

And we have shells in stock!

Pete, no self respecting shaved ape would ever admit to building something that then fucked up.
Therefore, by extrapolation, you can't be related to the silverback.

Speaking of monkeys with a razor, just picked up a half finished hardly custom.
I watched as said 'shaved ape' used a pair of long nosed pliers for cracking the brake bleed nipples, then a pair of multigrips to tighten large chromed nuts. When that got too difficult he got a large shifter.

Everything he touched had bite marks on it.

It’s not so much as a fuck-up, (Although I’ve got a lifetime of those behind me and probably a few ahead still!) it’s just a mystery. There is no evidence of where it went! We filled it! Mark checked it before he left for the rally! There is no evidence of it being burnt. There is no muck in the airbox or drains! The pipe is a tiny bit dirty but nothing like you’d expect from something burning a sump full of oil! It’s just vanished!

Once again it’s one of those things that can only be explained by the unicorns having drunk it! Fuck those unicorns!

As it is? Meh? No real damage and now he’ll be stupidly anal about his oil! Bonus!

Pete

This gives me the screaming shits ( Vindaloo Curry type ) How is this possible? I can’t remember but are the oil rings sensitive to which way up they are fitted ? Is the air box wet with oil ie excessive blowby ? The mind boggles Boggle Boggle Boggle Boggle Boggle Boggle

There's no oil in the airbox. When I checked prior to the Budgie, there was the usual mist coating. There's no leaks, no pools gathering under the bike.

Fuctifino!

Spooky. Lemme go check my oil now. 

I once read a test where a gear box was filled then emptied with Redline heavy shockproof oil. The engine/transmission was run for 500 miles with no damage, the oil residue had kept on lubricating the gears.
To loose that much oil from the engine itself is peculiar to say the least.

LBC Tenni wrote:

Spooky. Lemme go check my oil now. 

No, don’t.

This is an experimental engine. Apart from the fact it has been built outside factory parameters, (Which I think is irrelevant.) it has been used for map development purposes that put it well outside the norms of standard operation.

I currently have no idea why it drank its oil. It may never do it again, but if it shows signs of it then we’ll address it.

Really though unmodified 1200’s do NOT use oil beyond a certain point. As long as your engine is healthy there is NOTHING to worry about.

Pete

I once owned a Yamaha RZ500 V4 2 stroke which would burn 1 litre of oil every 1000 to 2000km. About half the burn rate as the G14. Everybody could see my RZ smokin, or smell it if they were blind.

I have had several R Nine T customers empty their sumps within the same distance as Mark, but nobody ever complained about the haze or smell, and 10W/60 absolutely stinks compared to Castrol R.

Where does it go? Nobody knows!

My 1200 never used one drop of oil. Don, I don't think you (or anyone else) need worry about it.

This 1400 is not your regular 8V, and I was hard on it from the get-go. I don't think it burnt it, and I don't think it leaked out. Well, not all 3 litres of it anyhoo. It's had a few leaks, but probably lost maybe a few mills at best.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've worked on Pratt and Whitney 4000's that would do a similar thing.
The term used then was "Hiding Oil". It's a big engine so it could hide a lot.
The fix was usually something very simple, a sticking vent valve was the most common. Internally leaking fuel/oil heat echanger was the next.

A small motor would for sure would show this leakage rate or burn rate. Check the simple stuff first.

But, you knew that already. Probably better than I do.

davem wrote:

I once read a test where a gear box was filled then emptied with Redline heavy shockproof oil. The engine/transmission was run for 500 miles with no damage, the oil residue had kept on lubricating the gears.
To loose that much oil from the engine itself is peculiar to say the least.

A spurious claim. Even if the gears could take it the bearings would be toast.

Also in the engine the majority of the bearings are plain bearings. These simply can’t function without oil. My greatest concern at this point though is for the camchains. Without a doubt their lifespan will of been compromised. The question is by how much?

Right at the moment though we’re going to re-shell it, clean the sump out thoroughly, stick fresh oil in it and keep our fingers crossed.

Pete

Was the sunp ever filled? I realise this is a provocative question, but I've experienced similar with a Tonti gearbox that Pro Italia forgot to fill.

It must have been. The oil was a tad over half on the dipstick before I went to the Budgie.


Plus, I've done 5000+ km from when it was built. There's no way it could've lasted that long without oil.

If we hadn’t filled it when it was built Dave it wouldn’t of lasted a minute! Really. Plain bearings simply can’t work without oil.

Fair 'nuff. I wasn't trying to stir the pot.

If it's any consolation, I once refilled the oil tank on my '67 Triumph Daytona back in the day. I was impatiently watching for the oil to rise to the top, before I realised I forgot to replace the bung. A very oiled up boot was the result. and a nasty sight outside my Grandparent's house.

kiwi dave wrote:

Fair 'nuff.  I wasn't  trying to stir the pot.

If it's any consolation, I once refilled the oil tank on my '67 Triumph Daytona back in the day.  I was impatiently watching for the oil to rise to the top, before I realised I forgot to replace the bung.  A very oiled up boot was the result. and a nasty sight outside my Grandparent's house.  

Did this once on my Sport and a few times on my BSAs (though these leaking was a sign there was oil in it - when it stopped you were in strife). Much embarrassment ensues, but don't tell anyone.

Did you accidently make it a two stroke :-)

Ghezzi your probably lucky that shaved ape didn't touch you. You'd have those bite marks you mentioned.