second lot of images from my smashed engine.

 

Bloody hell!!!! Don't suppose Triumph would fix it under warranty? (Joke!) Can you tell if the oil pump failed?

 

FFS mate that's the sort of grenade that drag bikes suffer....what you been doing to it ?? (only joshing), quick engine flush and a set of gaskets she'll be as good as new :-/ !!!

Glad you got off that one to tell the tale ;-)

Oh cheque is in the post been flat out so a bit slow in the offing.

Cheers
Mot

 

I was thinking i'll use chemical metal to fill in the crank-case holes, this will be fine and give her a quick spray I'll use some super-glue on the snapped camshaft stud. Oversize bearings to allow for the slightly larger than normal journal wear. I might also put in a new con-rod or try welding this one back together.
I also have some other broken bits ground into the cogs which i'll just flush out.
Soon have her back together.

 

Jeez! That is some failure......... It is amazing how much damage has been done inside (and outside). Now the reason for the big-end failing.................?

Thanks for sharing.
Geoff

 

that middle rod has got very hot was there no warning noise wise ??

 

I've had engines over the years in racing cars and on the road give warnings something major is about to happen and had one that had gone on the small-enf bearing smashing the piston through the side of the block and making a hole in the bonnet the size of a rocket propelled grenade, a 6 cyclinder inline side in a race prepared BMW 323i.
I used to race formula ford 1600's in Scotland for an Irish team some years ago and you always got warning something major was about to happen.
A wobble, sudden vibration, thumping, knocking, rattling, even a warning light on oil or something.
Banger racing & rally driving in forests, although I would not have the engine go but wrap the car around a tree or fly of the corner and bye-bye rally car. These are expected and you are kitted up and geared up for these sort of events.

I'm not as confident on two wheels but over the years have done trials and tried a bit of moto-cross.
I can still also jump off rock-faces with my mountain bike I'll post an image or two of this one, see who else is as mad.

But on this instance, i'm riding outside lane M11 and suddenly bang, clatter, EEK, rear wheel locked up, bits of shrapnel flying out from between my legs and smoke. But all that was on my mind in that split second was to get out of the outside lane or I was wiped out.
I saw the cloud of smoke in my left side as I was skidding between the cars to get to the inside lane. I was lucky as somehow I had a path (almost) through both lanes as I had no real other control on my steering as the back wheel was on lock-down. I wonder if the tyre carcus could have slipped on the rim while all this was happening, causing the engine through the gears to be turned even more?
I never had time to think or listen as this all happened so fast I honestly can't remember what noises there were after it happened.
I rememebr hearing squealing tyres from brakes of cars as it woke up a few drivers on the spot.

All I was caring about was trying to skid my way onto the hard shoulder. I also remember I was ready to jump off once I hit the hard shoulder and let the bike go, i'd only have cut up my riding gear a bit and would have been fine. I always wear full body protection.

But for the grace of god somehow, don't ask me how, I brought her to a stop on the banking, slid her back down, she came down at quite a speed. I put the side stand down, turned off the ignition, got off and turned around to see the carnage and mayhem my bike had just caused.

Not a single car had touched each other and there was some amount of cars pulling up to offer help with a couple running out who pulled up sharpish to see if I was alright.
I didn't care at that moment about me, I was gutted at what had just happened to my engine. I'd spent over a year rebuilding this baby and engine wise she was beautiful, throaty, and a lovely deep down pulling power and grunt.
This all happened from beginning to end in about 4 seconds flat, from explosion to stop.

I remember my arse working hard on the seat as was my body and every muscle on me taught to the limit and adrenilin pumped through me at the speed of light

The car bumper I knew I was going to hit on the way over the lane but at that speed in survival mode you wouldn't feel it until the end of it all.
Luckily it was a scrape and nothing to write home about. Not even an ouch, that hurt.

Then the stupid driver decided to have a go at me for touching his car bumper and causing him to swerve and I remember doing something to him I shouldn't have done but it just happened. All I wanted him to do was shut up and let me calm down after what had just happened.

What a long winded answer, happy reading, hope you had a cuppa ready to drink

 

What, I thought they were drag bikes, thats what went wrong, pull the throttle back and only change gear when she cuts out, Ah wait, no rev limiter, so get ready to change gear when engine explodes, ah too slow, engine HAS EXPLODED

They just don't make engines like they used to
Laughing and joking about it now as definitely something to remember for some time to come.

Thanks motT3 no problem, will take me a few weeks to get it all in and sort out another ride.

I will look more soon until I find out exactly what happened but normally in this kind of failure, oil has failed to lubricate the bearing surface turning at the bloody speed of light, so heat is immense, burning the bearing surface away and actually burning the bearing into oblivion and allowing bare hardened metal to metal turning.

The big-end cap as you can see is burnt to high heavens which in turn let the con-rod wobble side to side and up and down. Bang, as you can see, goes the con-rod and what-ever she can wack into on her way round just to really hit home that your engine is not going to survive what it's about to have done to it.

 

Oop's that does look bad , i'm scared to go out on mine now , think i'll swap it for something a bit more reliable like an old meriden bonnie ...

 

Are you going to get another engine ? There's some on Ebay now.
The bike is worth it..... Then sell all the good parts from the old one.

 

I know it was well worth another engine but I was ready to sell her an go onto a 955i st in a couple of weeks or so.
Quickest way unfortunately to get this done was to part her out as I know lots of people have one and are desperate for parts like I was when I started bringing her back to new.

eBay has a mint engine right now at only £399 or offer for a genuine only 13,000 miles on her.
I saw this two days after I went to town on mine on the tool-kit and quite a few parts were on there way to new owners.
It was too late to turn back.

I'm the one that has flooded eBay with parts for one of these right now
I know she will live on and has gone to help a lot of other owners so I convinced myself the sacrifise will be worth it, I have to keep telling myself this until I brainwash myself this was the right thing to do

 

Wow, what an experience, glad you got off the road safely!

I had a front sprocket nut loosen it's self, fall off, front cog slip off the countershaft and lock the rear wheel on my 92 ZX11 years ago. Fortunately I was on a 2-lane back road, with no traffic, but the sudden out of nowhere lock up and resulting out of control skid scared the $h*t out of me. I was able, like you, to come to a stop on the road shoulder, put the side stand down and thank my lucky stars I was alive.
I wasn't far from home so I walked back to the house, got my car & trailer and returned to load the bike. In the 30 minutes it took me to return the local constabulary had attached a warning ticket informing me I had to remove my vehicle or it would be impounded! Maybe he hadn't noticed the 100 foot long skid mark leading to my back tire or the sagging chain touching the ground... arnoliceman

Anyways, good luck with your new Sprint and glad you're safe and here to talk about it!:beerchug

 

Wow, what an experience, glad you got off the road safely!

I had a front sprocket nut loosen it's self, fall off, front cog slip off the countershaft and lock the rear wheel on my 92 ZX11 years ago.

Weird, when I stipped the engine and bike the front sprocket nut was loose and only the washer lock-tabs seemed to have stopped it from coming off. The vibration and explosion of what was happening must have shook it loose. The back wheel locked-up from the front sprocket, and then the force and bounce of the rear wheel forcing the chain and sprocket under tension was enough to vibrate it loose.

Over here the bobbies would also tow away your vehicle and charge you for the privalage

 

Although the event only lasted 4 seconds, I'll bet it felt a whole lot longer! Well done for staying on board! Hope you punched the moronic car driver on the nose. I would have.

 

The brain and mind are an amazing thing, some people lockup and freeze or panic when adrenlin starts pumping, I seem to go into a slow-motion freeze-frame where everything in a split second seems to play one single frame at a time. My mouth was so harse and dry I couldn't even speak properly at the end of all this.

I was not happy for what I did to the car driver as I still had my gloves on which acted as a knuckle duster, I only wanted him to shut-up but when I turned my back and tried to walk away he came behind me and started thumping me in the left shoulder and giving it the big one.
I just turned so fast and before I really knew what was happening he was on his back on the hard-shoulder, i'd hit him so hard I unfortunately knocked him out, (bad adrenilin rush). Others that had stopped rushed over and held me for a brief second and I remember one lady (50ish), saying well done, he deserved that.
One of the lorry drivers who I also skidded in front of stayed around till the police arrived and he was in bits saying it brightened up his day.

The more I think about it the more every little detail comes into view.

I must have scared the crap out of a lot of people when it happened.

 

I can't believe that car driver - what a f*ckwit - though I guess he may have had a sphincter-puckering moment and was probably in a bit of shock as well. Having said that, a boot in the testicles would have been quite justified on your part!

 

JB Weld should fix up the connecting rod good as new.

 

I'll see if I can get some on FleaBay, sound perfect for what I need because I was going to try sticking it back together with some special BluePeter sticky back tape. As a child watching I remember they used to use this on everything they should us to make out of carboard boxes

 

scary reading, but the main thing is you're ok

 

Reminds me of an "incident", that happened in my youth. I'd crashed my Bantam(!) on some black ice, hit a wall, and badly broke my leg. A passing motorist stopped to help, and to tidy things up a bit. Another, went to find a telephone box, to call an ambulance. A third motorist then pulled up, and proceeded to "take charge". He took a long look at me, and declared to everyone that he was going to straighten my leg, which was pointing west, instead of south! Obviously, I protested strongly, but to no avail. Needless to say, I passed out. About 18 months later I was in the pub, fully recovered, when this stranger walks up to me, and asks,"how's the leg, then?". Confused, I asked him who he was. "I'm the chap who set your leg". My mates had to pull me off him. What an imbecile! I can totally sympathise with you.

 

ouch, always one as the saying goes. The leg is a horrible one to break as it hurts for ages and seems to take forever to heel, i hope it is 100%
Don't do what i did as it was not right even though it seemed to work.

 

The leg was plated, and healed ok. Unfortunately, it ended up half an inch too short! However, this was remedied many years later, when I broke my other leg,(femur, ouch), and that was set deliberately short, so that I had a matched pair! Thinking about it, I could really use that lost half inch, cos I struggle, at times, to get both feet on the deck, when riding my Tiger!

 

The pictures are a bit graphic. How did it smell??

 

Even when close to whats left of the engine she smells of seriously burnt oil.

 

To all of you who knew I parted her out I say thank-you to every one of you. The bike is now parted out apart from the wheels and tyres which i've held back till last.

THANK-YOU ALL for your help and support.

And my students reckon I talk too much at times, must be some truth in it somewhere, and yes I might have a very slight hint of a Scottish accent from Achanalt near Inverness