xr650l engine failure

[Britex]

My first XR650L. 

I bought a 2009 XR650l with 10k miles.....1k miles later stopped running....no loud noises....just died and would not restart.

I took it to my local competent shop. First diagnosis, no compression. Valve inspection...cooked a valve. Further inspection...hole in piston. Oil smelled burnt. Further inspection...scored crank. Mods done were Acerbis fuel tank, smog block off, open stock exhaust, UNI air filter...nothing else.

I am planning on repairing and keeping it....I like the bike that much...but I have questions....

Normal after 10k miles?

Previous owner abuse it?

Poor maintenance?

or it just happens?

 Thanks

 Britex

 

[brianhare]

Sounds like it overheated at one time and you ate a valve seat,,the valve seats can fall out on these engines on occasion,,likely from overheating..the dropped seat breaks and fires a hole in the piston........

 

i`d have to see pics of the valves and head.......the valve head breaking off and nuking the piston without the valve seat being involved i`ve never seen......yet..

 

B

Edited July 30, 2014 by brianhare

[Zimman]

u do any maintenance when you got it 1kmiles ago?

[Britex]

u do any maintenance when you got it 1kmiles ago?

 

No, I didn't. Dealer says they did an oil change. I checked oil level often. (for my peace of mind I didn't buy an oil burner). 14/48 sprockets, IMS baja kit, UNI air filter.

[Britex]

Sounds like it overheated at one time and you ate a valve seat,,the valve seats can fall out on these engines on occasion,,likely from overheating..the dropped seat breaks and fires a hole in the piston........

 

i`d have to see pics of the valves and head.......the valve head breaking off and nuking the piston without the valve seat being involved i`ve never seen......yet..

 

B

 

Thanks I don't have access to get pics right now...it's in the shop. Sounds reasonable tho. 

Thoughts on adding an oil cooler? 

[brianhare]

Yup......a cooler or big fin head is a good thing,,Mark Sutton makes a kickin cooler,look in "my garage" for pics of it installed..

 

 

B

[badideamike]

That's a real bummer man, sorry. We've all been there with the surprise project bike at one time or another. The bright side is that you get to tear it down and rebuild it back to better than new and know that it was done right this time. 

 

Having just finished a 2 year rebuild myself here's what I'd recommend you consider before diving in:

 

 - Budget. Reading TT or ADV is great for getting ideas, but don't let it spin your timeline or budget out of control.

 - Build your parts list once. Identifying what you think you need is great, but don't start buying parts until you tear it down and know for certain. Not buying things you don't need is the single most important way to save money.

 - Price isn't always king when buying parts. I'm pretty sure that I've ordered XRL parts from just about every online retailer. Some places are good, others not so much (I'm looking at you Partzilla). While price comparison is key to preventing getting fleeced, if you have a local shop that is close on price I'd order things through them 9/10 times. You save on shipping and start building a relationship that will inevitably pay dividends later on.

 - Be prepared for delays. You will inevitably run into situations where you don't have the right tool, you don't understand how to take something apart, pull the cases apart (again) because you forgot a stupid washer, stripped some threads on their last legs, or are waiting for a back ordered part to be delivered. This is normal. You're in the garage, listening to some tunes, maybe have a beer, and getting your hands dirty. Thank your bike for this opportunity so you aren't forced to Keep up with the Kardashian's.

 - Take photos and videos. We're all pretty adept at decoding "HELP MY BIKE DOESN'T WORK" posts, but if you can take clear photos or a short video you can really help us out understanding what you really meant to say.

[Britex]

That's a real bummer man, sorry. We've all been there with the surprise project bike at one time or another. The bright side is that you get to tear it down and rebuild it back to better than new and know that it was done right this time. 

 

Having just finished a 2 year rebuild myself here's what I'd recommend you consider before diving in:

 

 - Budget. Reading TT or ADV is great for getting ideas, but don't let it spin your timeline or budget out of control.

 - Build your parts list once. Identifying what you think you need is great, but don't start buying parts until you tear it down and know for certain. Not buying things you don't need is the single most important way to save money.

 - Price isn't always king when buying parts. I'm pretty sure that I've ordered XRL parts from just about every online retailer. Some places are good, others not so much (I'm looking at you Partzilla). While price comparison is key to preventing getting fleeced, if you have a local shop that is close on price I'd order things through them 9/10 times. You save on shipping and start building a relationship that will inevitably pay dividends later on.

 - Be prepared for delays. You will inevitably run into situations where you don't have the right tool, you don't understand how to take something apart, pull the cases apart (again) because you forgot a stupid washer, stripped some threads on their last legs, or are waiting for a back ordered part to be delivered. This is normal. You're in the garage, listening to some tunes, maybe have a beer, and getting your hands dirty. Thank your bike for this opportunity so you aren't forced to Keep up with the Kardashian's.

 - Take photos and videos. We're all pretty adept at decoding "HELP MY BIKE DOESN'T WORK" posts, but if you can take clear photos or a short video you can really help us out understanding what you really meant to say.

 

Thank you for the advise. I realize my shortcomings and this level of rebuild is far beyond my patience and competence. I have a local shop that I use for this level of work. They are very good at what they do and the added benefit of calling and informing/giving me the option of ways to save money....ie buying used vs new. They have worked on several xrs and know them pretty well. The owner once raced a 600r. I have the option also of finding parts myself and they install with no quibbles except they want to know my source. Which I gladly give to help others save a buck.

I am new to TT and am finding that I really like the people who post here. Friendly and non-condescending. Thank you!

 

B

[baldy110]

These bikes come jetted very lean from Honda.  If someone modded the exhaust and intake without chaning the jetting then the lean condition probably got even worse, couple that with riding the bike hard and it could lead to an overheating issue that could destroy the engine.

[Britex]

These bikes come jetted very lean from Honda.  If someone modded the exhaust and intake without chaning the jetting then the lean condition probably got even worse, couple that with riding the bike hard and it could lead to an overheating issue that could destroy the engine.

Yea that is the conclusion I came across. My particular bike has the stock intake and exhaust. The exhaust has just had the internal baffle removed. Smog removal was done via IMS baja kit.