Firebolt problem

[buellerchris]

I rode my 2003 xb9r today on the way home from work. I took the long way home and the bike ran great. When I got home I washed and waxed it. About three hours I I later I started the bike, rode down to the end of the block, pulled out onto the road and the bike hiccuped, and made a bang. The bike shut off, I coasted to the side of the road, put it in neutral, the engine primed, I hit the start button and all it does is go clunk from the starter. Only will do it once, as if the motor won't turn over.
Any idea as to what happened?

 

[rchuff]

Check your grounds must be clean and tight.

 

[arikam]

Did you try to push start it? Maybe just as simple as water in a connector or wet fuse. Or water got in a fuse and popped it. Water and corrosion are nasty little things. And they hide well.

 

[buellerchris]

I'll check the fuses tomorrow. What worries me is that the bang/clunk came from what sounded like inside the motor. Before I left the house I let it warm up for a minute or two as usual. I just had the motor and primary fluid changed by my mechanic. I'm not the most mechanically sound person. I always just let my mechanic work on it because for me its easier to write a check then try to find the time to do it myself. I really hope I didn't bend a rod or something like that.

 

[arikam]

That would suck. We just had a semi in the shop and the mechanic that changed the oil didn't torque the drain plug. 22,0000$$ later we rebuilt the engine, ran it, and found the turbo is blown. That's another 3k $. I'm glad our shop didn't do it.

 

[buellerchris]

Oh jeez what I'm about to get into. I talked to a friend of mine that is a Buell mechanic and he said to put it in 5th gear and try to roll the bike, well guess what, it didn't roll. He said could be the counter shaft nut came off or possibly a rod bearing.

 

[djs2k2]

[sad]

 

[07Bolt]

Mount the bike on a block. Turn the rear wheel in neutral see if there are noises. Turn the rear wheel in gear. The countershaft nut is under a lot of torque. If the primary/trans is neglected its possible the nut gave way. A thrown rod bearing would allow some movement.

Also, check the clutch cable at the clutch pack behind the primary cover. If this cable came off or the ferrule dislodged it would render the clutch inop and your gears would be stuck.

 

[sparky300]

Sure, check the clutch cable for breakage, I suppose if the ferrule came off the cable and it somehow could become lodged in the primary chain and/or sprocket, weirder things have happened. But you said you managed to get it into neutral and didn't mention that the clutch felt soft. If it won't roll in 5th you've got mechanical interference somewhere. Pull the primary cover and have a look, then tell us what you see. Worst case you lose $10 for another qt of oil ($0 if you capture it in a clean container) and if the problem is deeper you're gonna need to drain and pull the cover anyway.

Start with the simple things first and post pics.

 

[buellerchris]

I'll keep everyone posted. I'm calling my mechanic today to make an appointment. I keep the bike in a warehouse that is divided into three sections (1st section is an aluminum shop/2nd section is storage (my bike)/3rd section is a Vtwin repair shop). Hopefully I'll have some good news this week. I'm going to drive down after class tonight and see if there are any metal shavings in the oil. When I parked the bike I didn't have time to look at it because I was in a rush to get home and finish some homework.
The only thing that worries me is that on the ride home I noticed a lot of tapping in the motor but I shrugged it off because I just put the stock exhaust and ecm back on the bike and its been years since I heard a buell with the stock exhaust and I remember them sounding like a sewing machine.
Like I said I'll keep everyone posted and do a detailed post in this thread on what happened and what is the fix for everyone to have future reference when something like this happens to another forum member.
And thank you to everyone for not saying did you do a search, sometimes the quickest way to get an answer or just flat out break up the dark cloud above a down'd riders head is to post the issue and await a quick answer.