my motor is F***ed

[dsmbill]

Well got the motor on my xb9r torn a part and didn't find anything good. All 4 cam gear bushings seized to the cams and spun from the case. When they spun in the case really screwed up the case. I don't see putting the money into it since I will need a set of new matching cases. And then who know what other damage was done in the bottom end. A local shop offered me $1000 for the bike as is. I am wondering if that is fair?

 

[Theycallmecrash]

Year make model? And where are you located?

Im not sure what would be required or possible. But maybe a machine shop could over size those holes and with some research find replacement bushing for the new sizes holes. Then a set of cams.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

I am very interested in how you managed that. Was there an oil system failure? It looks well lubed now... but thats catastrophic bearing failures,, ill have to look at some cases i have here but I believe they are all brass bushed.
anything is possible,, a good machinist can make some oversized bushes, but that cam gear fit is critical,, really close tolerances.
Not enough info, what year bike, model etc,,,what does the rest of the motor look like? Ive never seen damage like that before. Seen pieces of the oil pump gear go and the pieces screw up the cams and followers, but never the bushes. Ive seen hundred of Triumph BSA and Norton motors apart and rebuilt a lot of them,,, never anything like this. On some of the old limey motors the cams were not good metal and you saw flat lobes or scored cam followers, but never the bushes. Ive seen people knock out the cam bushes because they were idiots taking it apart and left on the keyways,, but never what looks like this kind of oil system failure,,
weird deal.
Might be better off buying a used motor and slapping that in. Motors go for between 500 to 1500

 

[ich]

since I will need a set of new matching cases.

there are no matching cases nor are they required.

 

[buellxb9rs]

Why not spend about $1000 and buy a motor?

 

[rah7777777]

I have a 9 motor I'd sell.
I think it has 14k on it.
Hasn't been started in a couple years tho. It's out of a bike I'm going to start parting out soon.

 

[rah7777777]

And assuming the bikes in good shape, $1000 seems a little low. But the shop knows your in a ****** spot so they'll lowball you.

Have pics of the whole bike? Any wrecks?
Where you located?

 

[Internet Annoyance]

I checked my engine cases and they have brass bushes in them for the cams as i suspected,,, it looks like a steel sleeve in each hole and the brass bushes fit in those? So the brass bushings are froze to the motor and left those sleeves? weird,, Brass by nature takes an extreme amount of abuse and can operate with litttle oil, in order to burn up like that requires some catastrophic failures,,,,, Id be wondering what your crank and rod bearings look like.

 

[dsmbill]

The bike is a 2003 firebolt xb9r. Had to have been a oil system failure of some sort but don't know. The oil light never came on which I thought it would if the oil system failed. And talking to a local Buell mechanic he says I would need both cases because when they make the cases they line bore them. And I don't know about the crank . As far as buying a motor that can be a real gamble in my opinion. I am located in port Jervis new York.

 

[rah7777777]

Man that stinks. Yea buying a used motor is a gamble.

I've been tossing the idea around of rebuilding the 1 I have with a 1050 kit and throwing it in my bike. But my current motor runs..... So I'm at a toss up.

I hope you can get it rebuilt without it costing too much!

I bet the cases are pricey.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

I am still very curious about this,,,,,,, just for my own reasons,. I had a very good instructor in aviation mechanics who said many shops will put the new or inexperienced guy on disassembly of motors for rebuilds, have him tear them down and clean the parts, etc etc..
He said a SMART shop will have a very experienced guy tear them down and look very carefully at the parts and can almost always figure out why things are the way they are. Bad parts? oil failures? DPO? (Dreaded Previous Owner?) imroper previous assy? Improper break in? or just normal wear?
If theres a problem it needs to be tracked down and addressed.
Id still like to see what your other parts looked like. careful exam of the oil pump, blocked oil passage? crank bearings and rod bearings? cam followers should be of interest with them being roller bearings and needle bearings at that. Id cut open the oil filter carefully and look to see whats in there. what kind of debris?
you DO REALIZE your oil tank is going to HAVE to be very thoroughly cleaned right? all the oil lines, cooler,, everything.
do the bushes look like they were heat effected? (lack of oil) are the surfaces smeared? is there foreign material embedded into the brass bush bearing surfaces?

You showed the bushes frozen on the ends of the cams,, can you remove them from the cams carefully? and what do those surfaces look like? and what do the cams look like?

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Yes, cases SHOULD be kept as a matched set, Not impossible to find them, they seem to go for silly prices on feebay, but with so many people parting out Buells on here,,,, you should be able to get the parts you need at fair prices. I have a set of cases but they go to a frame, and a specific project. If you want pictures of anything,, let me know,
a used engine IS a gamble, I worked in a car wrecking yard for a while right out of high school. We had a saying,,,,
"It ran to the wreck" what you want to look for is lower mileage, well maintained, and a crashed bike. many times, there will be damages such as the primary cover, shifter levers, or timing cover damaged in the wreck, but you HAVE those parts sitting there.
I bought this spring for a friend a lightly used motor (XB12) that was in a wreck off of ebay for $595, the front cyl head mount was broken, so not good for another XB project without replacing that head, and the primary was gone,
BUT,, its going in a custom project that doesnt need the stock XB mounts. and to build up a motor to the stock XB specs would have cost him several thousand dollars, so he was very happy with the motor i bought off ebay. Yet i see some sellers trying to get almost that much for a set of cases. find out what caused the problem, and shop carefully, either rebuild what you have, but a used motor,, even at $1200-1500 might be the way to go.

OR,, heres a thought, buy a good used motor, and get back to riding, WHILE you rebuild your motor!