My brand new bike spat the dummy yesterday! Any thoughts?

[WierNixie]

Drive a brand new Suzuki 250 intruder <1000km.

After going to the learner Wednesday last week, I decided to go back to Westgate and take the back road thru to Albany to practice my cornering before I went for my restricted. After two goes, I was ready to go back home to the North Shore, and stopped to make a phone call.

Stopped the bike, and walked away from it. I was away less than 5 minutes from my bike, when I got back - the oil filler bung was off the bike and the entire bike was sprayed with piping hot oil and all the metal bits were steaming. From the spray marks it looked like it had erupted. I couldn'd find the oil bung anywhere.

Went to the garage (where we meet for Kiwi Biker) and a gentleman on a Ninja helped me with advice on how to get home (thank you whoever you are!). Filled up the oil and bunged up the hole with a cloth, checked to see that it would last till I got home, and got the thing home.

My questions is WHAT THE!

What could cause this to happen. Brand new bike? Any ideas. Will take it back to the shop on Monday, but am concerned - why did it happen. Jolly pleased I wasn't on it when it happend, all I have is a burned thumb and an oily bike.

Thanks guys.
Wiernixie.

[Mom]

Bummer mate, what a mess to clean up! Things do work loose on bikes, particularly new ones, though I have never heard of a sump plug letting go. Has it had its first service yet? Maybe it was not tightened properly then, or it has simply worked loose with vibration.

Go back to the dealer and get him to provide you with a new one FOC under warranty.

[paturoa]

You are talking about the filler plug?

The plug prolly wasn't tight enough and just vibrated out. The clutch is normally spinning just under that and would flick oil out the hole.

"Metal bits steaming" doesn't sound too good, it would have to be qiute hot for that. Oil will smoke a lot off the exhaust pipe which is normal.

[boomer]

my thoughts.

another lovely day, Jimmies broken the minute barrier and i should get showered and dressed and go to the track to watch a top days racing.

other thoughts, you own an intruder. anything can happen when you cross god.

[davereid]

I assume you mean the oil filer bung at top of the crankcase, not the drain bung at the bottom !.

It could be a couple of things.

Far and away the most likely is that it was simply not screwed in tight, and it unwound on its own. The amount of oil that is chucked out is amazing.

I admit this doesn't really fit with your idea that it happened while you were away from the bike, unless someone fiddled with it.

The crankcase has a breather that should stop excessive pressure building up. This would have to be blocked for pressure to pushthe bung out, and I can't see this happening on a new bike.

If an engine is significantly overfilled with oil the crankcase can pressurise. But once again I can't imagine the oil filler coming out.

As you didn't run out of oil, your engine will be fine.

Just check the oil level before you run it, and keep an eye on that bung !

[WierNixie]

Yes it was the filler plug. The bike was parked and turned off when it blew. Engine was VERY hot!!! Hasn't had it's first service yet.
After I had the bike three months I had to return it to the shop, the bike just stopped dead and th battery was completely flat. Turns out the stator was US and had to be replaced.

[WierNixie]

Thanks for the advice, filled it up before I 'bunged' it up and brought it home.

I was nowhere near the bike when this happend. Inside the AA, but only to pick up a form. It looked like a geyser or volcano had taken place around the bike.

[WierNixie]

my thoughts.

another lovely day, Jimmies broken the minute barrier and i should get showered and dressed and go to the track to watch a top days racing.

other thoughts, you own an intruder. anything can happen when you cross god.

Hey a new rider is allowed at least one ill advised buy

[davereid]

Some engines actually get hotter after they are turned off, as coolant stops being pumped around the engine.

But I'm sure the Intruder 250 is aircooled, so it never got hotter that it was when you parked it. Oil, particularly if it gets on to exhaust pipes can smell very hot - much hotter than reality !

How much oil was required to bring the level back up to normal ?

[FROSTY:Me]

It possessed?-- Seriously though one possibility that comes to mind is that the crankcase breather is kinked /blocked--thats a rubber pipe up on the back of the bottom of the engine.
Otherwise its as others have said--threads do work loose.
The other thing is you would be really suprised how LITTLE oil it takes for things to look really really messy.
We had a car come back with a MAJOR oil leak - Judged by the 100mm stains on the driveway. fairy nuff modern cars dont generally leak any oil.
The leak was a single drop of oil per night -less than 1cc.
1/8 turn tighter with the oil filte3r and all was good again.

[Conquiztador]

Are these made in China??

[FROSTY:Me]

Don't think so

[TimeOut]

Hi
The first service is the most important in the bikes life, it's better to be done before suggested than later.
Not that this has caused your problem, but they can check it out at the service.

[toebug]

Next time by a Honda!

[T.W.R]

Yes it was the filler plug. The bike was parked and turned off when it blew. Engine was VERY hot!!! Hasn't had it's first service yet.
After I had the bike three months I had to return it to the shop, the bike just stopped dead and th battery was completely flat. Turns out the stator was US and had to be replaced.

You've had the bike in excess of 3mths and already had a warranty issue with the stator and it hasn't had it's 1st service???? I'd be changing shops and continuing the warranty servicing at another Suzuki dealership (1st service is at 1000km).

That amount of pressure build up is excessive and would have forced oil into the airbox via the crankcase breather (that being kinked or blocked is highly unlikely) a lot of engines do force oil through the breather if they're over filled with oil or the motor is sick (certain Hondas are notorious for doing it). A low stress engine likes of the 250 Suzi shouldn't create that much pressure unless there's something else going on internally.

Bunging the filler cap hole with a rag is bloody risky as it could have easily caught on the clutch basket and caused something a whole lot worse to contend with.