Skirt collapse?

[racefactory]

well you in luck... rgv engine parts are easy to get hold of. just call a couple places you'll find something in no time.

you'll know about it if the crank is on the way out... start it and listen for rumbling and knocking.

[wbks]

Yea but for how much say a crank?

[racefactory]

not sure but seen them on trademe so i wouldn't fret at the cost. should be able to get something for less than 500 surely? Call a wrecker tomorrow and find out.

[wbks]

Ok will do. Hopefully it is reasonably cheap. But is bying a used crank realy a good idea? Like do they last a life time for the bikes untill they are damaged through blow ups like this or are they changed every # kms as well?

[speedpro]

With the barrell off, if it looks like my avatar, it's screwed. What's left of the piston is still there. It's just hard to see.

[wbks]

Surely I could see it when i check it out though... So what do you guys think...Check it out, make sure the barrel is not screwed and if not its sweet? And is taking the barrel off on these bikes simple? Like simple as taking one off a single cylender two stroke dirt bike? Or is there more to it?

[Ixion]

Two stroke cranks last longer than top ends. But not as long as fourstrokes (I'm talking modern ones, not the older generation, some of them went more or less for ever).

If you ride a two stroke you just need to reckon on, and budget for, replacing these things regularly. Almost all two smokers will have been ridden hard, really hard. And when they go , it can be either ho-hum, 5 hundy bucks and all good, or oh shit.

I guess in round terms, a top end each year, two if you're unlucky, and a bottom end every two or three top ends. Unless you're unlucky. Luck comes into a lot with a two smoker.

They're expensive because everyone wants one. Supply and demand. No new ones, learners want them cos they go fast (which reduces the supply still more, cos the learners crash them); experienced riders want them, cos , um cos, uh shit, I dunno why two smokers are so appealing, they just are.

[wbks]

Bottom end every 2-3 top ends as in new crankshaft? Maybe I'm too poor for a two stroke. 1994 rgv250's go for say 5500 and this one is 3. But after $700 worth of rebuild and possibly $500 for a second hand crank it is just about the same price as a running one only newer. Should I just buy a running one even though it is more expensive and has more km's on it?

[Ixion]

Yes, but you could buy the running one, and a month later have the top end go. Two strokes are not known for predictability. And factored over the time, the cost is not that great. If you do say 25000km per year, a topend each year and a crank after three, thats only a bit over a thou a year. And you may be lucky, some folk get better mileages (of course, some also get less) . And you can normally do it yourself, so you have no labour costs.

But, all in all, noone should buy a high perfromance two stroke because they think it will be cheap transport. (AG100s are another matter). It's a labour of love.

(I suspect part of the reason two strokes are dear at the dealers is because a wise dealer is going to factor in a margin to cover the buyer who comes back after a month with a blown motor. I I were a dealer I'd want a lot more margin out of a two stroke than a four stroke.)

[wbks]

So if you need to replace cranks then surely its not a good idea to buy a used one that likely already has a lot of kms on it? How can i get a faster bike before i get my full I'm half way to buying a 400 and putting 250 stickers on it. But even that must be slower and badder handling then the two stroke. And whats the 'ringa ding ding' forum you talked about?

[Ixion]

Probably not really. A used low mileage one might be OK. Or if you just needed a cheapy to get the bike going and flog it off. But trying to scrimp on parts for two strokes tends to some back and bite you on the bum. They cost to run, just something one needs to accept.