Hello all!
1st post, whew!

Anyway, I've got a long story, and I'm going to try to make it as short as possible and not miss any of the highlights.

1.) Got an F2 CBR from a friend of a friend at a damn near free price.
2.) Price was low because the bike never started in front of me. It would only crank.
3.) One year goes by before I get the will to seriously go out and mess with it.
4.) Bike no longer cranks after 1yr. Yes, new battery... Let me finish. It wouldn't even turn the motor with the bike in gear and good forcefull pushing, pulling, cursing, etc.
5.) After some trouble-shooting, I notice this. . .







Now how bad is this really? New engine bad? Or could a shop weld that back together at a reasonable price with no problems? This is my first bike, so I am new to all of this; but I do know to tool around for myself.

If you're wondering, no, I've never let the bike down. Previous owner has... on both sides. But he swears he wasn't moving before it went down. Fairings prove it's seen cement. The crack can be seen on the outside of the crank case cover. It's pretty small and hardly noticeable. I didn't notice it when I first purchased the bike, but I know it was caused by the previous owner.

So, bottom line; Should I just go ahead an replace the motor? Or is this motor worth salvaging? If nothing else is wrong, would fixing this problem be cheaper than buying another engine?

For what it's worth, the motor does turn now.

Thanks for looking!

 

It's bad, the cover can be replaced but you will not be able to repair the block for the starter gear pin to seat properly.

BTW, the starter gear is in backwards, the smaller diameter gear with large teeth is supposed to face the cover.

However, if you do not wish to replace the engine you can leave that gear out and replace the engine cover.

If you wish you can fabricate something to seal the hole for the starter motor, or you can leave the starter installed but it will no longer be functional and your bike will be like a race bike (bump start only).

Or, you can find a good motor at a wrecker or Ebay if you have the funds and skills to swap the engine.

 

:-) Cool. Thanks for the reply. That's what I kinda figured, but I wanted to hear it from someone with more knowledge about bikes than myself.

Yep, I pictured the starter gear backwards. It's just the way I pulled it out, and placed it on the cover during the picture.

I don't know at this point if I want to do that. Sure it would be cheaper. lol... but I laugh thinking of myself running down the street with my bike, hopping on it and popping the clutch to get it started... lolz... it tickles me. So much easier to just push a button and getting it started.

Maybe I can find something as simple as a gromet to fill the hole.

Also, I'm kind of concerned about where did the broken bits of metal go? They didn't fall out when I opened the case. Maybe they're in the pan? Maybe the previous owner already took them out? I don't know. Could be all sorts of havoc in the crank case itself. Maybe I should just replace the motor... but everytime something like this happens to me with every other vehicle I've owned... the only solution I can ever think of is "customized rebuild".

 

My magna had the same thing happen, with that bike though replacing the engine was the only option. Well I guess not the only option because I sold the bike to let someone else deal with it lol.

 

I bought my bike like that also because it was sitting in back of a barn and wouldn't start. Took the bike home. Found out the carbs were wide open and hydrolocked the motor. Then the owner must've tried to start it over and over and over again and broke the gear. Nothing you can do but go the cheaper route, get a new engine! You can get one under $400 on ebay or online.

It has to be welded perfectly, then machined to fit the gear post with no slack. It would have to be professionally done, that's my suggestion. Will cost a lot.

 

Want to have some fun? Soak the starter pin in some REALLY high viscosity oil, then wrap it in JB Weld and smoosh it onto the engine block. Make sure to leave clearance for the other parts in there. Rotate the pin twice an hour for like 4 hours to keep it from accidentally setting. Once the JB Weld seems to be holding its own, pull the pin out and wait a couple of days.

I saw it done on something under a tractor hood, but I couldn't tell you what. Since you're dealing with a non-(totally)-crucial part in a block you're probably going to throw out anyway, I figure it's worth a shot.

 

Non-crucial part surrounded in extremely crucial parts...

 

the motor is basicly a boat anchor anyway, hell give it a shot you may end up getting some miles out of it and the experince would be priceless LoL

 

LoL...

Thanks fellas. I was thinking of doing that too (JB Weld). Well, I didn't think of the high visco oil part, but I figured JB weld could make the shoulder for the pin again. I am concerned where the other parts that broke off went and how long would JB hold in high heat/vibration environment.

I haven't dropped the pan... yet (to look for pieces). Is there an oil drain plug for this thing? I've been taking the bike completely apart to put another motor in, and basically, build a new bike from the chassis up. Everything seems to be old, broken, rusted and unsafe.

Check it out:


I'd like to make some custom fairings, paint the tank, some newer looking lights all around and maybe even fuel inject the used F2 motor I'm picking up tomorrow.

If I can actually acomplish what is going on in my head, it'll be pretty hard to tell what it was originally. Hell, it wont look like anything else out there, but there would be hints of what it once was. The chassis and exhaust are probably the only things I won't end up modifiying/changing somehow.

 

Exactly what I am finishing up doing now. Just a matter of money and time.