Hi all,
Well i'll start with the reason for the post. Over the easter period my '98 popped a spark plug and stripped the threads. After getting the engine out and getting someone to helicoil the thread in the head everything seemed ok. There was a slight rattle which has always been there, i think it was the camchain tensioner. But being on a tight budget i thought i'd do it at a later date. This might have been a big mistake. On the way home from work today she started to hit a flat spot at 9000rpm and then BOOM smoke out of the exhaust but not losing oil on the road. Bike was still running as i pulled the clutch in and coasted to a stop.

Now it will take me a few days to rip the engine out to find out whats gone on, but think it will likely be a new engine. Over here in the UK there about £300-£400 about $500 - $650. This is well beyond by monetary situation now.

On the plus side i have a new set of fairings ordered of Ebay, (before all this happened) that will look nice in my gargage.