I am new to the forum and I joined so I could get some peace of mind. I purchased an 03 954 in November of 08. It had 3700 miles and now has only 5900. After reading about the cracking crankcases I am now concerned that I might need to sell to keep from eminent misfortune. The first numbers on my engine are 21xx... for being the 03 motor, built in October of 2002. Should I be concerned? I really, really, really, love this bike, but really don't need any major headaches as I am unemployed and in college. How likely is my crankcase to crack? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

cracking crankcase? Not gonna happen unless you beat it with a 20lp sledge, or drop off the back of a truck or something. These cases just dont crack with normal use. Browse through the 954/929 sections. You may find 2-3 threads about cracked crankcases. No worries buddy, you are more likely to lay it down and total it than crack the crankcase.

What bought this to your attn? were or who told you that was going to happen?

Including this thread by googleing 954rr crankcase cracking, i literally pulled up 6 things including this thread. I'm not worried about my 954. I dont think you should be either.

 

A guy on a crimson 929, at our local "Blues" festival, was telling me he would never have one because he read that they crack cases. I called dealers in Chicago, Dallas, and somewhere California and talked to service guys who have been working on bikes before, during, and to date and they say they have seen no such problems either.

 

I have 55,000 miles on my 954. Never heard of cracking cases, never read anywhere about them, no service bulletins, no recalls. Sounds like the crimson 929 didn't know what he was talking about.

 

I wrecked mine at 70 doing a stand up....cracked my stator cover. 20-60 bucks later and it was back up and running. i would have rode it home if that didnt happen. but the bike also slid like 200 ft. unless this bike goes end over end 30 times at 150 mph ripping the swingarm off. i highly doubt it. this bike can take major punishment.....so with that said.....ride the hell out of it and forget what you heard. come here with any rumors and believe me we will clear them up promptly

 

I have read an talked to some people on this site about this problem.... I actually had it happen to me... The case cracks right in between cylinder 1 and 2 and leaks anit freeze and oil... at 9800 miles.. This guy did know what he was talking about... What i did was just had to buy a used motor and now am going to try and get rid of it before it happens again...i also found out that not all motors had this problem though but i'm not sure how to tell which cases were defective. I geuss that in europe they reconized this as a serious problem and had bulletins on them, but the united states honda motor company would not recognize it as any sort of problem. Even after many people had complained. The only way to get it covered was to have your cbr under warranty...

 

Do you, by any chance, remember your bikes "born on" date from the placard on the left side of the bike, or even your engine case serial number?

 

never heard of such unless from abuse or a crash.

 

I have seen reports like this elsewhere on the web. Does anyone know if somebody has actually researched this issue to find out what the likelihood of your crankcase cracking is? Maybe a percentage of '03 954's that have been reported with this issue?

 

I have been looking throughout Auto Trader mags and other online sources to try and find bikes matching my own and I have come across two '03 954's with 23,000+ miles on each, one was local and the other was in FL. The titanium '03 in FL had the exact date of manufacture and the same engine case number as my own. This added a little relief on my end and what I really want to know is, with respect to the guys who have had their crankcases crack, did you guys with the cracked heads stunt and wheelie excessively and how often was your bike maxed to its limits?