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Engine seize / CCT failure?

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Old 06-30-2013, 12:22 AM
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Engine seize / CCT failure?

I was just riding my bike and it randomly shut off and the back tire locked up. This was at about 70 mph. Pulled over to the side, tried to start it and the bike just makes a click noise from the battery. Tried push starting it and the tire locks up in every gear, even 6th.


What could it be? Pistons seized? What are the symptoms of a failed cam chain tensioner?
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Old 06-30-2013, 07:20 AM
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It could be so many different things by your description, guessing is just that guessing.

If you can not turn the motor over by hand (sounds like not with your starter attempt description) it matters not really.. the motor is coming apart to be repaired, and you'll know for sure then what is wrong.

If you want to make an educated guess to see if it's valves, pull the spark plugs check for damage (may not come out if beat up on the cylinder head side) And remove the valve covers, check for wide open valve clearances (like 1, 2, 10mm ) That would indicate bent valves that are stuck open.
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Old 06-30-2013, 03:21 PM
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Alright so i guess im an idiot. My bike had no oil in it, must have leaked some how.

So my engine seized because it had no oil. Does that mean I screwed up the engine or can it still be saved?
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Old 06-30-2013, 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Chrisguilday
Alright so i guess im an idiot. My bike had no oil in it, must have leaked some how.

So my engine seized because it had no oil. Does that mean I screwed up the engine or can it still be saved?

Looks like you'll be in the market for an engine.
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Old 06-30-2013, 03:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Chrisguilday
Alright so i guess im an idiot. My bike had no oil in it, must have leaked some how.

So my engine seized because it had no oil. Does that mean I screwed up the engine or can it still be saved?
Oh man that is horrible! If you find the source of the leak let us know.
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Old 06-30-2013, 03:50 PM
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Well Marquez is right until you tear the motor down there's no way to tell what's salvageable vs what's destroyed.

Might be time to look for another engine if you can't handle a rebuild on your own, in fact it's probably cheaper regardless.!
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Old 06-30-2013, 05:46 PM
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There was about a quart of oil left in the bike when I drained it this morning. The motorcycle really isn't in good enough shape to buy a $800 engine and replace it. I'll probably just part it out or sell it whole for a few pennies.

I'll tear down the engine first. Who knows maybe its some thing simple.
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Old 06-30-2013, 07:19 PM
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Ouch man...that sucks!
You didn't notice any oil leaking, or possibly burning up to that point? Right before the engine quit, did you notice any odd noises? When you drained the oil, were there any metal shavings? I'm just curious what happened inside the engine to make it lock up.
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Old 06-30-2013, 07:37 PM
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Originally Posted by CruxGNZ
Ouch man...that sucks!
You didn't notice any oil leaking, or possibly burning up to that point? Right before the engine quit, did you notice any odd noises? When you drained the oil, were there any metal shavings? I'm just curious what happened inside the engine to make it lock up.
I did not notice any oil leaking. No weird / odd noises. Engine just completely shut off and back wheel locked up. No metal shavings that I could see in the oil.
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Old 06-30-2013, 09:35 PM
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I don't mean to be an ******* but what you describe is practically impossible.
You cannot run a motor with almost no oil and not get some indication that there is a problem prior to the rear wheel locking up!

I have ridden 2 strokes that could do that but never a 4 stroke!
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Old 06-30-2013, 10:17 PM
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Originally Posted by HRCA#1
I don't mean to be an ******* but what you describe is practically impossible.
You cannot run a motor with almost no oil and not get some indication that there is a problem prior to the rear wheel locking up!

I have ridden 2 strokes that could do that but never a 4 stroke!
I don't know what to tell you man. Either it wasn't making any odd noises, or it was and I couldn't hear them.
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Old 07-01-2013, 07:51 AM
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How about the smell of oil cooking?
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Old 07-01-2013, 07:13 PM
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How about the red oil pressure light? That should lit up way before the oil drops to catastrophic levels
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Old 07-01-2013, 07:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Killemall
How about the red oil pressure light? That should lit up way before the oil drops to catastrophic levels
No, it will not light until oil pressure is gone, at that point, it's too late.. it is not an oil level light(gauge) just a dumb pressure switch.
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Old 07-01-2013, 07:31 PM
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Or the yellow service engine light. That should have lit up maybe even before the oil light.
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Old 07-01-2013, 07:38 PM
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Oh, sorry. Wrong thread.
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Old 07-01-2013, 08:17 PM
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Originally Posted by VTR1000F
Oh, sorry. Wrong thread.
I'm still laughing at that one!
"my service engine light turns off everytime I bring the kickstand up...hmmm that must reset the entire service engine light system" haha
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Old 07-02-2013, 08:41 AM
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The sight glass is how you check your oil level. Only one type of person waits for an idiot light.

Check your oil level before every ride. It's far better to know, than to not know.
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Old 07-02-2013, 10:05 AM
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Originally Posted by HRCA#1
I don't mean to be an ******* but what you describe is practically impossible.
You cannot run a motor with almost no oil and not get some indication that there is a problem prior to the rear wheel locking up!

I have ridden 2 strokes that could do that but never a 4 stroke!
Originally Posted by Chrisguilday
I don't know what to tell you man. Either it wasn't making any odd noises, or it was and I couldn't hear them.
The only way you don't get "any indication" that there is something wrong with the engine when you are almost out of oil, is if you are completely ignorant of engines... Plain and simple... I'm not trying to insult you here, but it's the basic truth...

The little old lady that runs her crap car dry of oil, saying "I didn't know it was about to break down..." Her I believe, and in general she's honest enough to admit that she has no clue about engines, which means to some point I can feel sympathy... And the 16 year old kid, female or male (altought less so), that does that to a car, well... Yeah, I get it...

But on a bike... You either have a large spurt of oil from the engine, and then you break it, or you have intentionally ignored the signs, or neglected to check the things you should have done, that would have told you the engine needed care...

It's that simple... You either chose to ignore the signs, or you are too ignornant to see them... Pick which one you prefer, there are no third option...
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Old 07-02-2013, 01:08 PM
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Originally Posted by E.Marquez
No, it will not light until oil pressure is gone, at that point, it's too late.. it is not an oil level light(gauge) just a dumb pressure switch.
Thanks. Good to know.

Last edited by Killemall; 07-03-2013 at 08:06 AM.
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Old 07-03-2013, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Tweety
The only way you don't get "any indication" that there is something wrong with the engine when you are almost out of oil, is if you are completely ignorant of engines... Plain and simple... I'm not trying to insult you here, but it's the basic truth...

The little old lady that runs her crap car dry of oil, saying "I didn't know it was about to break down..." Her I believe, and in general she's honest enough to admit that she has no clue about engines, which means to some point I can feel sympathy... And the 16 year old kid, female or male (altought less so), that does that to a car, well... Yeah, I get it...

But on a bike... You either have a large spurt of oil from the engine, and then you break it, or you have intentionally ignored the signs, or neglected to check the things you should have done, that would have told you the engine needed care...

It's that simple... You either chose to ignore the signs, or you are too ignornant to see them... Pick which one you prefer, there are no third option...
I actually know a fair bit about engines. The problem is I dropped the bike which caused it to have a small oil leak. I repaired the oil leak with JB weld. I Welded it over night and took it for a very brief 15 minute ride to check to see if it was leaking. I went over the entire area and it was not leaking at all. I checked the oil levels and they were fine. Parked the bike, and later that night I went for a ride. Before I left I looked under the bike and there was no oil spots.

Apparently I missed part of the oil crack and it had started leaking from that. I was not aware of this until after my engine blew. During that entire ride I was actually checking the oil spot that I repaired periodically. However, the oil was leaking from a very small crack in a different place. I'm guessing the oil had not gotten hot enough to seep through the small crack within that 15 minute test ride.

Any way it's done and over with now. I have a buddy that has a motorcycle shop that is going to repair it with me. We aren't sure what is wrong with it now, but there was no metal shavings in the oil so were hoping that it isn't too bad.

Last edited by Chrisguilday; 07-03-2013 at 08:02 PM.
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Old 07-04-2013, 12:18 AM
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Originally Posted by Chrisguilday
I actually know a fair bit about engines. The problem is I dropped the bike which caused it to have a small oil leak. I repaired the oil leak with JB weld. I Welded it over night and took it for a very brief 15 minute ride to check to see if it was leaking. I went over the entire area and it was not leaking at all. I checked the oil levels and they were fine. Parked the bike, and later that night I went for a ride. Before I left I looked under the bike and there was no oil spots.

Apparently I missed part of the oil crack and it had started leaking from that. I was not aware of this until after my engine blew. During that entire ride I was actually checking the oil spot that I repaired periodically. However, the oil was leaking from a very small crack in a different place. I'm guessing the oil had not gotten hot enough to seep through the small crack within that 15 minute test ride.

Any way it's done and over with now. I have a buddy that has a motorcycle shop that is going to repair it with me. We aren't sure what is wrong with it now, but there was no metal shavings in the oil so were hoping that it isn't too bad.
Like I said... No third option... JB weld...
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Old 07-04-2013, 07:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Tweety
Like I said... No third option... JB weld...
You make a good point.
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Old 07-06-2013, 08:15 AM
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Lol, had a team owner use JB Weld on a radiator on our (his) endurance bike, unbeknownst to the rest of the team. During my stint in the saddle it leaked enough to spray water onto the front tire. Went down in a hurry. Lukily it was a slow speed corner. Still hurt. My pit crew mechanic almost beat the guy to death when he found out about the JB Weld, lol. Just say no.
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Old 07-06-2013, 10:15 AM
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Originally Posted by Chrisguilday
I was just riding my bike and it randomly shut off and the back tire locked up. This was at about 70 mph. Pulled over to the side, tried to start it and the bike just makes a click noise from the battery. Tried push starting it and the tire locks up in every gear, even 6th.


What could it be? Pistons seized? What are the symptoms of a failed cam chain tensioner?
Good job not laying the bike down! An engine can be repaired. Could've been worse.
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Old 07-06-2013, 06:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Chrisguilday
I actually know a fair bit about engines. The problem is I dropped the bike which caused it to have a small oil leak. .

Question about the droppage. Did it occur while power wheelying in 1st, 2d, or 3rd gear? I can see altot of stuff worse getting busted than a $3000 engine, such as a leg, back, head, etc. A lot of peeps on here have Hawks that can power wheely in 2d and 3rd gear with stock parts and those hawks must be putting out 150lbs of torque so watch out, you might have one of those Hawks, I don't.
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Old 07-08-2013, 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by zxbud
Question about the droppage. Did it occur while power wheelying in 1st, 2d, or 3rd gear? I can see altot of stuff worse getting busted than a $3000 engine, such as a leg, back, head, etc. A lot of peeps on here have Hawks that can power wheely in 2d and 3rd gear with stock parts and those hawks must be putting out 150lbs of torque so watch out, you might have one of those Hawks, I don't.
...What? I dropped the bike moving at about 0.5 mph. I was doing a high speed maneuver out of my garage.
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Old 08-17-2015, 05:28 PM
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Lol I am just reviewing this thread from a long time ago. My Superhawk did not fail due to low oil. I sold it to a guy and he said he was going to rebuild it. He rebuilt it and he said there was no damage due to low oil, the CCT's blew after 34k miles on the original ones. Hence why there was no odd noises etc etc. It was just a coincidence that it was low on oil as well. Or maybe CCT's are effected by low oil. I don't know.


Don't know why I replied to this, just thought it was funny. By the way, my superhawk is completely tricked out by this guy that owns it in Sarasota Florida now. He drag's it and says he get's low 10's on the drag. Good to know the good ol hawk is still on the road.
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Old 08-17-2015, 08:54 PM
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I think when CCT's fail the sound of a valve hitting a piston would probably fall under the heading of odd noises. Anyhow many of us have learned the best place for JB Weld is hanging on the shelf in the store. May seem like an odd question but could you tell me what color the bike was? Sounds eerily like a story I heard of a bike I once sold in Florida and also the person I sold it to. Glad you didn't end up on your head when it happened.
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Old 08-17-2015, 10:38 PM
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Originally Posted by captainchaos
I think when CCT's fail the sound of a valve hitting a piston would probably fall under the heading of odd noises. Anyhow many of us have learned the best place for JB Weld is hanging on the shelf in the store. May seem like an odd question but could you tell me what color the bike was? Sounds eerily like a story I heard of a bike I once sold in Florida and also the person I sold it to. Glad you didn't end up on your head when it happened.
Well of course I heard that sound haha. It was immediate and my tire locked up. Any way, the bike was white with jardine RT-1 exhaust tips. Front fairing were cut a little. But the guy that bought it from me changed it entirely and I can't remember what color he painted it.
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