Haek died. Runs real rough when started
 

I was on my way home from work last night and had a few issues. My '98 Hawk started fine and ran good for the first 1/4 mile or so when I left. Then the oil light came on because it died (which frequently happens when I'm riding). Normally when this happens I can restart the bike while I'm rolling and continue on my marry way...but not this time. After coasting into a parking lot I tried to start it again...low battery. I waited about 5 minutes to give the battery sometime to charge itself. When I got the bike started again it didn't want to idle (which it does when it's cold). Finally when I got going again I started hearing a funny noise (kindof a rattling sound) and I had no power (I could gun it and go nowhere). Then it died again and there I sat for 2 hours waiting on a ride. Any suggestions on where to start trouble shooting would be great. Thanks.

Hmmm, "rattling sound" .... then no power ..... sorta sounds like a CCT gave up > chain skipped a tooth or two > valve timing off > no power...

Simple to remove the CCTs and see if the springs are working .... it may really suck if the valves and piston slapped....

I think CCTs might not be the culprit here. Your battery provides your main spark, and if you are running a weak battery, your spark will be equally weak and you will have all kinds of idling and power problems. Replace your battery first, then look elsewhere for problems if it still runs poorly. If your CCT jumped the cam chain you'd hear a lot more than a rattling sound. I would check your electrical lines from the battery on down to the plug leads for problems. After that you might want to take a look at your oil levels, ignition, then clutch.

It sounds like the vacume line has been disconnected or damaged. Otherwise make sure your carbs are seated. Mine have come right out of the boots before.

I checked the CCT's and from what I can see thewir fine. I'm getting no juice at all now. all the fuses in the fuse box behind the battery are fine and the 30 amp fuse that is inline with the battery is fine are there any more?

I've occaisionally had mine die on me about 1 mile from the petrol station I've just filled up at. I think it gets a fuel air lock which is cured if I open the petrol cap and wait a minute. The another time it let me down due to a spark plug burning out (faulty) and I managed to ride it home 5 miles on 1 pot to change them.

ok...on that suggestion i pulled the spark plugs. They were black at the bottom and the smelled like gas.

My guess is a fouled plug.
The plugs foul real easy on these bikes especially if you choke it too long.

Also take a look at your wires and make sure they are in good shape.

I'm running splitfire plugs now which are excellent on my VTR, can't say that they give more power or torque, they just work properly. My bike gives an average of 45 MPIG cruising at around 90mph - so on the 13 ltrs from full to RLOD I'm getting 130 miles. My friend who I often go touring in France with own a '95 Triumph Sprint 900 and we get identical fuel economy, he just has a larger tank. I'm planning to fit a VFR tank shortly but I'll probably only use it for touring as I rarely find that petrol stations are more than 130 miles apart.

OK my Hawk is at the mech's. I'll keep you posted on what he finds. He has a rally in Austin this weekend so it may be a couple of days...

OK here's the scoop. My mech cleaned out the fuel lines and carbs (he said there was a lot of junk in them). He rebuilt the starter (full of dust and the brushes were old). Replaced the battery (this may have been the main culprit all along). And fixed the timing (may have been off before I started "tinkering" but I don't know). Now the bike starts and idles fine and runs great...up to a point. Once he gets to the higher RPMS he says there is a knock. Now he is not sure if the bike was doing this before or not. Neither am I cuz I can't hear what it's doing (the bike is 7 hours south of me). He says it might be a wrist pin failing but he's not sure and he doesn't go that far into the engine. My questions:

1. Can I add slick 50 or some other additive to prolong the life span of this engine?

2. How long can I ride with it like this?

3. Where can I get a new (used) engine and what is a good price?

You say this mechanic 'doesn't go that far into the engine' ... so you really have no choice but pick the bike up from him. See how it runs - listen and have some other local trained ears also listen.
Rod/wrist pin ... how many miles on this bike? Anything is possible but if you get the bike back and decide it is a rod you may just want to rebuild the thing and avoid getting someone elses bag of worms by buying an unknown used complete package from somewhere.

answers
1. no. if it's engine damage, no prolong, slick fiddy, lucas oil stabilizer will fix your bike
2. depends on the noise. is it a rattle or knock? did you do an oil change and forget to remove the plastic protecting the filter? did the oil light come on before or after the engine died? did it sputter out after filling the tank? you might have had water in the fuel... is the tank rusty? does it get better if you turn the choke on? what other things did you notice when the bike acted funny? maybe your regulator rectifier went out and your battery did not have enough juice to restart or run? the battey fixed this? does it get charged? 14+ volts at the batt terminals when running?

3. dont worry about that untill you have someone more experienced fix your bike...

first off your cannot adjust your timing on a superhawk.. it's computerized. he 's trying to rip you off
if you've blown your wrist pin, i'll buy you a JE 11:5 piston set for your hawk
if he had to rebuild the starter, you either overheated it by cranking too long, or he robbed you again.. check the mount bolts holding the starter to the engine for marks from a wrench, and the phillips head bolts holding the starter together... he may be still trying to rip you off.. ride it yourself and listen for this alleged knock... he's probably lying to you.. it was probably just something simple and he's making you paranoid... get an EXPERIENCED mech to look at it and not this goon...

Will you buy me a JE 11:5 piston set for my hawk?

First thing I would do is get the bike back and check it out for myself. Check to see if new plugs were put in. Also check the battery and make sure a new one was put in, and not a cheap one. Then change your oil and see how it runs for yourself. Aferall it's YOUR bike and not the mechanics, only you will be able to notice the differences. How come the bike is 7 hours south of you? Were you unable to find a local mechanic or friend who could assist you with the bike?

New plugs: check
New battery: check
Oil change: check
Still broken: check

Ok. The problem with it starting was in the battery due to it being bad. Now the bike starts fine but we're back to the original problem. At 3k-4k rpms there is a definate rattleing sound and it increases with throttle and when ridden there is no power after that point. There is somthing major wrong and I'm going to have to shelf the Hawk till I can have the engine rebuilt. What puzzles me is this: When I bought the Hawk it had ~12k miles on it. Now at ~15k its unrideable and potentially screwed. Whoever had this bike before me most have badly mistreated it. Such a waste.

chkn
Yor original post was on 5/22, was the bike fine up to that point?

Is the rattling sound from the front cyl (left side) or rear cyl (right side) area? I assume the CCTs have been looked at by now??

Have the valve clearance been checked?

Battery issue may be seperate from knocking/ticking issue.

What's with your avitar, chknfrdstk? doesn't look like a legit Chinese character to me..

The sound appears to be coming out of the front cyl. I'm not sure how to check the valve clearences.

http://www.fastdecals.com/graphics/f...ness_kanji.jpg

chkn
Pop open your manual, remove the front valve cover, set it to TDC, see if the cam chain seems loose and check the cam sprockets for alignment.