What to do
 

Hey all
I know I haven't really been posting much however I need some help/advice.
My 02 has been giving me a bit of a issue lately and I'm wondering which would be the best avenue to go down.
Let's start with the first issue, on intial start up there seems to be a clanking sound coming from the right hand side, near the cam chains, now they haven't been adjusted in awhile so my assumption would be they are out of adjustment. This is where it gets weird, I've had to run Seafoam through the carbs and after doing that, they seem to quiet down
2. Now this is a bit more serious, when I shift from 1st to 2nd it will seem like it's going into gear but then pops out, sometimes it happens in 2nd to 3rd or 5th to 6th. The chain adjustment seems to be OK, and I had a shop put a new cush drive while they did chain and sprockets.
Lastly, I changed spark plugs and happen to show a 20+ year motorcycle tech whi happened to tell me just by looking at the plug that I was burning a bit of oil.
So here is my dilemma, I can go out and buy a different bike and be all happy about that, or I can rebuild this motor, my question is how much typically would it cost to do a rebuild? If i put in JE pistons would I have to machine the head? What gains would I receive from doing that and getting a Webcam grind done as well?
I love this bike, one of the most reliable ones I've had and would rather not get rid of it so any advice would be great

You will spend about 2/3 the cost of a used SH in general condition to build the motor right, more if you have someone do it all for you, less if you can do most of all of the labor
It would be folly to "rebuild" a motor and not have the heads done,,,,its part of the build not an option, and is likely part or most of where your oil burning is coming from.

In my area there aren't a ton of them around, and I like having some unique however I see your point. I was quoted about 7-8000 bucks for my friend who is a motorcycle tech to do a rebuild on my old V Strom so I'm figuring it will be near to that number.
I honestly love this bike, it's been an absolute pleasure to ride

7 to 8 thousands dollars?

Hell I'll build you a motor for that and buy you dinner.

If you meant $700-$800 dollars ..Then no..that might get a motor running, but its 1/3- to 1/2 what it will cost.

Maybe I got the incorrect information and price, but from what he explained, he would be the one dropping the motor, honing etc...so I'm assuming he is try to calculate for both removing the motor and doing the work and putting it back in.
Anyways that's off topic, would there be any gains with doing the high comp pistons and getting the cams regrind?

nGood God I was sure that was a typo. For $7-8K I'll fly you to Florida, you can have my mint 9k mile '99, I'll buy you breakfast, lunch & dinner, I'll ship the bike back to your home and fly you home (or you can ride it home and I'll pay for your gas) and I'll mail another 3k mile engine back to your home.

Seriously for $500-$600ish you can get a perfectly good used engine. Probably 3-4 times that like Erik said for a modified build. And a lot more is labor if you're not doing the work yourself. On paper the bike isn't worth that much but if you love the bike then you throw that out the window.

Dont get me wrong....if this guy is a real motor builder, in house dyno,5 axis CNC Cylinder Head Machine, cutting custom oversize valves and seats, sending the rotating assembly out to be blueprinted, balanced after all work is done, adding Carrillo Custom built rods, having the cases bored, nikasil plated, honed for oversize custom big bore high compression forged pistons, custom Webcams, springs, ti tops, and going to do a lot of top shelf work to get it there,,, ya I can spend $7-8k building a VTR motor.
And again, if your up for it, build it....will be awesome.

But before you commit to that kind of cash for a motor build, the builder best check out with a really good resume

I personally trust this guy, he was a head mechanic at a local motorcycle shop I had worked at, and had been there for almost 30 years, and honestly I need to check with him about how much it would be for the VTR.
truth be told money might not be a problem in the next month as I'll be finishing up a insurance claim from 2 years ago.
As for the bike, I know I won't get what I want for it even if I try and sell it, and I truly like this bike, but with these issues just now coming up I think the biggest concern I have is will it be worth it

I think the position I'm in is I got a real good bike, I would rather keep it than go out and get someone else's problem, but I don't want to over kill my budget. I'm more than willing to get the bike fixed.
I like the V twin setup personally, and it being a Honda makes it even better, I would rather stay away from the European bikes just cause of the maintenance etc.

I made much the same decision some years ago...I like the bike, spending on it is non recoverable, but I'm ok with that.

Please do ask your guy again on the estimate costs and a detailed list of what that includes.

Running some rough numbers on parts and labor.....$7-8K is way out there unless a truly custom motor is being built, and $700-800 is way under what even a decently refurbished motor would cost to R&R, plus rebuild.

My suggestion don't spend a penny on that motor unless your going to do it right...
R&R plus some new rings and valve seals will get it going again, but what a waste of time and money for a motor that is still old, many worn parts and will not give along service life of a a truly rebuilt motor.

Stage 1, 2, ect and "rebuilt" are terms I despise as they mean nothing, there is no standard to measure against and unscrupulous manufactures, sellers, mechanics ect use them to hide behind.

Okay, if I may ask a really stupid question:
What is your idea of "doing it right?"
My plan was too do a stock rebuild using mostly Honda parts, but throw in the JE pistons, and getting the cams regrinded. Anything else that you would do or would consider doing? Am I missing anything at all?

All bearings, all seals, all O rings replaced, every gear, lever, rod, link inspected for wear, cylinders bored, plated, honed, heads get serviced, new springs, valves, cotters, pistons, pins, clips and rings replaced, cams and cam chains replaced, crank and rods inspected, serviced as needed, rotating assembly balanced.

This might sound stupid but do you know of anyone who makes a complete bearing set? I know you can get complete gasket sets, and a complete clutch disks.
When you talk about getting the heads serviced what exactly does that entail?

I know of no bearing set.
The only gasket kit I would trust is the OEM one,. and it is not every thing needed. Let me see if I have the packing list for the one I bought
The heads, |I consider a rebuild to be.
New valves, seats recut if serviceable or replaced. valve guides measured and well under max size spec or replaced NOT knurled and resized...thats old school band aid stuff, new springs OEM if stock cams, or matched to new cams. New valve stem seals, new cotters. Heads checked for flatness, nicks, ect and if warranted a skim cut to resurface...it needs to be the smallest cut possible, flat is the key concern, not every scratch or nick need be removed. Id replace the exhaust header studs with new

Wanted to give an update, since it has been awhile
1st. I got new gear, and holy shit, what a difference with shifting
2nd. I bought the upgraded shift kit from FactoryPro and holy shit, the bike shifts better.
3rd. I had a mechanic do a full service to the Beast, valves, everything were checked, and holy shit the bike is more lively than ever before.
so if EVER someone runs into a shifting issues start with the shift gear first then go to other places
Thanks for everybody's help, my plan now is too buy a second motor and do a little build on it