Engines

[matt_rufus]

reading throught the forum a lot of people have changed there engines.


why the changes so much? what sort of millage?
does the storm have a unreliable or weak engine?

[bikermike1411]

If the cam chain tensioners aren't changed every 10k miles or so, they can fail, resulting in catastrophic and often terminally expensive top end failure. Unless you're really lucky, the cheapest way to repair the damage is often to replace the motor!

Note I said 'can' - they don't always do! Some folk reckon they've never changed them. They went on my last 'Storm at about 13k (my old man had to get the clutch in quick, thankfully the rear CC only jumped a tooth without bending any valves). My current storm had death rattle when i bought it ( I knew exactly what it was, the owner didn't know what a CCT was or if they'd been done, massive bargaining chip!) but I've fitted two CCTs from Dave Silver and it's sweet now.

[Squiffythewombat]

I have to agree with bikermike! I had my first CCT go at around 15k, but it does depend on how recent the engine is, because, as far as im aware they changed the CCT design slightly with the later ones. To be extra safe you best of fitting APE manual tensioners for about £50 and being done with it!

Also watch the mounting points if your doing lots of wheelies/jumps/tricks...

[sirch345]

reading throught the forum a lot of people have changed there engines.


why the changes so much? what sort of millage?
does the storm have a unreliable or weak engine?

Hi Matt,
I disagree, I don't think very many have needed an engine change through a fault from the manufacture. Admittedly as already said a CCT failure can result in an engine being uneconomical to repair, but in the majority of cases that doesn't happen.

Other case that have meant an engine change are through abuse or neglect, not a manufacture fault. I would say the Firestorm generally has a very good reliable engine.

Chris.

[Pete.L]

Chris Said

Other case that have meant an engine change are through abuse or neglect, not a manufacture fault. I would say the Firestorm generally has a very good reliable engine.

I wholeheartedly agree. Other than the cct's and voltage regulators there have been very few faults with the Storm at all. It's a totally dependable machine with the right maintenance.

Pete.l

[matt_rufus]

oh ok so it down to dodgy cct. how do u know when it goin? just so i know what to look for or listen to.

i think i put that across wrong i dont mean lots have engine been changed but the ones i have looked at mainly low end of the market on biketrader admitmittaly like 3 or 4 have had a engine change out of a handful.

[Pete.L]

Sometimes they can just go without a warning
Mostly you hear a flutery type rattle as you are slowing down which happens between 4 & 2K rpm. Sometimes it only happens when the engine is warm and other times it only happens when the engine is cold. Not very helpful, I know, but the main thing is it's only at the lower revs and it comes and goes. If you are unfortunate enough to have one which is doing it all the time it's time to switch off and change them.

Pete.l

[warby221]

Just done a rebuild on my old engine the problem was down to a ham fisted previous owner, managed to snap off a piece of the crankcase internally
probably why it ended up for sale changed the engine because it was the quickest and cheapest option at the time rebuilt the old motor because it only had 17000 miles on it
other than that never had a problem just upgraded parts as I’ve gone along changing things like the cct to manual ones and up rating the suspension reg/rec and so on
In fact it’s been very reliable so far touch wood

[Max]

Mine is just coming upto 25000, its had APE's for 20000 and an R1 Reg for about 2.5 years. has its oil changed twice a year and runs like a watch. Its used regularly which helps as well..

[Jockrock]

my storm has 42k on the clock and its still as sweet as a nut.

Regular oil changes are also sensible