Russ-Turner
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 06:36 PM |
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Mileage
Evenin' all, just a quick one. I've been offered a '97 Fireblade which i would put in a Terrapin to Hillclimb if i bought it. Only
problem is it has done over 140,000 miles. Somewhat alot even for a pretty bulletproof Honda. What would you guys consider excessive mileage?
Thanks...Russ.
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subk2002
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 06:46 PM |
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140.000 
I would think 50.000 is excessive.
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 07:00 PM |
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Ditto, rather excessive I would say!! You seldom see an engine advertised over 20-30k let alone 140k 
Personally I'd say anything still in its teens or newer would generally be fine, anything 20-30k is probably OK but over that its a bit of a
lottery, they are only bulletproof if serviced properly and although this engine has obviously had some TLC to even get this far in life, doing that
amount of mileage on a bike and making sure its serviced every 6k is going to be pricey so it may well have missed a few along the line.
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tony9876
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 07:25 PM |
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I would like to see the bike it was pulled from
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andrew.carwithen
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 07:52 PM |
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Russ,
What sort of budget do you have for an engine?
Its just that I've just bought a blade engine from AB Performance for £800.
For which you get an engine that has been fully stripped, inspected and rebuilt with new mains and bigends as a matter of course, an extra heavy duty
barnett clutch, a baffled sump and new samco hoses. you'll also get a loom, CDI, carbs, reg/rectifier etc.
All replacement parts are genuine Honda.
The guy (Andy Bates) certainly knows his stuff and is a mine of information on all things to with blade engines and racing. He was a 3 times british
sidecar champion.
Cheers,
Andy.
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 08:04 PM |
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That sounds like a bargain, are you sure all his engines get that treatment before being sold (at a good price)?
I would imagine maybe they are a couple that have already been rebuilt and now they are shifting them on, I cant imagine they could do that for every
engine they sell at £800.
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Simon
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 08:23 PM |
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Nonsense, bike engines are pretty tough.
A friend had a GSXR100H that he bought new and put on nearly 150 000 in three years.
It would still p over everything at the time.
So long as it's been serviced (properly and at the right time) it should be fine.
Get it running before parting with the readies, that should give you an idea on condition. Check for smoke, rattles, rumblings (bearings),
responsiveness and constant operating temp. If no smoke/rattles/rumbles, it blips nicely and runs at a constant temp, I reckon it'll be ok.
It's good bargaining point.
"With that mileage - I'll give you fifty quid."
You can buy a nearly mint ZZR1100 for a grand, so an engine with 140k can't be that much
Anyway, it's your money!
ATB
Simon
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andrew.carwithen
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 09:26 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ChrisGamlin
That sounds like a bargain, are you sure all his engines get that treatment before being sold (at a good price)?
I would imagine maybe they are a couple that have already been rebuilt and now they are shifting them on, I cant imagine they could do that for every
engine they sell at £800.
Well he says every engine that goes through his business receives the same treatment. He also gives you a spec sheet and floppy disc with all
the size shells/ valve shims etc. he has used and stamps the engine with his own unique no. (the original engine no. is still intact) so that when you
contact him in the future he can look up the spec on his archive files!
In addition to new shells, he also thoroughly checks the gearbox components for wear in the forks, dogs etc. and then re-shims everything to make sure
it is perfectly aligned!
He doesn't include a rebore or new cam in that price (although they get checked) but he says the blade bores are that tough anyway, that they
rarely wear!
£800 is the price for a standard pre-95 SVA friendly 893, or later 919 BEC kit.
After that prices start rising dependant on what spec. you want right upto £6000 for a full works race engine!
His knowledge on all things BEC is quite staggering and he is a very approachable guy only too willing to impart any information/advice you may
need.
He's in Bury St Edmunds,
and his tel no. is 01284 703101
He's definitely worth a call!
Regards,
Andy.
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 09:34 PM |
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I agree that for £50-100 or so its probably worth a punt if you don't mind taking a bit of a risk, but if they are asking much more than that
and you're banking on it being a good runner Id say to save your few hundred quid and put it towards a low mileage engine. Bike engines take a
fair battering in a car anyway so the last thing you want to do is start off with one thats nearing the end of its useful life.
cheers
Chris
[Edited on 4/4/05 by ChrisGamlin]
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 10:10 PM |
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Andrew, that does sound like a rediculously good deal then, if I still had a blade I'd be knocking on his door. I just cant see how he makes a
profit on them though, a gasket set for a blade is £2-300 for geniune Honda parts, a Barnett clutch (if its a full clutch) is ~£200, plus
shells/bearings, Samco hoses etc and his labour time to do it all, plus obviously the engine itself which usually go for that amount to start with!
cheers
Chris
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OX
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| posted on 4/4/05 at 11:53 PM |
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the good thing about the blade is that they only have a major service every 16000 miles,and evan then the shims hardly ever need replacing,but with
140,000 miles it might be ok for spares
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