mikechev
Member
Hello again Mike,
Great to catch up again.Where have you been hiding.....hopefully roaring around on the TSS.
Prior to my purchase, new stainless valves and hardened seats were fitted in the US, so as to run the bike on unleaded petrol. Unsure whether the original rings were replaced, however the cylinders were freshly honed and I can only assume this was done because new rings were fitted. When I received the bike, with its major oil leak from the bent exhaust push rod tube, I stripped the engine and discovered this recent work. The more I think about it, and judging by the newness of the head work and cylinder hone, I would suggest it did a couple of runs around the block, before I purchased it......sucker.
Are you experiencing any oil consumption issues, oil at the breather in the right air filter box, increasing oil leaks and the real give away, engine oil migrating to the gearbox via the gearshift cross over shaft. Removing the inspection cap adjacent the clutch cable and having a look in with a torch will reveal this. If its black and horrible in there, then crankcase pressurization is a problem. Not a real smart idea with the cross over shaft not having any sealing arrangement on it.
Another problem I discovered, is movement of the tappet block in the aluminium barrels. The locating bolt does not bottom out on the tappet block and my exhaust tappet block was quite a loose fit in the barrels. This was creating an increasing oil leak as the tappet block was moving and pumping oil out. The fix was to fit the tappet blocks in with Loctite 660 quick metal which is used on worn shafts etc. I also hand fitted new locating bolts so that they bottom out on the tappet block recess to mechanically secure them. The quality of the aluminium castings of the heads and barrels is not great. You will notice porosity in these castings, which makes them soft. The crankcases etc are a different story....much better quality.
When this wet weather dries up, hopefully the TSS will be in action and I'll be able to ride with soul again. The Tiger doesn't quite have that quality. It does everything else real well though.
To sum up, I would say that my bike did not have the original rings in it when I purchased it.
Enjoy riding your TSS
SD....the sun will come
Hi SD,
I have been on the bike a bit but not as much as would have liked, just about covered a 1000miles since she went on the road. I've not noticed any significant oil consumption and although my front push rod tube leaks (more of a weep really) i check the level before every ride and have not needed to top up the oil. In saying that, i'm not riding her hard and the first highway run was 2 weeks ago, i'm being respectful of her age and the general unknown durability of the TSS engine. If I had done as you have and carried out a complete overhaul, i would be a little more confident in what was going on inside and less worried about a major failure. The many oil changes in my 1000mile (now 4) have not produced any worrying debris (apart from the 1st one) so that gives me some peace of mind. Then of course i read your post and find that even after a meticulous engine rebuild, sh*t still happens
I've just about sorted the carb problem (took your lead re the cold start gaskets), which made an instant noticeable difference. I also changed the o-rings as one was perished and hard. Still got a very slight hunt/surge but that might tune out or it may be the diaphragm?
Some pics of my excellent work...
That highway run was to the Malany Swap, wet and muddy but i did pick up a couple of spare flashers for $10, there of BMW's if you did not already know. The TSS did get a bit of attention while parked and i had 20min Q&A section with a few of it's admirers. Nice!
Cheers
Mike
