120'' Nightmare
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4th Gear
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 8
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From: fond du Lac Wisconsin
120'' Nightmare
Two years ago I buy a bike for me and my NOW wife to ride. She now rides her own little 83' Honda CM250. So I bought a DynaGlide T-sport, loved the aspects of the bike. Its like a smooth sportster, with adjustable suspension and what have ya. It also happen to come with a HOT-rodded engine. So we put five thosand miles on it, till the wristpin clip came loose and found its way into my oil pump. It had a 120'' S&S stroker in it with Axtell jugs and a few other goodies. So I'm a Honda chopper guy on the side, and have done top end work, so I pull it apart and low and behold, pieces of the piston in the crankcase. Knew I'd have to find a guy. So the short of it is, I basically pay this guy build me the same thing, supposedly he's real good at Big inch motors, told me it'd last 80,000 miles, Well I got 858 babyed miles onit when the front headgasket blew. So I rip it down and fix it, about a 100 dollar fix with the Gaskets Axtell recommends. Get the bike together, and now realize the Rear Cylinder is about to blow, so I take the Rocker boxs off, and find the same deal as the front cylinder. Except the Gasket hadn't blown yet. funny thing is, on both jugs the two inner head bolts(nuts) were loose, like finger tight? Is it possible the engine builder got distracted and never torqued em down? or is this a case of (not strong enough or stretched cylinder studs? any ideas or comments? I do like this bike, but am not sure what to do with it. Its been let down after let down. There have been other dealings too. which i wont bore you with. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Pizzaboy
Pizzaboy
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4th Gear
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: fond du Lac Wisconsin
when I broke down I called him, and he told me, No warrentys on performace engines. So I will not go back there. I was dissapointed with him last year, cause it took him 3 months, I think this guy is shady. I should of done it myself the firsttime. Gotta learn bottomends some day I guess, but hopefully that holds for a while!
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,260
Likes: 5
From: Batesville Ga
Sounds like your builder is less than upstanding, which sucks. Sorry about that. At the same time, doing big inch mods to these (or any) engines is pushing the envelope. You're not going to get the reliability of a stocker when you go 120".
Everything in life is a trade-off. Trick is figuring out what matters most to you and living with the consequences.
Everything in life is a trade-off. Trick is figuring out what matters most to you and living with the consequences.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,450
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From: El Cajon Ca.
It either wasn't torqued right or you pulled the studs from the cases. Im thinking it probably wasn't torqued right for it to be both front and rear cylinders.
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2007
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From: Seattle, WA
Well ... Donny Peterson (writer of a tech column in American Iron mag, and shop owner up North in Canada somewhere) has written extensively on the issues with the SE 110, and one of the fixes he mentions is S&S studs for the cylinders ... indicates they are superior quality to the MoCo ....
Don't know what your builder used, but you might look at the S&S and compare the quality ... last thing you want is to assume it was lack of proper torque ... then redo it and have the same issue come up ....
R/
'Chop
Don't know what your builder used, but you might look at the S&S and compare the quality ... last thing you want is to assume it was lack of proper torque ... then redo it and have the same issue come up ....
R/
'Chop
