[ace.cafe]

About 30 000km. I just did a quick calculation and probably have to spend 2000 Dollars in parts only. I will fix it, but to remain mobile and to get a little run about while I fix the real bike I think that I will visit the Harley dealership tomorrow.

Yes, I think that's a good idea. It takes some time to get parts and rebuild a bottom end.
It's a shame that it happened, but at 30,000 it may have been getting a bit tired already, and the extra power could have tipped it over the edge.

At least you can get the other bike to keep you going while the Bullet is under repair.

Please let me know if there is something that I can help you with.

Tom

[Roeland]

Yes, I think that's a good idea. It takes some time to get parts and rebuild a bottom end.
It's a shame that it happened, but at 30,000km it may have been getting a bit tired already, and the extra power could have tipped it over the edge.

At least you can get the other bike to keep you going while the Bullet is under repair.

Please let me know if there is something that I can help you with.

Tom

Thank you Tom, I will send some pictures tomorrow as I'm now busy convincing my wife about tomorrows purchase and that I did not do this intentionally.

[ace.cafe]

Good luck!
I think your wife will understand.
 

[mattsz]

Sorry to hear this!  But...

...I'm now busy convincing my wife about tomorrows purchase and that I did not do this intentionally.

 

[1 Thump]

About 30 000km. I just did a quick calculation and probably have to spend 2000 Dollars in parts only. I will fix it, but to remain mobile and to get a little run about while I fix the real bike I think that I will visit the Harley dealership tomorrow.

That's tragic.

Could your primary issue have contributed to the bottom end bust ?

Also, 2000 is a bit extreme. You sure about that ?

[ace.cafe]

That's tragic.

Could your primary issue have contributed to the bottom end bust ?

Also, 2000 is a bit extreme. You sure about that ?

It is doubtful that anything in the primary would bust up the bottom end and piston.
Basically, there was a mix of products such as the heavy Wossner 535 piston, the new Hitchcock UCE cams, and our ported OEM UCE head, and an early PCV with altered/AutoTuned maps, and a free flow kit.
All on a middle-aged bottom end, and tuning in progress, seeing some higher end of the rpm scale.
No word on what the actual compression pressure was with this arrangement, but I know it was high because of the flattop 535 piston, and I don't have any real specs on the Hitchcock cams except for the most basic open/close figures.
So, the speculation is wide open for what may have happened.

If I was to take a gut-feeling guess, I would say that the Wossner piston was too heavy for the higher rpms, and the compression with that 535 displacement flat-top piston and the Hitchcock cam timing, was probably too high for the fuel, and that the combo of heavy piston and high compression(possibly with some detonation occurring during the process), on a middle-aged engine a few years old, was probably the recipe that did it in. That's just an educated guess, based on what I know about the piston, and how Hitchcock cam designs have been early IVC and high cylinder pressure types in the past.

[Arizoni]

Tom, on the maiden voyage I took it only to 130 kmph, there was plenty of power left but I was still adjusting the Power Commander settings with the Autotune. In the first four gears I did take it to the max and would have guessed to hit 130 in fourth.....it was incredible - nothing on the freeway could accelerate any faster than what I was doing ...

Others will disagree with me but IMO the rebuilt engine is about the same thing as a brand new engine.
It needs to be broken in easily, just like a new engine so the parts can wear in to one another.

Yes, I know.  After building up a high performance engine it's damn hard not to push it to see what it can do but doing that can cause all sorts of damage.

IMO, anyone who rebuilds an engine should take it very gentle for at least the first 100 miles (160 km), stopping often to let it cool down.
Keeping it gentle for the first 200 miles (320 km) is even better.

Yes, I'm aware that the builders of "racing motorcycles" don't go thru this sort of "break in" but I also know they usually end up rebuilding their engines after each race.

[ace.cafe]

I realize that he said "maiden voyage", but that meant maiden voyage with this particular combo with the new Ace ported head and Hitchcock cams.

The 535 Wossner piston had been in for a while before the head and cams were put in. So the bore was run-in already.
I agree with the running-in, but I think it had already been done with moderate riding for more than a couple hundred miles  before this. At least, I have that impression from some of his emails to me.

[mattsz]

This is a UCE, so no big end repair is available, yes?  A whole new crank is needed?

[ace.cafe]

This is a UCE, so no big end repair is available, yes?  A whole new crank is needed?

Pretty sure that there is a big end kit available from Hitchcock. As long as the flywheels and main shafts are okay, it should be rebuildable. Even if H doesn't have anything, we can fabricate anything that might be needed, if that should become required. We make crankpins and big end bearings and con-rods for the other bikes already. We can do it for the UCE if we have to.

[Ducati Scotty]

That'd be my pick.  If it comes from Ace and Chuma, you know it's good for whatever you're going to throw at it.

Scott

[Roeland]

Hi, I started dismantling the engine today. A hell of a lot of metal in the oil and sticking to the alternator. Cams, alternator all ok. Piston seized - see attached pictures. The side walls of the piston are striated, on the top the inlet valve hit the piston (perhaps only after the big end gave in - but to be safe I probably will install the standard bottom end gasket. The bottom of the piston has a golden colour - I presume this is from overheating? Tomorrow I will remove the primary chain and block.
Yes there're European made bearings available from Hitchcocks but on a previous engine rebuild (not mine) we used locally available Japanese bearings.

PS - In the interim I bought a brand new HD 48 - I hopefully will take delivery tomorrow.
Regards
Roeland

[Roeland]

2nd picture

[Roeland]

3rd picture

[ace.cafe]

What piston is that?