On the way back home I was just enjoying the ride, cruising along at about 45. The engine made a little hiccup but I thought my hand had just slipped on the throttle. It happened again and I thought, gee I wonder if that's a soft seize? About that moment a crazy screech happens, which I realize is the rear wheel fully locked up. A couple more milliseconds and the I pull the clutch and coast to the side of the road.
So what happened? I know the engine is seized, the bike will not kick over. I think the question is whether its the crank or the piston. This is a 2008 Stella that V oodoo rolled over to 2000 miles while he was riding it and I was riding his scoot. SR Race exhaust, P200 air cleaner and Bald John jetting (55-160 idle, 160 air corrector and a 100 main jet).
Earlier in this morning I had switched the mixer tube from an E3 to a BE3. The plug had been black and sooty and I'd decided the BE3 might provide just enough leaning out to get where I needed. The attached plug photo is the plug that I pulled once my heart-rate had returned to normal; about 10 minutes later.
Tomorrow I'll pull the head and try to pull the jug. That should at least tell me whether the seize was the crank or the piston. Looking at some spark plug photos, it seems like the plug is lean, which could mean less overall work if I can get the top end off.
Are there any tricks to getting a seized cylinder off the piston?
Hal
