[UPfreebird]

I have a 2006 C50T that I bought off the showroom floor.
I ran it dry on oil this past summer on a 12-day motorcycle trip.
I pulled the motor the other day.
I have never rebuilt a motor, so I am looking for a replacement motor.

Question is,.. will a motor from a 09' S50 mate up perfectly with my current 06' C50T?
I found one with 12,000 miles for $600 with rear end damage.
Anyone, anyone? Bueller?

Follow up question?,... Can I just purchase a brand spanking new motor?
I can't seem to Google that answer.

 

[UPfreebird]

If I do rebuild the motor,.. I assume that would mean:
Pistons, Rings, Cam Chains, Cam Tensioners,... and possibly Rod Bearings.
Am I missing anything?

 

[Skrapiron]

The S50 and C50 share no interchangeable parts. You cannot make an S50 engine work on a C50 chassis.

The cost of a rebuild will exceed $2500 for parts alone and labor will just about double that.

Your least expensive option would be to buy a used motor from a junk yard bike and swap it into the frame. While the underlying engine has not changed since 2001, you cannot do a direct swap of 2001-2004 into your 2006 frame. Used engines will set you back $1500 or so, plus labor to install.

Your bike has a KBB value of just $2000 so you really need to ask if investing double what the bike is worth makes good financial sense.

 

[UPfreebird]

Ok they are not interchangeable. Thank you for the response.

FYI, I don't plan on paying anyone labor.
I will do the work myself.
Whether I decide to rebuild, or buy a used motor.

Used motors scare me and they should probably be rebuilt as well.

 

[Skrapiron]

Again, the bike is worth $2000 in running condition. The cost of parts only will exceed $2500 (I know, I planned to rebuild my '05 and priced it out). Unless you have extreme sentimental value for the bike, there are other options for your hard earned money.

 

[UPfreebird]

This is what I understand about the cost.
Please inform me if I am missing anything.

$160 - Cam Chain Front
$160 - Cam Chain Rear
$125 - Cam Tensioner Front
$125 - Cam Tensioner Rear
$200 - 2X Piston
$80 - 2X Piston Ring Set
$50 - 4X Crank Bearing (Color Code? Green/Brown/Yellow/Blue)
$100 - Gaskets
----------------
$1,000

Keep in mind that the motor was running when I removed it.
It's just very angry. More than valve tappets.
Dry on oil on day #3 of a 12 day trip.
The bike made it home, but drank a quart of oil each day.

 

[Skrapiron]

Yes, you have to factor in cylinder heads as there will be scoring due to lack of oil, plus budget for a crank shaft, wrist pins and connecting rods. Since you will have the heads off, it will be a good time to have the valves serviced. The cost of a rebuild from oil starvation snowballs rapidly.

 

[UPfreebird]

Why would I require a Crank Shaft? ($1,000)
Why would I require a Connecting Rod? ($300/Pair)

Cylinder heads can be honed rather easily.
$40 - Piston Pin.
$10 - Circlips.

 

[Skrapiron]

The cylinder heads are nikasil plated and if you remove the thin plating through the boring process you will be rubbing in raw metal. It will work, for a short while but you will eventually go right back to consuming oil. It is best to replace the worn heads.

Since you ran the sump dry, every mating surface needs to be pulled, inspected and damaged components replaced. The connecting rod is prone to stress cracks when subject to lack of lubrication. I also forgot you will need new rod bearings as well.

The crankshaft is a 50/50 shot whether you warped it or not, but you won't know until you get it torn apart.

If you JUST refresh the top end, the restored compression will cause the worn bottom end to fail catastrophically. More than one member here learned that the hard way.

 

[UPfreebird]

I see why you recommend a donor motor.
I have always been leery about a donor motor and feel all donor motors should be torn into to check for any problems prior to installing into the bike.

 

[UPfreebird]

I am already pretty far along.
It doesn't cost me anything to break the motor down to see what the issues are.

The way I see it, I have 2 options.
1. Rebuild/Replace the motor.
-or-
2. Upgrade and buy an Indian Motorcycle. Like a Challenger.

 

[Skrapiron]

That's why I walked away from mine when the engine let go. It doesn't make sense to dump more than the running value into an old bike, when there are so many better options available.

 

[Whiskey]

I'd go with option 2, but you do you, boo.

 

[UPfreebird]

It cost me nothing to take it apart and do a deep dive to see what the issues are.
It's just loud and angry. All the power is still there.

My hope is just Cam Chains/Tensioners and Piston Rings.

 

[Skrapiron]

You will be disappointed once you get inside the engine. Moreover, if you try to JUST do the piston rings and cam tensioner, you are setting yourself up for a catastrophic failure down the road - think connecting rod through the crankcase while you're riding and immediately locking your rear wheel.

What I listed is what the bill of materials came out to be when I ran my bike LOW on oil in 2012. You ran yours dry. The engine is toast.

 

[DCinCT]

can turn into a money pit that will leaving you scratching your head why you just didn't move on back when...yeah,,,could try , invest, and it turns out right, but I'd consider piecing the mc out and putting that money towards a new ride...too many low cost used mc's in primo condition out there...do some searching,,,you;ll see lots of situations where the mc was an impulse buy...never ridden and now needs to go or bought for the right reasons, but life events changed that don't allow one the opportunity or time to enjoy the mc...and again...buyer maybe needs the money or whatever...if you're willing to look and be patient, theres many out there. .good luck whatever you choose.

 

[UPfreebird]

You sure are encouraging.

May I remind you that it was dry on day #3 of a 12 day trip.
I didn't think to check the oil cuz it has never ran low on oil before, and I literally just did a complete full synthetic oil change before the 12 day trip started.
Bike still got me home and I put on 2,700 miles on it after it was dry with oil.
Bike went dry somewhere in South Dakota.
Still made it to Keystone, Sturgis, Deadwood, Devils Tower, then down to Mt. Evans in Colorado before making the long trek back to Michigan.

So I have a hard time believing that the engine is toast.
She is loud (Cam Chains I believe) and burns oil (Piston Rings I believe).

But like I said,.. it cost me zero dollars to open it up and snoop inside.

 

[UPfreebird]

I'd consider piecing the mc out and putting that money towards a new ride...

This is very likely to happen if my motor is indeed toast.

 

[UPfreebird]

I decided to buy a used C50 motor.
Purchased today.

 

[Skrapiron]

That is the best route and the one most often taken by people who want to keep their C50. May it bring you many more happy and trouble free miles.