SV superbike leaking/using coolant

[Morgan Jones]

The previous owner did the work and used a cometric (sp?) gasket. He 
seemed like a very competent mechanic. I don't know for sure of course.

I see what you're saying about a worked vs. stock motor.

So this might just be something I do every two years on this motor? 
Anything I can do in the gasket replacement to minimize the chances of 
this happening again?

-morgan



Ernest Montague wrote:
> You're running higher compression, right? 2 years and 20 track days 
> might be nothing on a stock motor. On a built motor, it might be too 
> much. Did you reuse the gasket?DId it have mileage on it before you 
> bought it?
>
> Remember the stock gasket was designed for the stock motor and HP
>
>
>
> On Sep 21, 2008, at 8:32 AM, Morgan Jones wrote:
>
>>
>> Interesting.. Any thoughts on why this might have happened? Is it 
>> normal for a head gasket to blow again 2 years and 20 track days 
>> after it was been replaced? Is it possible the gasket was not 
>> replaced properly? Are worked motors more susceptible to this?
>>
>> One thought is that I added a fan sometime last year and before that 
>> was very careful to not let the motor go above 200, now it once and a 
>> while gets to 220 where the fan kicks in.. ie I'm less careful since 
>> the fan is there.
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> -morgan
>>
>>
>>
>> Ernest Montague wrote:
>>> Looks like a head gasket leak trickling down the cylinder. I just 
>>> fixed one that looked like that. From the corrosion looks like it 
>>> has been going on for awhile.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sep 21, 2008, at 8:18 AM, Morgan Jones wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Hello everyone,
>>>>
>>>> My '99 SV track bike has developed what I think is a coolant leak.. 
>>>> It was down probably a cup of coolant after my last track day. I 
>>>> filled it and took it to the track again yesterday. After a full 
>>>> day of riding it is down about 6 inches. It still cools fine but of 
>>>> course that's sort of a lot of coolant for a track day..
>>>>
>>>> Well in the middle of the day I pulled off the bodywork and this is 
>>>> what I found:
>>>>
>>>> http://www.philadelphiariders.com/gallery/Pocono_080920/MG_2975
>>>> http://www.philadelphiariders.com/gallery/Pocono_080920/MG_2981
>>>> http://www.philadelphiariders.com/gallery/Pocono_080920/MG_2982
>>>>
>>>> It's definitely coolant--it's just a touch damp and smells like 
>>>> water wetter. There is evidence that there was fluid in the belly 
>>>> pan but very little (like 1/2 cup). The pan is totally dry.
>>>>
>>>> I cleaned it up and ran the bike until the fan kicked on and 
>>>> couldn't see evidence of leaking. I took the bike back on the track 
>>>> and it used more coolant.
>>>>
>>>> A little background: I bought the bike with a popped freeze plug 
>>>> which lead to a blown head gasket. That was 2 years and 12-20 track 
>>>> days ago.
>>>>
>>>> This is a worked bike: 680cc, carillo rods, valve work, race cams, 
>>>> flat slides. The work was all done many owners ago and as far as I 
>>>> can tell it was done well.. it has run like a Swiss watch in the 3 
>>>> years and probably 25 track days I've owned it. It's 90hp at the 
>>>> wheel depending on whose dyno you ask. It is clearly faster than 
>>>> other SVs on the track.
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas? I want desperately for someone to tell me that's 
>>>> dripping from somewhere and I just need to look harder.. That's not 
>>>> what it looks like to me. Could this be a leak from the water 
>>>> jacket at the base gasket? Does that ever happen?
>>>>
>>>> thanks.
>>>>
>>>> -morgan
>>>>
>>>
>>
>