Any ideas what happened?

[banshee1856]

I have a '98 banshee that I have never had any trouble with until recently. I was riding in some dunes near where I live and a few of us were all drag racing our bikes. After the day was almost over we did a few more drag runs and on one run I felt as if my bike was a weaker than previously so I decided I would do one more run and call it a day. Bad idea. On that last run up the hill about half way up the bike lost almost all of its power and only made it up the hill from momentum. I rode the cluth down the hill and shut the bike off then when I went to kickstart it to take it to the trailer it was locked up. The kickstarter would not move. We towed it back and got it home where I got the kickstarter to move but only in increments at a time and never one smooth motion. I'm not much on mechanical type stuff but I know a little bit and I simply have no idea what happened. If this sounds familiar or somebody has an idea of what the problem is please post a reply it will be much appreciated.

[Bill]

Pull the cylinders off and look at the condition of the pistons and cylinder walls.

If they look fine then grab the crank rods and turn them over, the crank should spin freely.

Good luck.

[Erwin8r]

I have a '98 banshee that I have never had any trouble with until recently. I was riding in some dunes near where I live and a few of us were all drag racing our bikes. After the day was almost over we did a few more drag runs and on one run I felt as if my bike was a weaker than previously so I decided I would do one more run and call it a day. Bad idea. On that last run up the hill about half way up the bike lost almost all of its power and only made it up the hill from momentum. I rode the cluth down the hill and shut the bike off then when I went to kickstart it to take it to the trailer it was locked up. The kickstarter would not move. We towed it back and got it home where I got the kickstarter to move but only in increments at a time and never one smooth motion. I'm not much on mechanical type stuff but I know a little bit and I simply have no idea what happened. If this sounds familiar or somebody has an idea of what the problem is please post a reply it will be much appreciated.

 

 

Classic 2-stroke "seize," either from a lean condition or too much heat. In any event, as the post stated above, you'll have to pull the head to see the extent of the damage. Could be that a simple re-ring and re-bore willget you going again, but more than likely, you'll need new pistons. And like was stated, you'll want to check for any excessive play in your crank (or any "rough spots), indicating bad bearings...

[banshee1856]

Thanks for the info guys I really do appreciate your input. So like I said before I'm not much of a mechanic so any idea how much it would cost to get fixed if I do end up needing the pistons and all that? I'm sure I'll get screwed but I don't really have the time right now nevermind the know how.