KIPS rod broken

[noels69]

Hi,

Looking for a little advise. My son's 2000 220 was fully rebuilt late last summer. When the shop pulled it apart, the KIPS rod was broken, valve stuck with carbon buildup. They replaced the rod with an OEM part. It has about 3 hours on it now. I took it for a ride and noticed the KIPS didn't seem to be opening. Took it back, they looked into it and found out the OEM rod was broken again. They indexed it, welded it and put the bike back together. Said it works fine now and the bike has way more power. They are not sure why the new rod broke following the rebuild. I am picking the bike up in the morning and thought I would see what you guys think might be the cause. Thanks for the input!

Noel

 

[julien_d]

Could be excessive wear in one of the journals, a bad bushing, collar, or bearing, etc. Maybe just bad luck and flaw in the steel (twice). Hard to say. If it were me, I'd have it all apart, laid out on the bench, and inspecting the bits for wear or problems. At this point nobody but your mechanic will ever know. That's the bitch about having someone else work on your bike.

 

[noels69]

Thanks for the reply! We had a good couple of hours out yesterday, no issues. Hopefully that's the end of the story. If not, we'll have to dig deeper. Appreciate the input.

Noel

 

[Canadian Dave]

Sadly this isn't an uncommon problem. The rod needs to be supported when the nut on top the shaft is tightened or you run the risk of snapping the shaft where it meets the KIPS actuator. To make matters worse the nut uses a reverse thread so more times than not the an unknowing, but well meaning, mechanic who is unfamiliar with the bike will damage the shaft while attempting to remove the nut. Assuming that the KIPS valves are in good condition and not carbon seized my money is on the shaft being unsupported while the nut was installed/removed.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Whoever had Dave was eaten by wolves in the what happened to Dave pool, you lose. Apparently he is still alive. :whoa:

 

[julien_d]

oh right, we're talking about the ROD and not the sub valve. DOH.

 

[noels69]

Dave,

Thanks for the reply! Given your experience with the bikes, I'd gamble you're right. I did mention the reverse thread to the mechanic before the job was done. He knew about that but who knows on supporting the rod. Two good rides on the bike now and it's running fine. Finger's crossed. Thanks again for the reply.

Noel