Re: Still more on Beta bikes

[Robert Silas <robert.silas@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gary,
Again, thanks for the detailed answer.

Gary wonders:  Why run the engine when the bike is horizontal - there must
be a lot more to this explanation, right John???

Well, here is my explanation:
In the center of a turn, on top of a hump, I did not notice the gravel spread over the asphalt. My rear wheel started spinning out and I hit the ground at about 50-55 mph.  

It was a lowsider (my fault of course, I was too rough with the throttle) and while I was lying on the road with a broken ankle the bike was on it's right hand side, box broken off and left behind but the engine was running.   Cars just passed me and until my friend noticed that I am not behind him and turned back to rescue me the RS' engine was running on it's right hand side.  

Now, I would think, that in this position of the engine, the cylinder which was pointing to the sky wouldn't get oil.  Wrong.  The right hand side cylinder, which was towards the ground did not get oil.  My friend did not notice anything else but that the engine did not keep low idling speed while he drove the bike home a day later.

What really hapened to the engine was discovered about 6 months later when work on the bike started and my ankle fairly healed.  The rockers were burned onto the shaft and the valves did not move.  After trying to hammer out the shaft from the rocker by zip-gun, and this did not work either, the only way I could remove the assembly was to cut the shaft with a cutting wheel on a 4" angle grinder.  I still have the pieces.

Replacement:
two exhoust valves 
rocker arm shaft
two lifters.................. and it's running perfect ever since.

Gary, this reminds me that I could measure those two burnt valves and see if they are larger than the valves of newer bikes. (I have to find them too).
Bob Silas

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