A Interesting Night (or A Close Call)

[CrazyMedic]

While heading back home tonight I had a very close call. When coming around a small turn the oil light all the sudden came on with the bright red annoying glare. So I thought what the hell, but it flickered on and off repeatedly. I decided to pull over to see what was going on. I made a slow right turn and felt the rear slip a little, and then a left turn and felt the same thing. So at this point I am like WTF?!? As I pull into a parking lot I can smell oil, and I am thinking what did I blow; I never heard anything pop or something. I kill the motor, put the kickstand down and hop off the bike. Then I look down and see a huge puddle of oil just streaming out of the bike. WTF I start to look and low and behold I lost the drain plug some where on the freeway. The rear tire, brakes and suspension are coated in oil. Lucky I wasnt in the middle of a tight turn when this happened. We loaded the bike into my friend's truck and got it home. Guess I will be installing my 98+ oil pan earlier than I wanted. Oh well, I got home safe and so did the bike.
Nik

[WildKat]

Close call and yes had you been doing any type of higher speed or tighter turn the results could have been disastrous. Glad you're ok !!

Did you recently change the oil or have it changed by a dealer that maybe the drain plug wasnt put on tight enough?

[The CyberPoet]

I had this happen a number of years back -- right as I started braking for a red light, coming up on the rear of a cop stopped in front of me. Bought me a new torque wrench the next day; now I use a fumoto valve and don't ever have to deal with the issue again

Glad you came out OK. Good time to install the oil temp sender too, if you were thinking about adding one of my oil temp gauges...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[Guest]

Good way to keep oil plugs from backing out is to drill hole in it and wire it... drill 2 holes at an angle from top to side. Don't try going all the way through... I did and didn't make it (think the magnet got in the way.)

Surprised noone has suggested this... supposedly done on bikes for racetracks.

[The CyberPoet]

Good way to keep oil plugs from backing out is to drill hole in it and wire it...

PartsUnlimited's racing division makes pre-drilled oil drain pulgs, but they don't have a magnet integrated. They run around $16. You'd also have to drill the oil pan raised-ridge that sits next to the oil drain (at least on the 98+) to have a place to wire it to. Personally, I think the fumoto valve is a better solution ( www.fumotovalve.com )


Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[The CyberPoet]

the fumoto valve seems like a great idea, but it doesnt seem to lock very secure. i would be worried something like that could come loose easier and cause more problems than its worth really.

I've had one on my Kat for the past 4k miles, and on various cars for a combined total of about 60k miles -- without any ever malfunctioning or coming open unexpectedly. The indent at the closed position and the spring to hold it there are sufficient to keep it from opening from anything shy of intentional opening.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[CrazyMedic]

Close call and yes had you been doing any type of higher speed or tighter turn the results could have been disastrous. Glad you're ok !!

Did you recently change the oil or have it changed by a dealer that maybe the drain plug wasnt put on tight enough?

No I havent had the oil changed since I got the bike. I went to the dealership and told them what happened and so they are going to hook me up and adjust the valves, replace spark plugs, replace the magneto gasket (it had a small leak), swap oil pans, and swap exhausts (04 750 full exhaust), and of course put oil back in. I guess now I dont have to worry about oiling the chain . Quoted me $250 to do all this. And no I cant DIY, live in an apartment complex, they would get very mad. They evicted a guy for swapping his water pump. Its part of the rental agreement.
Nik

[Mojoe]

the fumoto valve seems like a great idea, but it doesnt seem to lock very secure. i would be worried something like that could come loose easier and cause more problems than its worth really. or give someone who happens across your bike an easy way to mess your bike up. i think drilling the holes seems like a much more secure way to do it if you can drill the plug right. i might try it my next oil change.

either way it might be time for a (new) torque wrench

i am sure they manufacture them with that in mind, and build them to standards. they would not stay in business long if they were dangerous for that. as far as someone messing with it cuz it is "easy to do", they would pretty much have to be crawling past my bike on their belly....and happen to stretch their neck up under my fairing to see i have one. for someone to mess with it, they would have to know you have one. so the only way i see any danger of that happening is if someone you personally know is out to getcha.
i am going to get one of those soon. just avoiding dropping the plug into a pan of hot oil each time will make it worth it. screwing with the plug is the messiest part of an oil change.

[lopeha]

250 is not that bad for all that work. Sounds to me like you've found a dealer that knows the value of developing customers. So glad you didn't find out what sliding is like. Only sliding I ever did was on snow/ice. Launching is a subject that we'll discuss later.

[The CyberPoet]

You guys got any idea of a part number for the fumoto valve? They don't have a section for motorcycles and I have no idea of the thread pitch or diameter required for an 02 kat 600. Oh yeah is there an online bike shop that sells them cheaper?

My '01 Kat 600 took a M14-1.25 (F111) valve. They had originally sent an F106 (M14-1.5) but it wasn't the right thread pitch, and I sent them back the F106 and a spare drain plug from an oil pan I had here to do the oil temp sender experiments (the one I drilled in like 8 places to figure out the best placement for the senders); they sent back the F111 instead. It fit perfectly. Now I've heard others tell me that the drain is M14-1.5, but maybe that's the pre-98 drain, or they measured it wrong, or maybe mine has been retapped at some point, but I know I have the F111 in there now and it fit correctly. (Oh, and they didn't charge anything to swap out the valve for me; they even paid postage again for the new one).

I've never seen any place to carry them cheaper than the site I listed; my pricing as a dealer (after postage) is high enough that I can't even compete for them.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[The CyberPoet]

You could always just wheel it into the apartment and do it all in the comfort of your air conditioned home... well, depending on where the door is (works if you live on the 1st floor a lot easier than if you live on the 3rd floor) :P


=-= The CyberPoet

[CrazyMedic]

You could always just wheel it into the apartment and do it all in the comfort of your air conditioned home... well, depending on where the door is (works if you live on the 1st floor a lot easier than if you live on the 3rd floor) :P


=-= The CyberPoet

Could, but what do you recommend to remove oil from the carpet?!?
Nik

[The CyberPoet]

Could, but what do you recommend to remove oil from the carpet?!?
Nik

pressure cleaner & industrial wet vac

iwannadie is right -- either construction tarp material (4 mil plastic; 100' x 12' roll costs like $9), or a piece of indoor-outdoor closed-loop commerical grade carpet with sealed backing ($15 in the size you want).
JC Whitney carries a real nice protective area work matt (48" x 72" for the Kat), $25.99, item #ZX14082T.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[MedicFFKat]

Do what I do, take it to the firehouse to work on it. Oh wait, not everyone works at one.