CARNAGE!!!

If you are like me then you HATE when your bike blows up but the darker side of you really likes to see blown up stuff!  Well that is one of the greatest parts of my job.  I get to see exploded motor parts all the time.  I thought I would dedicate this blog post to some of the good ones we have had recently with a quick description of what happened!  Here we go!!!

We got to see this just this week.  It is from a 2006 KX450F

If yo look closely you can see that the upper right valve bucket it lower than the rest.  This doesn't mean good things!

We believe what happened is that the bike was run without coolant and that exhaust valve got really hot and seized in the guide causing the piston to hit it, break it and then jam it into the head.  Not a good day!

The piston didn't fair well either :(

This next one is from a KTM 2 stroke that had a billion hours on it. 

People are always amazed that something like this could happen but if you think about how many times a piston travels up and down in a cylinder its really more surprising that they last as long as they do.  5000 RPM equals about 600,000 trips up and down every hour.  You'd get tired too!

This next one is near and dear to my heart.  This is a 2013 YZ250 that I inherited for doing some work for a friend.  It had been ridden REALLY fast by a LARGE man for too long and BAM!!! 

2 strokes are great and we LOVE them at Highland Cycles but they need maintenance too.  Especially a top end every once in a while and they don't love being over revved for too long.  This broken piston skirt caused all kinds of damage but I was able to put humpty dumpty back together again.

And here she is!  I am happy to say that Jolene is happy and healthy now after a lot of work and some new parts!

Here is one from a Husqvarna 300.  This wasn't caused by lack of maintenance but by running a little short of talent in the wrong place!

At the top of a notorious section of trail near Peach Valley a friend of ours made a little mistake and this was the result.  Fortunately it was a 2 stroke and the oil that dumped out was just tranny oil and he was able to putt back to the truck without any major motor damage!

There are MANY more examples and we could go on and on.  While we do like seeing blown up and destroyed stuff from time to time we would rather KEEP YOU RIDING by helping you maintain your bike instead of fix it after a catastrophic failure. 

Below are some links to some ebooks and other FREE resources we have published to help you KEEP RIDING!  Share this around and get out and RIDE!!!!!

And if you just want Highland Cycles to help get your bike ready with some simple maintenance at a SMOKIN deal then click the button below for a great deal on our "Blitz Service"

Highland Cycles Providing Adaptive Equipment

I am very happy to report that we just recently did our first adaptive modifications to a dirt bike to get a rider back out there who had an injury that was keeping him from riding.

We were approached by this gentleman a month ago.  He had lost a lot of use of his right hand and wrist and was wondering if we could do something to help him be able to get back on a dirt bike.  Our mechanics and parts guys got together and came up with a plan.  We didn't know if it would all work but we were willing to give it a try if he was.

His biggest concern was the front brake.  He really couldn't grip hard enough or fast enough to feel comfortable with the brake on the right side. 

First up we needed to find a way to get the front brake control over to the left side.  Fortunately that was pretty straight forward.  We got a KTM hydraulic clutch master cylinder and built a custom line that went to the front brake caliper.  It worked perfectly. 

Because his left hand would be busy with the brake we tipped his clutch lever down and installed a Rekluse CORE EXP 3.0 to take care of that.

After that we installed a "cramp buster" on the throttle to allow him a little easier operation of the throttle with less grip needed.

Not his bike

We are psyched to say that it all turned out really well and the customer is back on 2 wheels again and loving it. 

Highland Cycles is committed to helping people get out and ride.  Whether you need new tires, a motor rebuilt or custom controls built we will do WHATEVER it takes to get you out!!!!!