An engine is the heart of a motorcycle. No matter how tough your motorcycle engine is, it requires proper care otherwise it loses its working efficiency over time. Due to proper care, your motorcycle engine gets damaged before its lifespan. Here are some common signs that indicate your motorcycle engine needs to be rebuilt.
1. Difficulty of starting
If your motorcycle does not have any ignition and fuel-related issues and still your motorcycle engine is troubling you, it mainly indicates a compression problem. Due to compression problems a motorcycle engine troubles to start. Worn-out piston rings and valves are liable for compression loss. You can check your engine compression level with a compression checker. Remove the spark plug place the compression tester into the spark plug and see the compression ratio. The right compression ratio is between 8:1 to 12:1.
2. High fuel consumption
Sometimes motorcycles may consume more oil due to not servicing it on time and based on the type of driving. But if your motorcycle suddenly starts consuming more oil than the regular days even after servicing it on time then you need to be concerned about your motorcycle engine having a worn out or damaged gasket, piston rings, and valves. These three would be the main reasons for high fuel consumption. A worn-out or damaged gasket leaks oil, valves fail to control the air and fuel mixture in the engine, and piston rings will not be able to seal the combustion chamber during the power stroke, transfer heat properly and not even regulate oil consumption.
3. Unusual noises
If there is any problem in the engine, you will notice the change of exhaust note and unusual sound coming out from the engine. If your motorcycle engine has connecting rods, bearings, and crankshaft issues engine will make a knocking sound. A ticking or tapping noise will come if any inner parts of the engine are not aligned well or for worn-out camshafts, lifters, and rocker arms. For worn-out piston or cylinder walls, your motorcycle engine can make a slapping sound.
4. Excessive smoke
Suddenly a lot more smoke started coming out through the exhaust pipe than on other days and the smoke colour also gives hints when a motorcycle engine has some internal issues. As supposed to be if your motorcycle is producing blue smoke it indicates worn-out valve seals, piston rings, or cylinder walls. When these particles get damaged it burns oil and in resulting blue smoke comes out through the exhaust pipe. When a gasket or cylinder head gets damaged or blown out, coolant enters the combustion chamber and leads to white smoke coming off. Black smoke also comes out of the malfunction of the fuel injection system, carburetor, and bad and low engine oil issues.
5. Engine Overheating and others
Apart from the things mentioned above a malfunctioning engine shows problems like excessive heat generation, vibration, frequent engine off, power loss, and not desired throttle response. When you run your motorcycle at a higher speed you can easily notice the excessive vibration from the engine. It happens when your motorcycle engine’s connecting rod, crankshaft, or flywheels are worn out or damaged. Wear-out parts of the engine can not be aligned with each other properly, remain loose, and can not operate smoothly resulting in not only vibration but also noise and engine temperature increases.
These are the most common signs that your motorcycle engine needs to be rebuilt or serviced. Inspect your motorcycle regularly and service it on time. Do not ignore any small problem, solve that problem as soon as possible otherwise the small problem can lead to your motorcycle engine to major damage.