Cheers Ray that's really helpful. To be honest the actual getting the engine in/out part is one thing I'm not really clear on. I've read the manual and at that point it just says something like 'take the engine out of the frame'. So I'm hoping it will be obvious when i get there!

Also I've messaged a couple of breakers that have engines available on ebay. Both of them told me it was from a Cat B bike so they don't know what the reg number was. They have the engine number though. Does this sound right? Is there any way to check a history just from an engine number? If we were talking a couple of hundred quid I wouldn't mind so much but they're up for well over a grand...

Quote from: Carbon_ZX6R on July 24, 2018, 11:34:37 PM
Speak to local garages and see what they would charge to source and fit one  , I did my zx6r and it was a bloody pain in the behind

What were the trickiest bits and what would you do differently next time?

Quote from: Dom1 on July 24, 2018, 05:26:22 PM
you are a proven breaker of engines.

Lol. I think that's how I'll introduce myself from now on

Would be great to get a guarantee, I'd need to chat to them to see what it covers. I use the bike for the odd track day as well as road riding so suspect that would invalidate any warranty.

Hello. Long time lurker/very occasional poster here. However I do actually own a Ninja at the moment – a 2009 ZX10R. And its engine went bang, hence this post asking you lovely people for advice.

(Backstory – I was happily riding along a couple of months ago when the oil filter came loose and dumped oil everywhere. I drained what was left, stuck new oil in, and all seemed well. However it obviously wasn't because 1000 miles later it started to rattle and then a conrod punched its way out of the crankcase. Moral of the story: when you change your oil, check the manual and use a torque wrench...)

I don't see any other option now other than buying a replacement engine from a breaker.  Have a few questions...

1.How do I know if an engine is decent before buying it? I guess a reputable breaker should be able to give me the reg number and engine number, right? So at least I can do HPI/MOT checks to confirm mileage and that it's not stolen. Anything else?

2.Before I put the new engine in, I'll do valve clearances and spark plugs, which should be a lot easier with it out of the bike. Any other jobs worth doing at the same time?

3.Any tips for actually doing the swap? I've swapped engines on aircooled singles before, but this will have a lot more connections to get right! I plan to take lots of photos, label all the wires and hoses that are disconnected, and follow the workshop manual. Anything I'm missing?

Think that's it for now. If you're still reading thanks for getting this far!

How nice is the bike? I've been a couple of times and parked on the street with no problems. It was my old J2 though and it was already pretty tatty by then!

Have you tried getting in touch with the hotel and asking them?

Quote from: Dom1 on June 15, 2015, 04:27:02 PM
Very nice.

Did you find the FOC-U forum? There may be one or two still there who remember me.

Thanks! Found it in the MCN classifieds, I'd been looking on the foc-u site but no luck - the one Farmer G posted looked perfect but Glasgow is a bit far to travel for me!

Well, 3 weeks later I'm now the proud owner of this. Spent a couple of hours on it yesterday and very happy with it



I'm not sure if colour-matched tinted screens are approved of around here, but luckily it came with the original too

Quote from: Millhouse on May 31, 2015, 12:53:10 PM
Welcome to the forum!

Standard fix for g/j/a was drop forks through yokes by 5-10mm and raise the rear by similar. It increases the head angle and improves turn in.

Loads of info from forums about it if you check, no "inherent" issues with them just a setup tweak needed. Having said that the b was night and day difference.

Looking at you budget an a1p would give the best of the 636 engine and less aggressive riding position and a setup/suspension service should see you right!

Second this - I had a J2 for 5 years, put nearly 50,000 miles on it including about 20 track days and thousands of miles of touring, and never had a problem with the handling. Dropping the front and raising the rear made a noticeable difference to the turn-in, much better on the track. Only other issue on the track was that the standard footpegs grind out really easily, aftermarket rearsets fixed that.

I thought the 6R was great for touring, cruising along at 80-ish would get great well over 50 mpg so 200 miles + tank range, and tyres will last longer than the 9R if you're going any serious distance. I guess if you're two-up and loaded with luggage the extra power of the 9 might be welcome... I've never tried a 9 though so can't compare.

Thanks guys. Checking out the FOC site now.

Only thing I wasn't convinced about with the Fazer I rode was the front end didn't feel quite right. But then I checked the bike after riding it and noticed the fork seals were weeping, so I doubt that helped! I'll try to find a decent one to test, and a ZX9 too for comparison. Anything else you can think of which maybe I should be considering?

Quote from: Carbon_ZX6R on May 24, 2015, 09:25:42 PM

Quote from: Dom1 on May 24, 2015, 09:11:29 PM
Used to have an original 600 Fazer and fell in with the www.foc-u.co.uk lot.

They are a decent bunch and should be able to advise you well.

As I recall they are an ace bike - R1 engine, blue spot calipers, lots of good stuff which made the Fazer thou quite expensive when I came out rather than corners cut.

Heavily detuned r1 engine as I used to remind my old mate when he wanted to drag race me.....

Ha! Well my current bike is a 2003 R1 which I rode back-to-back with the Fazer. Admittedly the roads were slightly damp so I wasn't giving it full beans, but honestly I would have been pushed to tell the difference between them engine-wise. Comfort-wise however... night and day!

So this afternoon I took a test ride on a 2003 Fazer 1000. And I thought it was pretty awesome to be honest Consensus seems to be they're pretty bulletproof too. Just wondered if anyone here had any opinion on them, or suggestion of what else I should consider?

Basically I want something that I could ride down to the south of france with my girlfriend on the back, but is still fun enough that I'll want to take it out on a sunny Sunday, and could cope with the odd trackday. For less than £3k. Seems like a lot to ask! Not sure what else fits the bill - later model ZX9 maybe?

Ta muchly!

Sort of on topic... anyone got a recommendation for a decent case for mounting an iPhone on the bike?

Well I went to have a look last night and gave them a statement. The bike wasn't as bad as it could have been - all the road gear has been taken off it, the frame and wheels have been badly resprayed, and the chain looks like it spent the last year in the sea, but aside from that it seems ok!

Gonna see if I can get it started at the weekend and if not I will flog it, not worth spending money to get it working.

Thanks for all the advice

Quote from: Gilby104 on July 31, 2014, 10:49:20 AM
I wouldn't hold your breath my friend. in my experience thieving, pikey scumbags are not renowned for their care of motorcycles at the best of times. I'd be prepared to take one look at the bike and decide you just want to part it out and get rid - if you are not particularly bothered by that bike then parting it out would probably be the best way of getting your money back on a bike with that history. 

Good luck anyway, hope it's not too much hassle either way.

Yeah, thanks! The way I see it, I wasn't expecting to ever see this bike again, so if it's a case of putting it on ebay for spares/repair and getting a couple of hundred quid it's still a good result. If I can get it running and do an enduro event on it before the end of summer it's a bonus.

The fact that plod could ID it from my photos tells me there's still something left of it, beyond that I don't know anything, I'll just find out next week. At the very least by going to pick it up and giving a statement there's a chance that I'm helping get the scrotes put away.

Thanks for replies everyone. Bike wasn't insured as I only used it offroad, so no problems there. If plod will give me a crime report with all the details on that seems like decent proof of what happened.

Now I'm just waiting for next week to see what sort of condition it's in when i get it back! 

Quote from: Carbon_ZX6R on July 30, 2014, 01:15:12 PM
if it was me id just stamp it back on regardless , ive known some off road events to get funny about bikes with obviously removed numbers.... one other question if they removed the numbers how did the police know it was yours?

Yeah good question! He said they have some forensic technique that let them see part of the VIN even though it's been ground off. Also luckily being a 10-year-old enduro bike it had its fair share of scratches and dings on it, I had some old photos and they match up to damage on the bike they recovered.

If I stamp the number back on the frame it will be obvious it's a DIY job - isn't that just as bad as having no number to anyone who looks at it?