QuestionQUESTION: i know you dont answer question about this type of bike but maybe you can help me since you are up to date with the nighthawk form the same time. my bike has been throught some repairs after i sat for awhile. the bike ran great after i fixed it for about 3 hours, then i hit stop and go traffic and the bike started to get hot and lose power/accerlation. then a water pipe to the front head blew a seal, so i fixed that but she still lacks accerlation she runs great in ideal but once in gear she moves very slow and the engine revs high. so when i gas it hard it just revs hight. so what do you think this could be?
ANSWER: Hi Walter,
Unfortunately, from what you have told me, it sounds like the over heating has caused some engine damage. To sum it up, the engine is loosing compression and that's why it revs so high (its easier to rev an engine with less compression. Also you need to rev it higher to get it to drive in gear because of the lack of power. This is also why it runs fine at idle = engine isn't under any load.
I am speculating here, but the overheating has probably either caused the cylinder head to warp, or the piston rings to burn out. You wont really be able to tell until you have the engine apart. Another possibility is that you have an engine bearing that is seizing, or a combination of both.
If it were me, I would do a quick compression test to verify if the compression is low or not. If it is low then I would, at the very least, do a top end engine re-build.
If you are lucky, you might be able to find a good used engine to swap it out with.
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QUESTION: thanks for your fedback, but i dont think the engine is under went engin damage. see i frist broke because of the extrnal shifting arm broke, so i had to pull the right case, pull off the clutch, oil pump drive sprikit, to get to it, up till this point she ran fine. then i let the bike set for 2 months befor i diced to start working on her. i think she is just sliping out of gear because she will catch the gear but not accelerate pass a point, and its like this for all the gears. i have looked over the clutch install i did and the only thing i can think i did not put back the exact same way is the clutch plates, cos they where all the same. do you think this could be the problem
AnswerIn light of this new info (about the clutch). Then yes, this could also cause the engine to rev and seem like it has no power. This is because the clutch is slipping.
If you feel like you might have put the clutch plates back incorrectly, then I'd recommend trying again and follow the directions from the manual for your bike.
