Forum

[Norm]

And as for Henry saying it was due to people just slogging them along, there is no where in Aus you can just slog along, it is more like you have to flog along

[JonHill]

I trust my Electra X far more than the hapless idiots in Westminster. Hopefully BoJo will get run over by a JCB, which would be a good start. Was he employed in India to refute warranty claims, per chance?

[Adrian]

That's enough of Mr Bojo Rising (apologies to fans of The Doors).



Meanwhile, just to boost bumpkin's confidence, and to show that I'm not biased, here is some more ammunition for Norm with a couple of pictures of a Electra-X TOP-END failure lifted from the French forum. Year of manufacture unknown.











Cause also unknown, but the epicentre of the piston crown damage seems to be where the inlet valve head would be clouting the piston crown if someone had tried a perforance cam from a classic Bullet with a bit too much lift. It could also be a case of a half-remembered reference about retarding the inlet cam by one tooth and getting it wrong by installing the cam one tooth advanced.



A.

[JonHill]

So basically, there's not a lot right with the Electra X. From big ends, sprag clutches, exhaust tappets and now valves destroying pistons. What possessed me to get one? It's Groundhog Day for the British motorcycle industry. I'm pleased that there is a Honda in my garage!

[Wheaters]

If the inlet cam is advanced, doesn't that put it further from the piston at TDC?

[Wheaters]

That damage to the piston looks like it occurred some time before it finally let go. T damage nearest the pushrod tunnel isn't new - it's got carbon burnt onto it. Looks more like a material fault that gradually deteriorated until a bigger chunk came loose.

[Adrian]

To be absolutely fair, Jon, this is the first time I've come across anyone having THIS sort of grief with an Electra-X. Having piston crowns coming adrift from the skirts on the classic Indian 500 Bullets is a more common complaint.

A.

[Tim NZ]

Detonation causes piston ring-land collapse same as seen here. Typically localized and not usually quite so extensive




Tim NZ

[Leon Novello]

It pays to carry a spare piston if travelling in Central Australia. Piston modification for lowering compression and other disasters.

[Norm]

Leon, Garry and Don replacing a piston on the side of the road in the outback was a one off although Don and I replaced a gearbox in a pub carpark one morning