Bottom end play
 

I recently had the left hand cover plate off my enginr, and noticed the tinyest of play in my crank. How many kms do you think I have before its repair o'clock? 83 Tenere

Depends on how man you've done already,and what kind of service/abuse it's had.I've done 85,000 miles(136000 kms)on mine with only two top end rebuilds,but the bottom end is absolutly fine at the moment.

You will always have alot of play on the l/h crank tail...this is why...
The tail is very long,nearly doubling the play at the actual bearing.
The main bearing is not an interferance fit on the crank or in the casing...not ideal, but makes rebuilds easy.
The bearing is c3 clearance to allow for expansion...c3s always feel loose.
So basically ...dont worry...its normal.
David Lambeth

I could kiss you Dave, thanks for that info! I just hope you're right, and I don't discover the opposite deep in Egypts deserts!

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Gordon Bennet, youve made me blush.......


(oh no, Im now going to have to explain to all you non Brits what Gordon Bennet Means)

DL