TTR600re burning oil? What can be done?
I have a newbie question for you.
I'm considering buying a 2004 TTR600RE whose engine has 11k miles on it (not the original engine though).
However, the owner has said it burns about a pint of oil every 400 miles on the freeway, which doesn't seem to bode well for any long distance trips in remote places (I'm planning a "RTW"-type trip).
The owner also points out that "The bike sometimes lets out a puff smoke from the exhaust on starting so the valve seals are worn its not a problem did a 1500 mile trip last september."
Are the valve seals the likely culprit? What else could make this bike burn oil? Would a mechanic, upon breaking open the engine, be able to say definitively whether the valve seals or piston ring or anything else are at fault? What would the ball-park cost for replacing the valve seals and piston ring be? (closer to $200 or $500?) How likely is it that the cause of the oil burning would not be properly diagnosed?
If worst comes to worst, what would a ballpark cost for an engine rebuild / new engine plus installation be, and how much time would those take?
Normally, I'd look for other bikes (and I am still looking), but the bike market where I'm shopping is quite small and the TTR is relatively inexpensive and seems to fit the bill in almost every other way. So if a valve seal / piston ring replacement would probably do the trick, I'd go for it. I'd appreciate your thoughts.
|