I'm on my second 950SE since 2015, and still smitten by the way these engines and the bikes they drive behave -- or rather misbehave. This was a superb account of a rebuild on a beautiful machine. I like the way you work, sir. Thorough, clever and relaxed. And I know that refreshed motor with be happy not to have 8L of oil in it and you seeing to its future health. Bravo!
@@volimoto SEs do come up for sale, and there are a few SE FB pages where we owners keep up with each other -- only 3,000 or so were made, it's a small universe. I have a friend with an SM, which I've had a few quick little rides on. It's geared low, and goes like a bullet. He rides it on the track and says he passes more people than on his Aprilia track bike. This iteration of the LC8, though it had it's gremlins, is quite extraordinary. I think you will love riding that bike. You can also notch up the HP by 10% with a few mods.
@paulfenn5060 I know it’s an entirely different ballpark but I just acquired a Yamaha XT600 ‘86 (1vj) for dipping my feet into the offroad world. It hasn’t run for 10 years and I’ll have to rebuild the engine from ground up due to worn output shaft, etc. I’ll be doing some modernization to it, brand new wiring harness, and maybe suspension upgrade and some nice LED lighting and a digital speedo. I’ll be making a video of it at some point, but it’s not on the priority list right now with all my other projects slacking behind. Maybe at some point I can get myself an SE… I also looked at just finding a 990 adventure😎🏍️ thanks for the info!
@@volimoto Good luck with that project. You have a vastly different constitution than me. I get panicky and frustrated with mechanical work and make costly mistakes as a result. Thus I give my knowledgeable friend beer to keep my beast running well. That said, it's long past time to check the valves on my SE, everyone's too busy to help, and there's no way I'm doing that myself -- I'd have a fn nervous breakdown...
What an amazing footage, I would love to see the chain timing asambly a little bit closer. Dude, you did it awesome. Thank you! I'm looking for a 2012 990 smt, how reliable are they? Is it to old?
I have a used 2007 990 superduke. Gas 25 mpg economy. Drinks oil about as fast as it drinks gas. No oil leaks. The throttle is like holding back a caged predator. Love the torque of the ktms so I got a 2024 ktm 390 duke, all the torque of a ktm but better throttle response and 52mpg
I really appreciated this video and the time put into showing us your work! I have always loved these super dukes since working as a 14 year old sweeping floors in my local KTM dealership. I hope to own one someday soon, however the last one i test rode had the most uncomfortable seat of my life! I bought an XSR900 instead.... keep up the good work mate
Really nice and informative video. I myself own a 950 SMR which also had (among others) the issue with the waterpump. I hope you enjoy riding the 990 just as much as working om it.
Good job. Well done. These LC8 bikes are well worth looking after. I agree about the cam chains - they're difficult to measure properly and there's not much wear allowed. Quite an expensive job in parts alone, so it's good that you did it yourself. Thanks for making the vid. I'm preparing the third engine for my 225,000+ km 950 Adventure. You've inspired me to keep my standards up. Thanks.
I’ve now done the entire cam train, replaced the chains, guides and tensioners with new. It has improved on the sound! Thanks a lot for your comment! Keep up the good work on yours! I definitely think that a 950 or 990 adventure is going to be in my garage at some point!
Thoroughly enjoyed watching your video - talented you are - this has given me the boost I need to get my SD back on the road over this winter ... thanks
Its pretty amazing what kind of abuse these engines can ultimately take, the previous owner must just have kept adding water never checking his oil levels.
Yes. It also seemed like they put extra oil in too… I think the valve at the bottom of the oil tank failed due to the nasty stuff in there so a lot of oil has gone over to the crankcase and then I think they kept topping up the oil tank…
Yeah! I'd expect more milkiness of the oil if water was "the main ingredient" of that soup. He definitely seems to favor oil over water! An explanation is, because the LC8s are difficult to measure oil levels (on the stick) and don't have a glass window, he must have poured oil like a firefighter pouring water on a blazing house...Crazy...
Thank you for that excellent video, now I think I'd better change my water pump. Too bad you didn't video the timing change swap as I'd really like to see that. I have to do mine soon. 2011 supermoto R 990.
Thanks a lot for your comment! The supermoto R sounds very fun! Yes, I was really short on time so I ended up just doing the timing chain replacement off camera… to be honest the hardest part if it is removing the woodruff keys from the balancer shaft. The rest is pretty straight forward.🏍️
My 2007 superduke has a lot of upgrades it was used. Full exhaust, an org rear sprocket, haven’t counted the teeth to check for o.e.m. My experience is when I let off the throttle the engine has immediate engine breaking ( engine compression.) the touchy throttle can be handled with controlled technique. The engine breaking is so effective I basically never have to use the brakes. Cool, but strange and can get annoying. Many times I’ll ride in one gear higher sometimes to dull the engine breaking maybe 4th-6th have less severe engine breaking. A torquey beast.
Test ride it, it’s fast but very jerky at the throttle. Can be tamed but after 2 hours you are just hanging on for dear life. At first it seems very cool but the engine compression gets annoying
There are a lot of forum discussions of the jerky throttle and some have more issues than others. Mine is actually pretty good, but I just fitted the different throttle tube from the RC that has a progressive profile. There is the issue with the closed loop/open loop switch around 3000 which results in some jerkiness, but if everything else is good with the bike it shouldn’t be too bad. There’s also some option to play around with the sprocket ratios… I’m also thinking about going for a smaller front and larger back because below 50kph I can’t use 2nd gear with the original gearing.
@@michaelrieser9928 Not sure whether its the profile of V-twins in past generations that gives that vibe. Have ridden 1000cc cat bikes and you will always have to hang on to dear life. No doubt about this one.
@@volimoto Nice update. I doubt that the change of gearing will solve the jerkiness but hey, it's all up to individual expertise. 2nd gear change under 3000 rpm may not click it properly. Prolly you have to rev above 4k to get that smooth change. The older they are, the stubborn they will be till you hear them sing.
Very interesting video, i own a SD990 2007 with 27000Km and i have not had any issues other than the water pump, i replaced it and that was it, im very satisfied with it and i am planning to keep it for a long time, thanks for the video and cheers from Costa Rica😊
That’s awesome to hear you have been running trouble free. 😊This bike would have probably been fine had the previous owner noticed earlier the water pump failure. It must be beautiful riding in Costa Rica! I’d like to visit there one day😎 thanks for your nice comment!🏍️
@spddd79 hi! The quickest way to test is by checking the oil filter. You can lean the bike on it’s right side and take out the oil filter without spilling much oil. You can check for “waving” in the filter element. If it’s all good, you can just put it back and you’re good to go. Otherwise it’s checking at every oil change, and some people treat the water pump rebuild as a maintenance item, doing it every 15-20k km.
Nice video, I bought my 990 superduke new inn2005. Only problem was a failure of the clutch master cylinder seal, the bike and engineering quality are the reason I still have it in my garage and have so much fun on the roads
I totally agree that for overall engine health it’s more accurate and a better test to do. I do think compression testing still has it’s place though. happy to hear you enjoyed the video! And thanks for your comment!
Thanks for the excellent content. I didn't catch the mistake you pointed out with the oil pump. But my ocd noticed that your rear axle is in backwards. Nut on KTMs is on the disk side, again..ocd only😂
Great vid, cheers. 07 SD & 2011 SDR. When refilling the coolant the front of the bikes needs to be elevated (check manual for correct angle). My modifications: BMC air filter, 16x39 gearing, SAS deleat, O2 sensors deleat, Lithium battery, Akraprovic exhaust (no cats), rear-sets, Oberon clutch slave, water pump rebuild, replaced fuel filters, Crash protection, Supercorsa SP tyres. Enjoy they are great bikes. UK
How do get through MOT with the all the missing emission control stuff? Imagine how the KTM engineers would be disappointed after all of their work to get this V2 120 HP engine sorted out! Or do you live in the far east?
Uk geezer, & it was OK for Italy too, where the bike came from. If you want to just one thing, change the final gearing drop 1 tooth off the front, add 1 to the back.
@@petereeves1354 Sorry to follow, but in mainland Europe the MOT examination includes an Exhaust test which in your case would render the bike illegal..it would be also impossible to sell the bike in this condition if not declared strictly a track bike!
That’s really awesome! Hope you never had issues with the water pump! It’s super awesome! The only thing I wish it could do better is pillion comfort so my girlfriend would be more comfy for some longer rides. But I mean, this bike is not about that, so it’s okay.
@@volimoto The only issue I had was the rectifier for providing stable current from the generator. Had to replace that on the 2008. Had a few SMTs too and they had no issues at all. Very happy with KTM.
@b0bl00i That’s awesome! I really have gotten to like this engine through working on it. I’m considering getting either a 990 adventure or a 1090 adventure to add to the stable.🏍️
@@Jaszczur-sp2tx SMT is a great motorcycle. Good engine, fun, wheelies well and is comfortable. It's the LC8 engine with 18L (or 19L?) tank, can't remember exactly. I think you can easily get 200 Km per tank if you're not pushing to hard.
Excellent job. LC8s are definitely for watch makers. I'm currently on my second one. 8 liters of oil was insane when 3 is full. I guess some of it was water but still, the OP must have been VERY "generous" with oil. The ignorance out there...
Yes, I totally agree that he kept adding oil too! I think it might have been partially becuase the valve at the bottom of the oil tank didn’t function due to all the gunk and he just kept topping it up… It’s really crazy, especially because he had the bike for 11 years… and his brother bought it new..
Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the feedback. It’s always really difficult to figure what’s the right volume so the music doesn’t overpower the noises from the work itself😁
Nice video i learned alot watching you work on that ktm engine its a shame it got to that, im not familiar with that engine im strictly rotax v990 very similar in many ways , dont they have a combined oil/ coolant weep hole .
What a nice work! Are you a motorcycle mechanic? (As a profession) Im an amateur and would take a long time to get me into your level. Awesome video, thank you.
I’m an engineer with many years of mechanic experience from working on various cars, bikes and tractors, but I’m not educated as a motorcycle mechanic. Thanks very much for your kind comment!
Sure thing! Are you only changing the tensioners themselves? Or chain and guide rails too? The tensioners you can do without much disassembly, the chains and guide rails is a bigger project. Glad you enjoyed the video!
@Lanc321 is it also a superduke? Because it can be done without taking anything apart! The only reason you could is to actually be able to measure the chain elongation/guide wear. I think on the adventure or smt you need to remove some fairings and maybe the oil tank. The removal of the oil tank helps on the superduke too, but I could do it without, it’s just a bit more annoying. I actually have some home made manual tensioner in right now because I messed up the tensioners and had to do something quick so I could join my friends for a trip… so it’s gonna be nice to get everything replaced and also back to hydraulic tensioner!
@@volimoto yes its a superduke like yours. im gonna do it this weekend. how did you mess up the tensioners? they are very expensive where I live (95$ each)
@Lanc321 I was experimenting with a small spacer because I was trying to determine if it’s camchain noise I’m having and ended up compressing the tensioners too much and bent the ring that holds the two pieces together. But they were also a bit work out anyway.. €105 here… I ended up ordering them from the US from KTM world for 45$ through a package forwarding company and with the guides together it’ll be half the cost as it would have been here even when I pay the taxes. Shipping was surprisingly cheap for a small box!
Great video. At least half of it was beyond anything I've attempted on a bike so far, and (knock wood) hopefully I won't ever NEED to get that deep into an engine. I'm curious how many miles were on that bike. I have a 2008 with about 36k miles on it (I've had it since about 30k) and I've only recently heard about the water pump issue. I'm wondering what are the warning signs?
Hey! Thanks a lot! This bike had 43k kms. If the PO had noticed the failing water pump, there most likely wouldn’t have been need for such a huge rebuild. The biggest warnings sign for a failing water pump is in the oil filter. Best is to use a paper filter like I have in the video, that’ll show if there’s any water in the oil by starting to wave up. The water blocks the oil from passing through and the pressure will start creating the waves in the paper. You can see how it has happened in the video even after running it for very short period with the failed water pump seal. So watch out for that when you’re chaning the oil and filter. If you don’t notice in time on the filter, the next thing will be louder timing chain and potentially flickering oil pressure light. If you get the flicker you will almost certainly have water in the system and the pressure drops, creating intermittent flicker. Hope this helps!
my LC8 water pump failed and I didnt flush the oil out before it cooled. all bearing rusted, once i tore into it. sad day. a new motor on ebay is $2k. soon, very soon will be rolling again.
Did you actually change the valve guides or only the seals?And what was the problem in the first place,only that the previous owner put nearly 3 times the amount of oil in the engine?
The problem was that the water pump seal had failed but the PO didn’t notice and that had caused the problems with the bearings and the nasty gunk everywhere. I didn’t need to replace the valve guides, but the seals were britle so those did get replaced.
@@volimoto yeah the valve seals are one of the first reasons these start burning oil. There's a 990 adventure owner on FB (group) with 300K MILES on the original engine (and as far as I recall he hasn't put in new piston rings!) ! I sold my first 2009 990 Adventure with 110K kms (from new) and I'm on my second with only 40K kms (bought used with 32K km and a pain in the ass to sort her out as she was sitting in a closed garage for 10 years!). I haven't done the water pump yet but it's definitely on the list but after 2 oil changes everything works and sounds good.
What was the problem? Water in the oil ok, but you said almost every part was ok... Some bearings and valves were not 100% but was that the culprit of the engine malfunction?
What I do know for sure is that the water pumped had failed and the previous owner didn’t notice. Additionally for some reason the engine was extremely overfilled with oil, which then hydrolocked the engine. There was also the broken spark plug, which I have no idea why had happened. For this reason I needed to check the cylinder walls and pistons. Because the oil pressure issues I wanted to take the engine case halves apart just to make check the condition of the gearbox, crankshaft and main bearings. This was when I found some of the bearings to be not perfect. If I really didn’t want to do much, I probably would have gotten away just by fixing the water pump, but I didn’t want to half ass the job. Hope this makes sense.
A pressure gauge that can measure 3.5 bars. There are two good options for measuring point in my opinion. You can buy a KTM adapter that replaces the cap of the rear can chain tensioner and then you can attach the gauge to it, or you can measure pressure before the oil filter by buying/making and adapter that threads into the place of the plug on the front of the engine where the filter goes.
This one is meant for the top of the engine instead of the plug of the cam chain tensioner. Btw, I think it’s the same size as the plug in the front of the engine, but don’t remember 100%.
Hi! It’s an SW-Stahl 03926L Digital torque adapter. Works quite nicely. It’s 6-30Nm and there’s also the higher torque option: 03927L which is 27-135Nm.
@@volimoto Thanks! Have you tested accuracy of it? Right now I'm using standard cheap "clicky" torque wrenches calibrated with a fishing scale. It's a bit scary sometimes.
@Jaszczur-sp2tx I haven’t actually tested the accuracy, but I’ll try to remember to do so and report back to you. I’m away from home for the next week, though. Btw! I’m planning on buying a small 1/4” clicky torque wrench, 2-26nm for some of these jobs because although the digital adapter is great, there are situations when it simply cannot fit due to it being so tall.
@@Jaszczur-sp2tx There's nothing wrong with a "clicky" torque wrench - Norbar has some of the best in the business. It's really a matter of how well the mechanism is designed and manufactured. Digital is great for a workshop where time is money and there could be noise and distractions, so a big digital display and a loud bleep is better than trying to read the markings, then listening and feeling for the click.
@@volimoto pff thats some time, but totaly understandable. Got myself a (unwanted) tenere 660 '93 project, starts really difficult or not at all.. runs good tho no idea what could be wrong. Cleaned carbs and all
@bve7397 yes, but it was a winter project so it was no issue. That sounds really fun though! I just got a 600 tenere from ‘86🤣 it’s in very rough condition so will give it a full rebuild and probably a USD front-end. Will make a video of it, but timeline is unclear when can I start on it.
@@volimoto Yea but im so afraid its the piston or rings 🥲 really dont feel like tearing the engine apart rn. Was hoping to ride it the last bit of summer..
I have 990 sm , since 5 years very happy but maintenance it’s like a porche , to put back in place this angine will cost between 1k 1,5k if u do the job
Yeah, tell me about it! I got her fairly cheap because of it’s issues, but I didn’t expect to have to replace so many things so the cost added up quickly.. probably ended up the same as if I just bought a known good one, but at least I have the piece of mind now, knowing I’ve gone through and fixed all the issues.
@@volimoto with your workshop and your knowledge I'd do the same (provided you got a generous discount on the purchase price). If you were able to shave 2K-3K Euros on the asking price (if it was inflated to begin with), then you just saved yourself a lot of money. Well done!
Very nice job, it's good to see that this bike is gonna have a good owner now haha
8LITERS WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE
Thanks a lot! It was really insane! No wonder the engine couldn’t turn over with the cylinder filled with oil… glad you enjoyed it!
I'm on my second 950SE since 2015, and still smitten by the way these engines and the bikes they drive behave -- or rather misbehave. This was a superb account of a rebuild on a beautiful machine. I like the way you work, sir. Thorough, clever and relaxed. And I know that refreshed motor with be happy not to have 8L of oil in it and you seeing to its future health. Bravo!
I would absolutely love to have an SE as well! They’re awesome!
And thanks so much for your very kind comment! I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
@@volimoto SEs do come up for sale, and there are a few SE FB pages where we owners keep up with each other -- only 3,000 or so were made, it's a small universe. I have a friend with an SM, which I've had a few quick little rides on. It's geared low, and goes like a bullet. He rides it on the track and says he passes more people than on his Aprilia track bike. This iteration of the LC8, though it had it's gremlins, is quite extraordinary. I think you will love riding that bike. You can also notch up the HP by 10% with a few mods.
@paulfenn5060 I know it’s an entirely different ballpark but I just acquired a Yamaha XT600 ‘86 (1vj) for dipping my feet into the offroad world. It hasn’t run for 10 years and I’ll have to rebuild the engine from ground up due to worn output shaft, etc. I’ll be doing some modernization to it, brand new wiring harness, and maybe suspension upgrade and some nice LED lighting and a digital speedo. I’ll be making a video of it at some point, but it’s not on the priority list right now with all my other projects slacking behind.
Maybe at some point I can get myself an SE… I also looked at just finding a 990 adventure😎🏍️ thanks for the info!
@@volimoto Good luck with that project. You have a vastly different constitution than me. I get panicky and frustrated with mechanical work and make costly mistakes as a result. Thus I give my knowledgeable friend beer to keep my beast running well. That said, it's long past time to check the valves on my SE, everyone's too busy to help, and there's no way I'm doing that myself -- I'd have a fn nervous breakdown...
What an amazing footage, I would love to see the chain timing asambly a little bit closer. Dude, you did it awesome. Thank you!
I'm looking for a 2012 990 smt, how reliable are they? Is it to old?
Your Music is good. Not too loud, and not dominating. Thanks!!
Very happy you liked it! I tried to make it so it doesn’t take over😊
I have a used 2007 990 superduke. Gas 25 mpg economy. Drinks oil about as fast as it drinks gas. No oil leaks. The throttle is like holding back a caged predator. Love the torque of the ktms so I got a 2024 ktm 390 duke, all the torque of a ktm but better throttle response and 52mpg
I really appreciated this video and the time put into showing us your work! I have always loved these super dukes since working as a 14 year old sweeping floors in my local KTM dealership. I hope to own one someday soon, however the last one i test rode had the most uncomfortable seat of my life! I bought an XSR900 instead.... keep up the good work mate
Thanks so much for your comment! Really cool that you worked at a KTM dealership as a kid! And enjoy the Yamaha, those XSR900s look amazing!🏍️😎
Really nice and informative video. I myself own a 950 SMR which also had (among others) the issue with the waterpump. I hope you enjoy riding the 990 just as much as working om it.
Thanks so much! Yes, the bike is really fun to ride! 😎
Good job. Well done. These LC8 bikes are well worth looking after. I agree about the cam chains - they're difficult to measure properly and there's not much wear allowed.
Quite an expensive job in parts alone, so it's good that you did it yourself.
Thanks for making the vid. I'm preparing the third engine for my 225,000+ km 950 Adventure. You've inspired me to keep my standards up. Thanks.
I’ve now done the entire cam train, replaced the chains, guides and tensioners with new. It has improved on the sound!
Thanks a lot for your comment! Keep up the good work on yours! I definitely think that a 950 or 990 adventure is going to be in my garage at some point!
@@volimoto Improved but you still hear it right? I noticed lot of engines of dukes, honda ,kawa and bmw can make some camchain noise..
@androidoszpsz5873 yes! I definitely can still hear it… But it did signifanctly improved😁
Thoroughly enjoyed watching your video - talented you are - this has given me the boost I need to get my SD back on the road over this winter ... thanks
That makes me very happy to read! Thanks very much for your kind comment!
Go for it! You can do it!😎
Its pretty amazing what kind of abuse these engines can ultimately take, the previous owner must just have kept adding water never checking his oil levels.
Yes. It also seemed like they put extra oil in too… I think the valve at the bottom of the oil tank failed due to the nasty stuff in there so a lot of oil has gone over to the crankcase and then I think they kept topping up the oil tank…
Yeah! I'd expect more milkiness of the oil if water was "the main ingredient" of that soup. He definitely seems to favor oil over water! An explanation is, because the LC8s are difficult to measure oil levels (on the stick) and don't have a glass window, he must have poured oil like a firefighter pouring water on a blazing house...Crazy...
Thank you for that excellent video, now I think I'd better change my water pump. Too bad you didn't video the timing change swap as I'd really like to see that. I have to do mine soon.
2011 supermoto R 990.
Thanks a lot for your comment! The supermoto R sounds very fun!
Yes, I was really short on time so I ended up just doing the timing chain replacement off camera… to be honest the hardest part if it is removing the woodruff keys from the balancer shaft. The rest is pretty straight forward.🏍️
My 2007 superduke has a lot of upgrades it was used. Full exhaust, an org rear sprocket, haven’t counted the teeth to check for o.e.m. My experience is when I let off the throttle the engine has immediate engine breaking ( engine compression.) the touchy throttle can be handled with controlled technique.
The engine breaking is so effective I basically never have to use the brakes. Cool, but strange and can get annoying. Many times I’ll ride in one gear higher sometimes to dull the engine breaking maybe 4th-6th have less severe engine breaking. A torquey beast.
I also had noticed that quite often I can ride just by engine braking into a corner. It’s certainly a fun beast!😊
Why am I a LC8 addict? It’s both expensive and painful but the awards when it runs is so good it’s worth every penny of pain!🤣😂
There's a sale of this bike and was looking for some details on the engine. You covered all the basis. Thanks!
Test ride it, it’s fast but very jerky at the throttle. Can be tamed but after 2 hours you are just hanging on for dear life. At first it seems very cool but the engine compression gets annoying
There are a lot of forum discussions of the jerky throttle and some have more issues than others. Mine is actually pretty good, but I just fitted the different throttle tube from the RC that has a progressive profile. There is the issue with the closed loop/open loop switch around 3000 which results in some jerkiness, but if everything else is good with the bike it shouldn’t be too bad. There’s also some option to play around with the sprocket ratios… I’m also thinking about going for a smaller front and larger back because below 50kph I can’t use 2nd gear with the original gearing.
@@michaelrieser9928 Not sure whether its the profile of V-twins in past generations that gives that vibe. Have ridden 1000cc cat bikes and you will always have to hang on to dear life. No doubt about this one.
@zergothikaify hahaha, that’s true for sure! The bike’s very torquey!
@@volimoto Nice update. I doubt that the change of gearing will solve the jerkiness but hey, it's all up to individual expertise. 2nd gear change under 3000 rpm may not click it properly. Prolly you have to rev above 4k to get that smooth change. The older they are, the stubborn they will be till you hear them sing.
Very interesting video, i own a SD990 2007 with 27000Km and i have not had any issues other than the water pump, i replaced it and that was it, im very satisfied with it and i am planning to keep it for a long time, thanks for the video and cheers from Costa Rica😊
That’s awesome to hear you have been running trouble free. 😊This bike would have probably been fine had the previous owner noticed earlier the water pump failure.
It must be beautiful riding in Costa Rica! I’d like to visit there one day😎 thanks for your nice comment!🏍️
How can I identify as soon as possible if the water pump is failing?
@spddd79 hi! The quickest way to test is by checking the oil filter. You can lean the bike on it’s right side and take out the oil filter without spilling much oil. You can check for “waving” in the filter element. If it’s all good, you can just put it back and you’re good to go. Otherwise it’s checking at every oil change, and some people treat the water pump rebuild as a maintenance item, doing it every 15-20k km.
Nice video, I bought my 990 superduke new inn2005. Only problem was a failure of the clutch master cylinder seal, the bike and engineering quality are the reason I still have it in my garage and have so much fun on the roads
@nickmurray721 that’s fantastic to hear! I feel like almost all who had ridden an SD loves them.
I've gone away from compression testing. Leakdown is much more accurate. Enjoyed the vid
I totally agree that for overall engine health it’s more accurate and a better test to do. I do think compression testing still has it’s place though.
happy to hear you enjoyed the video! And thanks for your comment!
Thanks for the excellent content. I didn't catch the mistake you pointed out with the oil pump. But my ocd noticed that your rear axle is in backwards. Nut on KTMs is on the disk side, again..ocd only😂
@otmuppet wow! I didn’t know that, I gotta turn it around then! Thanks a lot for the info!
You dont have to. It doesnt affext the spacing. i d do it on the mext tire change @volimoto
@otmuppet Now that I know I have to make it right! Hahahah!
Great vid, cheers. 07 SD & 2011 SDR. When refilling the coolant the front of the bikes needs to be elevated (check manual for correct angle).
My modifications: BMC air filter, 16x39 gearing, SAS deleat, O2 sensors deleat, Lithium battery, Akraprovic exhaust (no cats), rear-sets, Oberon clutch slave, water pump rebuild, replaced fuel filters, Crash protection, Supercorsa SP tyres. Enjoy they are great bikes. UK
Thanks for the info! I’ve been successful at bleeding air just by running the engine with the cap off. Your bike sounds awesome!!
How do get through MOT with the all the missing emission control stuff? Imagine how the KTM engineers would be disappointed after all of their work to get this V2 120 HP engine sorted out! Or do you live in the far east?
Uk geezer, & it was OK for Italy too, where the bike came from. If you want to just one thing, change the final gearing drop 1 tooth off the front, add 1 to the back.
@@petereeves1354 Sorry to follow, but in mainland Europe the MOT examination includes an Exhaust test which in your case would render the bike illegal..it would be also impossible to sell the bike in this condition if not declared strictly a track bike!
Bike has passed UK Mot test, including DVSA import test. (3 Akraprovic internal Cat inserts).
Such a good motorcycle! Had 3 in total. 2008, 2012 SDR and a 2014. My favourite of all time.
That’s really awesome! Hope you never had issues with the water pump!
It’s super awesome! The only thing I wish it could do better is pillion comfort so my girlfriend would be more comfy for some longer rides. But I mean, this bike is not about that, so it’s okay.
@@volimoto The only issue I had was the rectifier for providing stable current from the generator. Had to replace that on the 2008. Had a few SMTs too and they had no issues at all. Very happy with KTM.
@b0bl00i That’s awesome! I really have gotten to like this engine through working on it. I’m considering getting either a 990 adventure or a 1090 adventure to add to the stable.🏍️
@@b0bl00i What was the realistic fuel consumption? I have a 2008 690 SMR and I'm thinking about getting an SMT
@@Jaszczur-sp2tx SMT is a great motorcycle. Good engine, fun, wheelies well and is comfortable. It's the LC8 engine with 18L (or 19L?) tank, can't remember exactly. I think you can easily get 200 Km per tank if you're not pushing to hard.
Amazing build mate!
Excellent job. LC8s are definitely for watch makers. I'm currently on my second one. 8 liters of oil was insane when 3 is full. I guess some of it was water but still, the OP must have been VERY "generous" with oil. The ignorance out there...
Yes, I totally agree that he kept adding oil too! I think it might have been partially becuase the valve at the bottom of the oil tank didn’t function due to all the gunk and he just kept topping it up…
It’s really crazy, especially because he had the bike for 11 years… and his brother bought it new..
That bike looked to be in pretty good condition, so woth the time, effort and money putting it right. Enjoy it!
Good job !! Good video and a good work on the bike. Continue like that !
Thanks so much! Really appreciate the kind comment! Glad you liked the video!
Very good video and thorough work. Would be good to see another video for the timing chain replacement.
lovely video! plz do a step by step guide on the kamchaintensioner, i hawe that job coming up this winter :P
Excellent video, would love you servicing my sdr. Great mechanic!
Thanks so much for your very kind comment. Much appreciated😎🏍️
You did a very good job. Full clear and explained.
Where did You get the all the torques that need every bolt?
Thanks so much!
All the torque values are from the Workshop Manual for the bike.
Very peaceful and relaxing video. Great build. Feedback regarding video, liked your choice of music but could hardly hear it👍
Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
And thanks for the feedback. It’s always really difficult to figure what’s the right volume so the music doesn’t overpower the noises from the work itself😁
Very nice job, well done! Could you please make another video on how to adjust the Throttle Position Sensor ?
Greetings from Germany 👌
Nice video i learned alot watching you work on that ktm engine its a shame it got to that, im not familiar with that engine im strictly rotax v990 very similar in many ways , dont they have a combined oil/ coolant weep hole .
Good job 👏🏻
Thanks so much for your nice comment!🏍️
What a nice work! Are you a motorcycle mechanic? (As a profession)
Im an amateur and would take a long time to get me into your level.
Awesome video, thank you.
I’m an engineer with many years of mechanic experience from working on various cars, bikes and tractors, but I’m not educated as a motorcycle mechanic. Thanks very much for your kind comment!
im changing timing chain tensioners soon and would like a tutorial from you. Good work!
Sure thing!
Are you only changing the tensioners themselves? Or chain and guide rails too? The tensioners you can do without much disassembly, the chains and guide rails is a bigger project. Glad you enjoyed the video!
@@volimoto im only changing the tensioners
@Lanc321 is it also a superduke? Because it can be done without taking anything apart! The only reason you could is to actually be able to measure the chain elongation/guide wear. I think on the adventure or smt you need to remove some fairings and maybe the oil tank. The removal of the oil tank helps on the superduke too, but I could do it without, it’s just a bit more annoying. I actually have some home made manual tensioner in right now because I messed up the tensioners and had to do something quick so I could join my friends for a trip… so it’s gonna be nice to get everything replaced and also back to hydraulic tensioner!
@@volimoto yes its a superduke like yours. im gonna do it this weekend. how did you mess up the tensioners? they are very expensive where I live (95$ each)
@Lanc321 I was experimenting with a small spacer because I was trying to determine if it’s camchain noise I’m having and ended up compressing the tensioners too much and bent the ring that holds the two pieces together. But they were also a bit work out anyway..
€105 here… I ended up ordering them from the US from KTM world for 45$ through a package forwarding company and with the guides together it’ll be half the cost as it would have been here even when I pay the taxes. Shipping was surprisingly cheap for a small box!
Great video! Ps what kind of chain link rivet tool are you using? Looks good!
Thanks a lot!
The tool is UNIOR 3200/2BI. I haven’t used it for very long but been very happy with it so far.
Oh wow!
Oh wow!
Oh wow! 🤣
Great video. At least half of it was beyond anything I've attempted on a bike so far, and (knock wood) hopefully I won't ever NEED to get that deep into an engine. I'm curious how many miles were on that bike. I have a 2008 with about 36k miles on it (I've had it since about 30k) and I've only recently heard about the water pump issue. I'm wondering what are the warning signs?
Hey! Thanks a lot! This bike had 43k kms. If the PO had noticed the failing water pump, there most likely wouldn’t have been need for such a huge rebuild. The biggest warnings sign for a failing water pump is in the oil filter. Best is to use a paper filter like I have in the video, that’ll show if there’s any water in the oil by starting to wave up. The water blocks the oil from passing through and the pressure will start creating the waves in the paper. You can see how it has happened in the video even after running it for very short period with the failed water pump seal.
So watch out for that when you’re chaning the oil and filter. If you don’t notice in time on the filter, the next thing will be louder timing chain and potentially flickering oil pressure light. If you get the flicker you will almost certainly have water in the system and the pressure drops, creating intermittent flicker. Hope this helps!
my LC8 water pump failed and I didnt flush the oil out before it cooled. all bearing rusted, once i tore into it. sad day. a new motor on ebay is $2k. soon, very soon will be rolling again.
Wow! Sorry to hear that! But I’m glad you’re putting it back on the road!! 😎
@@volimoto all part of the adventure. cheers!
Did you actually change the valve guides or only the seals?And what was the problem in the first place,only that the previous owner put nearly 3 times the amount of oil in the engine?
The problem was that the water pump seal had failed but the PO didn’t notice and that had caused the problems with the bearings and the nasty gunk everywhere. I didn’t need to replace the valve guides, but the seals were britle so those did get replaced.
@@volimoto yeah the valve seals are one of the first reasons these start burning oil. There's a 990 adventure owner on FB (group) with 300K MILES on the original engine (and as far as I recall he hasn't put in new piston rings!) ! I sold my first 2009 990 Adventure with 110K kms (from new) and I'm on my second with only 40K kms (bought used with 32K km and a pain in the ass to sort her out as she was sitting in a closed garage for 10 years!). I haven't done the water pump yet but it's definitely on the list but after 2 oil changes everything works and sounds good.
@C_R_O_M________ that’s really awesome! I’m also certain I’ll have a 950/990 adventure in the stable at some point! Keep on rocking with yours!😎
What was the problem? Water in the oil ok, but you said almost every part was ok... Some bearings and valves were not 100% but was that the culprit of the engine malfunction?
What I do know for sure is that the water pumped had failed and the previous owner didn’t notice. Additionally for some reason the engine was extremely overfilled with oil, which then hydrolocked the engine. There was also the broken spark plug, which I have no idea why had happened. For this reason I needed to check the cylinder walls and pistons. Because the oil pressure issues I wanted to take the engine case halves apart just to make check the condition of the gearbox, crankshaft and main bearings. This was when I found some of the bearings to be not perfect.
If I really didn’t want to do much, I probably would have gotten away just by fixing the water pump, but I didn’t want to half ass the job. Hope this makes sense.
How did you test the oil pressure? What gauge do I need?
A pressure gauge that can measure 3.5 bars. There are two good options for measuring point in my opinion. You can buy a KTM adapter that replaces the cap of the rear can chain tensioner and then you can attach the gauge to it, or you can measure pressure before the oil filter by buying/making and adapter that threads into the place of the plug on the front of the engine where the filter goes.
KTM Part number for the adapter:
60029006000
@ cool. I just purchased it thank you
@ does it screw in by the oil filter or on top of the engine?
This one is meant for the top of the engine instead of the plug of the cam chain tensioner. Btw, I think it’s the same size as the plug in the front of the engine, but don’t remember 100%.
What kind of a digital torque wrench was that?
Hi! It’s an SW-Stahl 03926L Digital torque adapter. Works quite nicely. It’s 6-30Nm and there’s also the higher torque option: 03927L which is 27-135Nm.
@@volimoto Thanks! Have you tested accuracy of it? Right now I'm using standard cheap "clicky" torque wrenches calibrated with a fishing scale. It's a bit scary sometimes.
@Jaszczur-sp2tx I haven’t actually tested the accuracy, but I’ll try to remember to do so and report back to you. I’m away from home for the next week, though.
Btw! I’m planning on buying a small 1/4” clicky torque wrench, 2-26nm for some of these jobs because although the digital adapter is great, there are situations when it simply cannot fit due to it being so tall.
@@Jaszczur-sp2tx
There's nothing wrong with a "clicky" torque wrench - Norbar has some of the best in the business.
It's really a matter of how well the mechanism is designed and manufactured.
Digital is great for a workshop where time is money and there could be noise and distractions, so a big digital display and a loud bleep is better than trying to read the markings, then listening and feeling for the click.
@@volimoto
Mad skills how long did it take you to do all that?
Thanks a lot! I couldn’t work on it every day. Just on weekends and some afternoons so it took about 3-4 months from start to finish.
@@volimoto pff thats some time, but totaly understandable. Got myself a (unwanted) tenere 660 '93 project, starts really difficult or not at all.. runs good tho no idea what could be wrong. Cleaned carbs and all
@bve7397 yes, but it was a winter project so it was no issue. That sounds really fun though! I just got a 600 tenere from ‘86🤣 it’s in very rough condition so will give it a full rebuild and probably a USD front-end. Will make a video of it, but timeline is unclear when can I start on it.
@@volimoto Yea but im so afraid its the piston or rings 🥲 really dont feel like tearing the engine apart rn. Was hoping to ride it the last bit of summer..
Excellent video. How many km/miles had it done?
Thanks a lot! Bike had 43000km when I bought it. 🏍️
💯
My 990 just gave out, how much did this run you and you make it look easy lol
I think this entire rebuild was almost a 1000€, not counting of course my work. Thanks a lot for your comment!
Could they design a more complex engine 😱
Do you really think so? In my eyes it is the most tidy and reduced engine of them all..almost Bauhaus style = form follows function!
@@dipling.pitzler7650 I’m viewing it more from a stripping down and reassembly point of view 🍻
I have 990 sm , since 5 years very happy but maintenance it’s like a porche , to put back in place this angine will cost between 1k 1,5k if u do the job
Yeah, tell me about it! I got her fairly cheap because of it’s issues, but I didn’t expect to have to replace so many things so the cost added up quickly.. probably ended up the same as if I just bought a known good one, but at least I have the piece of mind now, knowing I’ve gone through and fixed all the issues.
@@volimoto with your workshop and your knowledge I'd do the same (provided you got a generous discount on the purchase price). If you were able to shave 2K-3K Euros on the asking price (if it was inflated to begin with), then you just saved yourself a lot of money. Well done!