this might be somewhat rant like, but whatever...

So as most of you know i ride motocross. I have had my bike for 3 years now come this past christmas. My bike is a 2003 CRF450R, so when i got him he was already 6-7 years old. Over the years i have grown quite accoustom to how he likes to be ridden, special things he likes done to him, stuff like that.

Now about 3 months ago i noticed that there was some oil leaking out from around the valve cover gasket on the engine, i figured it wasnt too much of a big deal cause engines leak oil all the time, so i continued riding and made a mental not to have the honda place check it out. The pretty much said that the valve cover gasket needed to be replaced, no big deal. So we go with that. This brings us up to what was supposed to be my first race down at Blue Diamond MX pard in New Castle. We were supposed to get the bike back from the shop the friday before the race. So Dad got me out of school early that day, and we headed down to the shop to pick up the bike with the intention of getting it and continuing down to the track to get some practice in before the race. So we get to the shop, and everything seems fine. They bring my bike to the front. and the supervisor gives the bike a once over cause he has to sign off on it before they give it to me. When he checks out the fluid levels, there is no anti feeze in it. So they take it back to the lift, and try to put some in it, which just flows right out of the pipe where it enters the engine from the radiator. So the scramblke around the shop looking for a new O ring to put on it, something that i would think is pretty universal frorm bike to bike. However no, so they try to use some kind of weird "honda bond" stuff that is pretty much like glue sealant to fix the leak. So because that needed to set the day was already shot. So we take the bike home and try again tomorrow.

The next day, we go to put in the coolant that they gave us, and it leaks right out the same place. At this point it is the day before the race, and me and dad are scrambling aorund to fond something to stop this leak. So we head to the auto parts store. There we get a standard O ring set, and the 1/4 inch O ring does the trick, which i find kinda odd cause the bike shop didnt have anything that would work, or so they say. So with that ammended we head to the track. On the way it rains..like alot. Practice that day was sloppy, tiring, not really fun, and to cap it off i wound up diving right into the mudd by the end. i was 100% covered in mud, not too fun.

So on race day, we get up at 5am, drive to the track, register, pay admission, get everything set up. I take a nice long walk around the track, and things look nice. i start the bike up and get ready to go out for my class's practice. When i start up the bike radiator fluid starts shooting out of the overflow tube. Not dripping, shooting. So at this point we were fucked. no way i was going to be riding a bike that was shooting coolant out of it, basically emptying out the system. So after that we take the bike back to the shop for the second time now. i tell them that after consolting with a mechanic ( Lone ) that it seems that the head gasket is the problem. so naturally they take a look at it, fill it up with anti freeze, ride it around the shop, and say that its fine the way it is, but give us a $700 laundary list of other things that should be done to the bike, such as new front tire, new hand grips, and new fork seals.

So now when i get the bike back from that round in the shop, it is still shooting ratiator fluid from the overflow tube onto the ground. Needless to say i am kind of upset at this point, because then charge us for the bike, saying it is fine, and then give it back to us still not working right. So now, we take it back to the shop this past weekend, because at this point there is now radiator fluid leaking from the cylinder head itself, and sho it to the people at the shop. to which they kind of scratch their head and say, oh yea, guess you were right.

So fast forward to today, when they call us. not the call i wanted to get. when they cracked upen the engine to look at it, apparently they kind of winced. The list of things they gave us that should be done to the bike totals about $3000. New piston, new piston rings, new valves, new valve rockers, new timing chain, new cylender head. Basically, the bike that cost me about $2400 to get, is now going to cost me $3000 to fix. Ergo, it is not worth the investment. Me, dad, and mom kind of agree that it would not be the best idea to get it fixed. We are going to have them replace the head gasket, and grind the head down so that it mounts back flush, and call it done.

Ultimately this means that my bike will die eventually, much sooner than i had hoped that it would. The mechanics say that it sould be good for about 3 races, which i equate to about 15-20 hours of riding. I feel toward my bike the same way someone does toward a pet, and this makes me feel as though someone has told me my pet has a terminal illness, and that there is nothing that they can do to help. Its kind of a weird feeling that i really havent felt before, but idk. In the end it is only a bike, but like i said i have grown to be quite attatched to him.

#firstworldproblems

p.s., yes my bike is a guy, people who know me know i only ride guys :P

p.p.s. i know there there is prolly typos everywhere in that.