Today is a sad day. I just got the word that my 2000 996S is most likely beyond repair. While stored in my shed over the winter, a mouse got into my air box and built a nest. The resulting excrement that dripped down my throttle bodies and into the cylinders and pistons corroded it so much that it is probably cheaper for my insurance to write it off than to repair. In 1999, I purchased my first real motorcycle, a '99 M900. I loved that bike. Unfortunately it couldn't quite hold up to the VERY large truck that turned into me. I decided that I had to have my dream bike. I found the 996S for a very reasonable price and my wife drove me (still on crutches) 3,600 miles round trip to go pick it up. I've had it ever since, and it was still in great (though well ridden) condition. I didn't modify it too heavily...Ti Termis, Ti Clutch basket, and assorted other pieces. It was (and still may be) in my eyes the most beautiful motorcycle ever built. It's a shame what a mouse can do. Oh, well. That is life. If I can find something positive in this situation, it is that lately I've noticed that as I get a little older, having a Superbike as my only motorcycle probably isn't the wisest choice. I think it may be time to go back to my roots. The Monster 1200S(R?) is calling me back.
Nothing is impossible to repair on 996 mate, take it to bits and rebuild it, good excuse to tune the engine as well. I've seen a lot worse bikes get turned into minters.
Jeezus alive, a friggin mouse gets in your engine, takes a dump and the bikes written off. You couldn't write that stuff. I cant imagine explaining that to any insurer !! God know what damage a larger creature could do, what would happen if the likes of a badger had a kwik krap in there. Stuart
Trust me...it wasn't a call I wanted to make. They had to send someone out to look at it. He just stood there, jaw open and shaking his head.
I remember an rc45 owner looking lots or parts due to a mouse attack. Also knew a guy who had a rat living in his car, the fecker used to appear at very odd times,
My old Volvo was parked outside the school a bus clipped it and the insurance company let me buy it back for ten percent of the market value. I sorted it myself with second hand bits. Maybe you could try and do a deal with them and do the same or offer the bike for sale on here to somebody who’s interested in fixing it.
If the insurance write it off it won't be worth much at all, shame as it's a factory mono posto 996s by the looks of it.
Are the pistons and valves corroded as well? Would the insurance assessor know without taking it apart. You might find most of that corrosion is above the throttle butterfly valve. In which case you can remove the throttle bodies and work at cleaning them up. My 748 had been standing for 8 years or so and the throttles were seized closed with corrosion from moisture - admittedly not as bad as mouse wee/s**t. I thought I'd have to get some replacement ones they were that bad but as I had nothing to lose I tried to clean them up and see if I could fix them. The result was yes. They now work perfectly albeit a bit marked from the corrosion. If it's just the throttle bodies get out all the loose crap with a vacuum cleaner so it doesn't drop onto the valves. Remove them and rub the corrosion with vinegar and aluminium foil, it works a treat. Even if it has got inside the cylinder I can't believe its so bad it can't be fixed, that's a cracking bike you've got there. Even if it is red! ;-)
The shop pulled off the throttle bodies and yes, there is corrosion that has entered the cylinder. They're guessing it has attacked the pistons also. Known costs are already pushing up against pay-off costs, and they won't know the extent of the damage unless they pull the heads off. Current thought is they will probably make me an offer rather than getting into more money with the repair facility just for inspection. I'd like to buy it back then sell it to someone who could get it running again. I'd hate to see it go to the junk pile. Really just depends what's best financially. It is definitely repairable...just at what cost?
Depends on how much you want the bike back...just thrown about 2.5k at an engine rebuild on mine (grit got in the crank and siezed it) it now looks better than when it was built (in that the paint will actually fucking stay on the engine after a shower) plus there were a few internal upgrades too.... Oh and for the record i consider it money well spent...
Just a quick question here, which insurer do you use. I may need to look into changing as I have read all the small print in my policy and nowhere does it mention I am insured against a mouse dumping in/on my bike. Got alarm bells ringing now seeing as how mice/elephants/blue whales/badgers could potentially colonise my bike and I'd be in the sh!t (no pun intended) Stuart
If the insurance get involved the bike wont be worth half of what it would be normally, your just better off bitting the bulit and get it fixed yourself , there no way id write a bike off just for the sake of an engine rebuild, but its your bike! just seems like a waste to have it written off over something thats easy fixable.
Seems I had a lucky escape as some years ago I discovered a mouse nest in the air filter of my 900ss. No damage to anything other than the filter luckily and once caught the mice were successfully re-homed in a field near home. I once also had a mouse living in a car I had, a convertible TVR. I guess it climbed in while the roof was down . I did the sensible thing and got a Cane Toad to catch it, what could possibly go wrong .....
I'd buy the mouse actually. With sh!t n pee that deadly I'm sure its gotta be worth collecting it and selling it to the military. Stuart
I suppose it depends whether you can do the work yourself, over time, or need to pay a dealer labour charges to do it all for you. It's a shame because it's a good looking bike and could always be resprayed yellow ;-)
