Ok so I discovered my viffer is leaking oil, not constantly but after running it and then stopping about a teaspoon or less will come out. While searching for the source I found the front left top engine mount on the actual engine block was snapped and had been badly bodged at some point. There is a tiny 1-2mm hole thats the source of the oil leak right next to it which for a temporary fix I will try and jb weld till I can afford a set of gaskets and a new front head.

Generally though, how common is this? I know my bike in the past has been thrown and flipped down the road. There are markings on the frame and tank to prove this much. As far as I can tell the rest of the engine mounts are all in great order but should I be worried about this stressing the rest of the frame or mounts? I do have a set of the R&G crash protectors (the type 2 that fit to an additional mount) so offhand I can't remember if this will help in any way or not?

Cheers

Ian

It`s more common than you think - it`s a factor of the NC30 frame design that if the bike gets front ended the main rails spring outwards and because the mounts on the front cylinder head are cast into the outer wall of the water jacket and therefore not well supported they will often suffer damage, ranging from a slight crack to being physically torn out of the head. You will need to fix it but the only thing likely to suffer in the meantime is the head which is already damaged.

This is the reason why, when you start searching, you will find that there are 4 times as many secondhand rear heads for sale as there are fronts...

You don't necessarily have to bin the Head Watafu, if it's a 'clean' break, you can get it welded.

I would be more concerend about the frame,
I've seen heads replaced only to find the mounting holes don't line up.

And yes the heads can be welded.

hunter wrote:I would be more concerned about the frame, I've seen heads replaced only to find the mounting holes don't line up . . .

That could easily be checked before the head/engine was removed though.
Frames can also be 're-aligned', as long as the distortion isn't too bad.