Originally Posted by
breakdirt916
yep...I forgot about that!
that could possibly explain your woes...the crank bearings are gone, and that's what's causing the piston to move off-center, and shattering that piston skirt
this is why I did a whole overhaul on the RM engine - new transmisison bearings, new crank bearings, machined the cases to fit perfectly, trued the crank to spin straight, replaced all the seals, washers, spacers, fasteners, drilled out any oval holes, re-rounded them, and burned in new seals, new water impeller...everything.
after taking the thing apart, I realized that inside of a 2-stroke is delicate, and all the parts need to be in full operational shape and working in harmony for me to be confident that something doesn't explode causing an even more expensive repair.
but regardless, I'm glad you learned a thing or two...now you just need to cast the net wide, keep showing the bike to as many people as posisble, and find someone who can't tell a loose crank bearing from a loose brake lever, and will just buy it because it runs.