SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - 1999 Black naked SV650 with engine problem

OK here's the deal, I was going to get this issue sorted before selling the bike (I bought an R1 before this problem developed so the intention was to sell anyway), but having just come back from a 2 week holiday I've got shed loads of uni work to do in the next 3 or 4 months so I can't see me having the time to work on the bike :(.

Basically I was riding on a run with a bunch of other guys when I thought there was a noise from the engine, but I wasn't sure as I obviously I had my helmet on but also had ear plugs and some of the other guys bikes had loud exhausts. The engine was still running fine and the noise disappeared so I thought I'd imagined it and carried on. A few miles down the road I could feel a loss of power and the noise returned. On stopping to investigate the noise was coming from the camshaft area on the front cylinder. We briefly considered trying to fix it by the roadside but then quickly decided it would be a better idea to call recovery. So I got the bike towed back to my place and it's been parked up ever since.

I removed the battery to stop it dying, and also removed the radiator to get access to the front cylinder cam cover. I then discovered I didn't have the appropriate sockets to remove the cam cover, and haven't had the time to do anything to it since :(.

So basically not having the time to strip anything at all off the engine, I have no idea what's wrong with it. I did however drain the oil and there were absolutely no signs of any metal filings or anything else that shouldn't be there, so I don't think anything within the block has broken. The oil level wasn't low either so I don't know what caused the problem. Between the clean oil and noise from the top end I'm guessing it's a top end problem on the front cylinder, but I can't confirm anything.

Other than that the bike was running great. The specs are below:

99 V-reg, 42,000 miles
9 months MOT and road tax
HPI clear
Renthal gold handlebars
Clear mini indicators
Crash bungs fitted (unused of course!)
Carbon-fibre look rear hugger
Pyramid front fender extender
Stainless steel braided brake hoses
Uprated progressive front fork springs
Chain and sprocket have plenty of life left
Bridgestone BT020 tyres with lots of tread
Brake discs and pads have plenty of life left
It has recently had a new rectifier fitted (common failure on the SV650)
Major service 2,000 miles ago (coolant, spark plugs, brake fluid, valve clearances, etc).
I had just given it a mini service about 500 miles before the problem occurred: replaced the oil and filter, and fitted a new air filter.

So I'm considering selling it as a project for someone, hopefully it'll be an easy fix for someone with the right knowledge to get it back onto the road quickly. It's all road legal, everything else is OK so it just needs the engine problem sorted and it's good to go.

Anyway I'm willing to let this go for £700, I reckon before the problem it would be more like £1000. So could be a substantial saving for someone who knows how to work on this engine. I've seen complete working engines going for £150 so parts aren't expensive -- if I had the time I'd try fixing it myself. If there's no interest I'll probably hold onto it a little longer and try making a few hours here and there to work on it.

I'm in Edinburgh but can probably arrange transport within a reasonable distance, if you're interested drop me a PM to discuss. I had posted pics but they're a little too big so PM me and I'll e-mail em to anyone interested - it's too late at night to be resizing etc!