"How stuffed am I?"

Can anyone diagnose the problem that might cause the
following symptoms?

1. "rough" sounding engine
2. low oil level
3. a bit of white smoke from the exhausts after running for a couple
of minutes.
4. Engine cut out when I got to work due to 2 - it
was fine when I checked it at the weekend, though.

It looks pretty nasty to me (piston rings?) and I was wondering
roughly how much the bill for this one might set me back.
Thanks.

 

£750 to £752

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, flash

Look, if you can't give an accurate figure, just butt out. OK?

What bike is it?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Manufacturer of the "Champion-105" range of rearsets
and Ducati Race Engineer.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
ZZR1100, Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"

 

Anywhere between around £30 for a 50cc 2T to several hundred for a
Brough Superior. Or to put it another way, it's a little hard to say
without knowing what bike it is!

 

Sorry - I was a bit rushed and forgot to add that.
Triumph Trident 750, 1992.

 

I wouldn`t immediately think of rings, oil usually burns bluish rather than
white.

Check your water for oil, it might be a blown head gasket.

Someone remind me, the `92 Trident is water cooled innit?

 

OK - thanks.
Is that likely to be expensive?

It is indeed.

 

Krusty says...

I heard a scooter dealer quoting a customer 450 quid for a top end
rebuild of a Vespa ET4 yesterday. Robbing ****.

 

50 quid for parts & labour, 400 quid for the shame of having to touch a
Vespa - seems reasonable to me.

 

It's a diesel, and it's fine.