zxr400L1 engine noise!!! plz help

[wilko7]

hi
been doing up my zxr 400 4 some time
2 day after bleeding brakes i decided take up road
wen i pulld on drive left ticking ove 2 minjs latter
a loudish knockin/tapping is coming from top end i think......
have took rocer cover off and found like half a washer ( what looks like)
shes done 28,000 miles and im just stuk as iv looked every where 2seen where it could have come from
cheecked all valves and that but any ideas???
and where 2 start lookin in mornin ?

[cargo]

A photo of the offending part would help

[wilko7]

here are the pieces iv found
the outside diameter is aprox 15mm maybe
inside diameter aprox 12mm
and the thicknes is aprox 1.5 mm
found around piston 2 valve area in oil.
i think its on every forth stroke
tapping/knockind carries on through the rev range not that iv took it over 3500 rpm cus its a very loud noise.

[RedexRobB]

Looks like its the very top of one of the valve springs to me.

[wilko7]

valve has snapped
bin snapped for sum tym da aprently as iv tuk head i 2day and been told head is scrap
knockin was a piece of the valve seal smashing into the head
soooo shes mashed at mo
shud have engine on way tho
will a l8 lump fit in l1?

[RedexRobB]

thought thats what it looked like, unlucky, first time ive ever seen one of them go on a road bike.

But to answer your question, yes an L8 lump will fit in

[wilko7]

so what usually causes it just being road hard or ?

[RedexRobB]

or someone has been warming it up off the rev limiter

I dont know to be honest, there is a failure rate on any component. It may well be that the spring was beyond the service limit (its length) and finally took its toll?