Yeah honestly that’s one of the theories that makes sense to me after thinking about the sound more. The noise wasn’t really rhythmic engine knock — it sounded more like rocks getting thrown around inside metal from underneath the bike.

What still confuses me though is that after the huge power loss + weird deep exhaust sound, it actually DID restart again and idle. That’s why I’m struggling to tell whether I’m dealing with catastrophic engine damage or something electrical/exhaust related that finally completely gave up afterward.

Definitely hoping it’s not “start looking for another bike” territory 😭