xsjohn how do you do it? motor removal

weekendrider

Morning john you joked before about your bike having a zipper to get the motor out. Your last mod got me to wondering. How do you take your motor out? I'm sure you've got it down to a refined art. Would you describe?

xsjohn

I remove everything but the bottom center motormount...leaving the airboxes alone...then rock the motor forward and the carbs come right out.....motor comes out right side..... back in the frame is just the opposite.......bottom motor mount and rock the motor forward then put the carbs on and rock it back so the carbs go into the airbox..........

As far as the last mod......I plan to run it this way till the chain gets loose again then go back to the single gasket .....stock...and do it again.....59 K now...there are things I like about the two gaskets and things I don't like........maybe it's just the bit of zip gone which I didn't use much anyway.......these things can make you mental........does seem to run cooler and I don't feel so stressed in traffic....took a bit of a trip yesterday and got 55 to the gallon.......the two gaskets dropped the compression from 150 to 135.......still pulls the 18/29.....so it can't be all that bad.....

Not sure this is even a mod.......it could be best described as a throw together without changing the chain.....maybe save a few bucks and the engine being less stressed may run a little longer withouth using the zipper so much.....but then again this thing has so many miles on it so it may be hard to judge.......just thought I would try it cause I could....I'm a dick with anyway.....

xsjohn

weekendrider

Are you lifting it out? Or laying down on the side?

xsjohn

Lifting it out....never tried laying it down......find some kids or at least another set of hands and it's best to leave the kickstart lever on for leverage......watching the rotor and the electric starter screw........

...xsjohn

weekendrider

Another set of hands at the least. The very least. Ouch my back just thinking about it.

5twins · Full Member Joined: Aug 05, 2006 Posts: 1616

Just looking at that lump of a motor, I could see there was really nothing to get a good grip on. I fabbed up some pipe "handles" that bolt to the front and rear motor mounts. This allows my helper and I to lift the motor like a stretcher. I've pulled a couple so far and it works great.

Retiredgentleman

I like 5twins method, must be easier on back and knees.

Cooltouch

Nice solution, 5-twins.

For me, my only helper is my wife and my 17yo daughter. If I were to ask my wife to help pull the motor, she would just look at me funny. My daughter would be game, but at about 100 lb, I wouldn't ask her.

I have a bad back that gives me fits when I try to lift something that's too heavy. And since I don't have any helpers handy, I lay the bike on its side to pull the motor. I remove the peg brackets, shifter, kickstarter, pipes, and carbs first. Unbolt the motor mounts. Drain the oil first!

I lay a collapsed cardboard box down on the pavement, and tip the bike over onto the cardboard, then just wiggle the motor back and forth and it drops right out. Very easy to do if there's only one of you.

To get the motor on top of my workbench, I use a two-wheeled dolly to position the motor close to the work bench, then I use a chain hoist hooked to a nylon tow strap wrapped around the cylinder block to lift it up there.

If you've got a messed up back, it's worth the extra trouble doing it this way.

Best,

ichael

hal0tw0

xsjonh 135#s lifting up a 100# motor. you guys are wussies!

weekendrider

cooltouch how do you have your hoist rigged up? A rafter? Several with a slider rail? An A frame?

xsjohn

weekendrider....earlier in this post I said there was things I didn't like about this crazy extra head gasket thing.......since the valves are slightly advanced now and the compression is slightly lower I figured it needed less fuel.........duh wrong....it's pulling more air down low... (duh).....turned the mix screws out from where they were before this instead of in and now it chugs like planned..............just when you think you know what you are doing you get blindsided by ignorance........thank god for screws you can turn......and plunking around the plugs are cleaner now......and it seems to run a bit cooler.......
xsjohn

Cooltouch

weekendrider wrote:

cooltouch how do you have your hoist rigged up? A rafter? Several with a slider rail? An A frame?

In the past, I've used a home-built A-frame to pull engines out of cars with a hoist, but I didn't feel like building one this time.

If you have exposed rafters in your garage, they should work. If you weigh close to 200 lb, just hang from one and if it doesn't make funny noises or break, you'll be okay.

I don't have exposed rafters in my garage, though. But I have a carport with Steel C-channel as support beams. I was somewhat worried I would deform the C-channel with the hoist's hook, so I set a piece of scrap angle-iron in the channel to spread out the load.

Next I dragged my B&D workmate whatchamacallit work bench out of the garage, used the hoist to get the motor on the bench, then dragged it back in. Where there's a will there's a way.

Best,

ichael

xs1961

I just straddle the bike & lift it out to the right holding the kickstart & l/h casing onto a 6" block of wood..Easy,never dropped one yet (Touch 6" block. of wood..) installation reverse procedure.. Same method on all my bikes inc fours...Been lucky , a few strains that wear off after a day... Wink

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