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Whiskerfish wrote:
Take slight tension with the jack and remove the "removable frame section" from the left side of the bike. The cross bolt may require some adjustment of the jack. When the frame section is gone you need to wiggle the engine out of the mounts on the right hand side so it can move forward a hair to disconnect the driveshaft. If the fuel tank is installed the engine will not have clearance to go up high enough to get clear of the right hand mounts. you need to work it down and forward. It only takes like a 1/4 inch to seperate the drive shaft.

please forgive me, i have but a california pubilc school education, this isn't clear to me. am i correct in my interpretation that if the tank is out one need only lift the engine straight up then out to the left, else it must be worked forward and down?

That sounds about right. With the tank out you'd have a lot more working space, but if all you are doing is the engine the tank is too much trouble to remove. In that case you have to drop it a bit and jiggle.

The first time I removed a GL engine I tried using a floor jack like the book says and nearly dropped it.
Inexpensive lifts like the one WF used weren't invented yet so the next time I used a flat furniture dolly.
This is basically a piece of heavy plywood with casters on the bottom. No home should be without one. Two people can move just about any piece of furniture with it without hurting their backs. Short couches can be moved through doorways easily, standing on end on the dolly.
You will need to make a second dolly for the house after you get the first one oily in the shop.

- Put the bike on the centre stand and roll the dolly under the engine.
- Place wood blocking between the dolly & the engine so that the dolly just supports the engine's weight.
- Disconnect everything as WF showed.
- When you have removed the last bolt get a helper to push down on the back end of the bike and roll the engine out. You will probably need to jiggle it a bit and move it forward a bit.
In a pinch you could even work on the engine on the dolly instead of lifting it onto the bench.

If you are stripping out the bike it's even easier (this is how we took the original engine out of Mr. Honda):
- Strip as much off of the back end of the bike as possible (wheel, bags, anything heavy) before starting, but leave the front wheel & forks intact.
- With the engine supported and everything disconnected or removed per WF's instructions, simply lift the back end of the bike up, move it sideways until it is clear of the engine and sit it back down on the stand.

If the frame is being scrapped it can be even easier (this is how we took Mr. Honda's engine out of the written off bike):
- Strip off everything you want to keep. (put support under the engine before you remove the front wheel &c).
- Disconnect & remove everything per WF's instructions.
- Stand up and kick the empty frame over to the right side.
If you don't feel like kicking it you could lift the frame off, but I had my right wrist in a cast at the time so kicking it was safer ;-)

Hello. Im back from my fishing trip,took an extended stay because the old gl ran so good. one thing that im gonna do right away is to get rid of that noisy primary chain wich means im going through the entire engine.any advice where to get new parts such as bearings,valve springs, internal engine stuff.

I hope you have $3k to $4k for the rebuild as that is what it will cost you. I suggest you find a low mileage engine.

I am 100% new to mechanic work, as well as Motorcycles. This site is so amazing. I am not afraid, because of my club. So I have a 79 gl 1000. I am breaking entire bike down, mainly to learn, then I can powdercoat (not me) or paint, (maybe me) my frame. With everything off it I can still compression test it. What does it mean when someone has a bad engine? What do I need to do do figure out if I need to seek out a low mileage? How can I tell if my engine only has 44k like the speedometer says? I know its difficult teaching someone like me, but I am greatful.

So I'm about to put one back IN! I'm expecting to work in reverse from these instructions, and the Clymer I have gives a step by step process.

Any other tips for engine REPLACEMENT?

Not really. make sure the rubber is on the driveshaft housing and get the driveshaft started before getting the engine into final position.

Don't forget to lube the spline to the drive shaft! I'm right there with you..if I get all the crud of the old gasket off tonight, I'll be re-installing tomorrow..

Hey Whiskerfish,

Great thread, thanks for all your work putting it together!

It was nice to meet you and the other guys at your Mid Ohio booth (I was the one who donated the white Bates saddlebags)...

I'm just beggining my '76 restoration and I used the furniture dolly method to remove the good motor from my '77...it worked like a charm...Harbor Freight sells perfectly-sized small dollies for $9.99...I should have bought two, cause now I need to pull the frozen motor from my '76 to get ready for insertion of the '77.

Now that I have the motor out, what engine maintenance should I do before re-installing it in my '76?

(I've ordered a pair of Gates T274 timing belts so far....)

Finally, would there be any use for a '77 frame, maybe to cut out some of the tube sections to use for repairs? (it has no title, the left engine bar where the side stand mounts is cracked badly...)?

Depends on your finances and how long you plan to keep your project after it is done. If I were building one to keep I would change the Water pump and the Neutral switch and the thermostat while it is out. Depending on the mileage of the replacement and how they sound maybe replace the Timing belt tensioners or the bearing in the tensioners. The tensioners should be very very quiet and not dry sounding. Also read out the Stator with an Ohm Meter to make sure it is good.

For engine moving and storage I have found it relatively easy to move them from the dolly to a standard Cinder block. The sit nice and stable on one and can be worked on easily if you happen to have any laying around.

And thank you for the Donation. They did not move that weekend but did provide lots of good discussions!!

Thanks for the good advice...I'll study up on those items here in the Tech Discussions...

Do you have a good source for purchasing the water pump, thermostat and neutral switch, or should I just use Bikebandit or my dealer?

The donor motor only has about 50k miles. I have plans for a cafe bike and will be doing all the work myself to save money so I will be tapping into NGW and it's wealth of knowledge and information

The white bags have found a new home.

And they made another donation to NGW.

Gord

Good deal!

thanks for such a great write up everytime i think about doing anything to my bike i check this site first, thanks everyone for all the hard work that you have done