Anyone pull an engine by themselves?

[jmlcolorado]

Also keep in mind you gotta put it back in too! When reinstalling (i know this is about removal but whatever... ) i wrap my frame tubes with rags and tape em on good. That way when your motor scrapes its happy ass across the frame, it wont ruin the paint.

I just pulled mine out with the "Hulk Punch" method but ive done MAJOR mode to the frame so its all going to get repainted anyways. Once i go to stab it back in, ill buy a case of beer and invite the neighbor over for a "BBQ" .......but little does he know.

Just make sure you dont clear the case of beer BEFORE you jimmy the engine back in.

[rudy]

Not to shoot all you guys down, but there's an easier way to do it. Levers, hydraulics, and wheels. Most of us have a hydraulic bike lift, or know someone who will lend one for an afternoon. I guess a tranny lift would work in a pinch too, or modify a regular floor jack to have a little bigger lifting pad. The important part is that it needs wheels and a lifting arm.


I'll use the bike lift for my illustration:

Ok, what you want to do is get the engine ready to come out. Carbs, exhaust, chain, breather cap, all that nice stuff. Put it up on the center stand (or paddock stands) and undo the majority of the mounting bolts as well. Leave two easy ones, usually the back one and front one are easiest.

Get your lift and bring it in from the right (GS1000 & 750, dunno about the rest). Put a few pieces of old 2x4, that you should have laying around anyway, on the lift under the oil pan. Lift it up slightly, enough to pull the remaining bolts out. (If you don't want your frame scratched, tape rags or cardboard or whatever to the frame where you're taking the engine out.) A helping hand is nice to keep the engine steady as it may wiggle around a bit as you remove the mounting bolts, but its not a must.

With the rest of the bolts out, pump the lift up until the cam cover is about a 1/2" away from the top tube, make sure everything will clear, wheel that hassie on out until your wood hits the inside of the frame. (This is where the cardboard comes in) Set the engine down on the frame while holding the engine (the further you bring it out the first time, the easier it is to hold), push the lift back in a bit and lift again and wheel it out some more. The engine should now be sitting just past it's halfway mark.

Lower the lift, bring the wood to the outside of the frame and lift the engine again, wheel it all the way out and you're done! It's that easy.

Once you've done it once or twice you can swap an engine in about 5 minutes with little or no effort. It's honestly just as easy to remove as it is to install, and with the lift there already, it makes the mounting bolt install that much easier.


Just so you guys know, I've tried the lay down method in and out. Have also tried the Hulk method, complete with getting very angry with pinched and bleeding fingers and a sore back. If you have a lift, it's not worth the aggravation to do it any other way. I showed this method to a buddy of mine and he just about fell over he couldn't believe how easy and quick it was.

[LarryA_Texas]

Not to shoot all you guys down, but there's an easier way to do it. Levers, hydraulics, and wheels.

.... I showed this method to a buddy of mine and he just about fell over he couldn't believe how easy and quick it was.

Well, sure. If you want to use TOOLS.

(secretly envious of your ingenuity)

Thanks for the tip. I no longer fear engine removal...as much.

[Paul_IOFJS]

Step-by-step engine removal

Step-by-step engine removal

Step 1: stop at store on way home from work.

Step 2: purchase 12 pack of beer (be it lager or ale, as long as it's something your friends like)

Step 3: knock on neighbor's door and invite him over to enjoy said beer

Step 4: suddenly "remember" that you need help removing engine from bike (or car, or truck, or boat, etc.)

Step 5: using two-man hulk method remove said engine

Step 6: enjoy said beer with said neighbor while griping about said engine removal.

See, that wasn't so hard, was it?

Paul

[madjack57754]

Now for something completely different.
I use a sling wraped around the base of the cylinders and a come-a-long atached to a handy garage rafter. Undo the mounts, take the top breather off then start lifting. Wiggle and shake the sling as you lift and the lump will start turning then tips forwardas the center of gravity changes. Slowly freeing itself from the cradle. Roll the chassis away and there you go no muss, no fuss. Best of all your not out of breath and the skin on the knuckles is still all intact

[Smokinapankake]

I used the layover on its side method on my 82 1000 with no trouble at all. No scratched frames, no broken fins, no bloody fingers. BUT... I laid my engine into one of those big laundry detergent buckets like you get at Costco. Seemed about the right height as the frame was resting on jackstands at the time. I plan to use the same method in reverse to put it back in.

[RJ]

OK Madjack, I get the part about lifting the engine up with the comealong, but how do just roll the chassis away? Is the sling brought from the side of the engine for a sort of diagonal lift?

[Giblet]

And pay attention to which side the engine is designed to come out on. It's important....

Just did it. Thought about the on the side method, but I was able to Conan it out through the right side. It's heavy, but not THAT heavy.

Jacked up the engine and wrestled it out the right side and flopped on to a 4 inch thick piece of construction type foam block.

RIGHT SIDE?!?!?!?! NOW you tell me! Where were you guys last Saturday?!?!?!? Good thing it was only the lower end or I'd be in traction.

[madjack57754]

Yup, Come in to the right side of the backbone and when the engine is hanging,I just drag/pull the roller off to one side a bit then a couple more tugs on the come a long, and the chassis can be rolled away

[Don-lo]

Here is my idea for removing a motor, but I haven't had a chance lately to try it. Use a barbell bar (solid steel, 1", 5 ft long, found in basement or garage sales) and suspend it from the ceiling with 2 come-alongs. Take it through the frame, above the motor, with the motor close to one end of the bar. Attach the motor to the bar so it can slide (clamps through the intake mounts? tie-down straps?). Raise the motor with the come-alongs. Even if it not perfectly balanced, the majority of the weight will be suspended. Guide the motor out by sliding along the bar, and lowering after clear. If the bar wants to swing, it can be anchored. If the bar is suspended from the floor (no come-alongs), the bike can be raised/lowered by inflating/deflating tires or by jacks on the frame.

It should be a one man operation, without the resulting disk operation.