Engine swap

[Flaming Chainsaws]

Maybe this is a dumb idea but this is for my cafe project and I thought it would be perfect.

How hard would it be to swap my 1980 Suzuki GS450L engine with a GS400 or GS425 engine? I would love to have a kick starter and eliminate the need for a starter motor and battery (or at least a smaller battery).

I do not care about having less cc. Just looking to shave a little weight. Besides, the 400 and 425 engines are better with their roller bearing crank .

Stupid idea? Or not?

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

This forces us to either be nice or hurt your feelings.
A good working electrical system negates the need for a kicker.

But then I would try to get a gr 650 motor in the frame.

 

[tkent02]

Do it, and I think you can get some displacement back with parts from other engines. There have been a few threads about it recently.
I will be removing the starter from my 550/699 clone cafe racer, to be able to lose the battery and gain tool storage space where the starter used to be. A big capacitor in place of the battery and you are styling, however you will need a tight clean electrical system to run without the battery. If you tune it properly it will always start in a stroke or two. My old 750 would always start first try, hot or cold, using a hand on the kick starter only. Same thing if you gave a flick with your fingernail on the starter button. A maltuned cold blooded pig would be a real bitch. Kicking away at the side of the road while the Harely guys go potato potato on down the road would suck.
Fortunately the 550 has the kick start already.

 

[Flaming Chainsaws]

This forces us to either be nice or hurt your feelings.
A good working electrical system negates the need for a kicker.

But then I would try to get a gr 650 motor in the frame.

I rode a friend's CB450 earlier this week. There is no electronic ignition at all. No battery, no starter motor, no start button. Just a kick starter.

And I thought that was pretty awesome.

Let's make this clear. I am not a fan of the bigger bikes. My bikes of choice are under 500cc so the GR650 is out.

 

[Flaming Chainsaws]

Do it, and I think you can get some displacement back with parts from other engines. There have been a few threads about it recently.

Yeah, maybe get the cc's back up to 450 if I do the swap .

To my understanding, the GS400 and GS425 engine will bolt right in to my 1980 GS450L frame. So this should be an easy project.

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

You would especially like a mid 50s british twin then!
Thhey have kick starters too and a posh magneto.

I guess a smaller cc bike is easy to kick over.
I just think of doing it in a stressful situation like a busy intersection in 30 degree weather.

 

[SVSooke]

Yeah, maybe get the cc's back up to 450 if I do the swap .

To my understanding, the GS400 and GS425 engine will bolt right in to my 1980 GS450L frame. So this should be an easy project.

Having a later 400 (same bottom end as the 450) in a roller bottom frame I can tell you it's not direct drop in.The lower and front mounts do not line up.Would not be hard to fab brackets to do this but it's not just bolt in either.

 

[Flaming Chainsaws]

Having a later 400 (same bottom end as the 450) in a roller bottom frame I can tell you it's not direct drop in.The lower and front mounts do not line up.Would not be hard to fab brackets to do this but it's not just bolt in either.

Awww man. I can fab brackets and weld them in though.

 

[SVSooke]

Never checked other things you got to think about.Like do sprockets line up?Or what spacers you would need on the rear mount.I'm not a swap guy so it wasn't something I considered.

 

[Flaming Chainsaws]

Never checked other things you got to think about.Like do sprockets line up?Or what spacers you would need on the rear mount.I'm not a swap guy so it wasn't something I considered.

I've swapped car engines before and most of them were cake.

I thought the GS400/GS425 engines were the same as a GS450. I will need to look into this some more and consider what needs to be done.

Obviously, this will be a future project if I do do it. Maybe this winter.

 

[JEEPRUSTY]

Ahh looking back I remember you igniter and electrics probs.
You have Electricity Anxiety. Many people who first saw a bike with no kicker passed out then woke up crying. Old people proclaimed it was the tribulation. But life went on.

Anyway to do a clutch cover swap with a few tidbits and achieve the same result? To the parts fiche Robin!

 

[850 Combat]

Maybe get one with a kicker for your next project, unless you already need a motor or have the one you want, it seems pretty extreme for what cool factor it may provide.

My brother built a cafe racer out of one of these:

http://www.classicyams.com/race-bikes/productionracers/yamaha-tr2-production-racer.html

His did not have any kick starter or electric. Push only. The boss on the case where the kick shaft might otherwise penetrate the case was not even drilled. He went the Cafe route by starting with a racer and registering it. He ran total loss lighting with a battery in the tail. There was a Krober ignition, but no charging system.

Eventually, his son put an R5 motor in it and riode it to high school. Nobody remembers what happened to it, and there are no photos.

 

[Flaming Chainsaws]

Maybe get one with a kicker for your next project, unless you already need a motor or have the one you want, it seems pretty extreme for what cool factor it may provide.

My brother built a cafe racer out of one of these:

http://www.classicyams.com/race-bikes/productionracers/yamaha-tr2-production-racer.html

His did not have any kick starter or electric. Push only. The boss on the case where the kick shaft might otherwise penetrate the case was not even drilled. He went the Cafe route by starting with a racer and registering it. He ran total loss lighting with a battery in the tail. There was a Krober ignition, but no charging system.

Eventually, his son put an R5 motor in it and riode it to high school. Nobody remembers what happened to it, and there are no photos.

My current engine is just fine. Maybe your right. Next time I will buy a bike that already has a kicker, such as a Honda CB. But where is the fun in that?

 

[Flaming Chainsaws]

I never clicked that link lol. But I should have did so earlier.

Look at the size of the front drum brake!

Amazing bike up there. I'll be happy if I can get something half as nice.

So back to this engine stuff. I found a local 1978 GS400 on craigslist. I'm gonna go check it out sometime and I would love to bring my GS450 somehow. Need to compare both the engines!