engine swap m400 --- m900

[samuraibiker]

hey guys

i am putting an m900 engine into my m400... have all the goodies now and am ready to rip

i cant find any threads on the best way to go about this ( from start to finish )...any pointers?

seasons greetings

mike

[Speeddog]

Get a selection of ziplock bags and storage containers and a couple big storage bins.

Bag and tag fasteners and small parts.

Take lots of pictures as you go.

Take lots of notes.

[samuraibiker]

hey speeddog

deffo going to do that...

have ordered the haynes manual

bought an engine hoist and stand too

but was wondering if things needs to be disconnected in any specific order?

[SpikeC]

 When I pulled and replaced an engine in my duck engined bike I just started with the neg battery terminal and then disconnected what was closest to me and easiest until everything was done. There aren't any tricks to it that I ran into.

[MonsterMadMarty]

I start from the top & work down once you get to the engine & all it's bolt on goodies are off I move around to the back.  As Speeddog mentioned, lots of photos & tag the bags.

With regards to taking photos I have a white work top I place the parts on, then I lay out the bolts, washers, nuts in the order they go & have a metal ruler at the bottom of every shot as I then place all the bolts in a small bucket & take them for re-plating (easier than cleaning them yourself & they come back nice & shiny). 

[samuraibiker]

good advice guys!

metal ruler is a brilliant idea...i have often been left with bolts of different length not knowing which one goes in which hole.

if i dont run into any problems, what is the approximate time to get the engine out ? thinking about starting this week as its the start of the winter hols

[SpikeC]

 I had mine out in an afternoon, however it was the first time. That is why it took so long....

[pitbull]

I'm pretty much a mechanical moron.

A few years back 6th gear went on my 01 900 after 100,000 km's. I prospect of splitting the cases and trying to fix it myself was very daunting and I likely would have had to pay someone to fix my screw up. there was no sense in splitting the cases on that high a mileage bike and not doing a total refresh, so the prospect became even more worrisome.

A cheap, low mile, fantastic condition 01 900 motor came up for sale and I bought it and swapped it myself. In fact I stripped the bike right down, PC'd the frame and swapped in SBK forks as well. for a mechanical moron it was a pretty simple job.

I simply built a wooden engine stand, propped the bike on it and started taking it apart with, as others have advised, lots of pictures and lots of bagging.

[samuraibiker]

hey pitbull and spike

encouraging words..thanks!

i got a ducati engine stand and an engine hoist.... bought zillions of ziplock bags and tupperware containers

i have done a vespa engine swap dozens of times but they are like lego

here goes nothing!

[Bergweiserus]

An engine swap!!   AWESOME.  I am jealous of the project you have ahead of you.  Sounds like you are prepared.

I turned my '99 M750 into a M900 (94 engine with V2 stamps & Nichols flywheel) back in 2005.  Was probably the most fun work I've ever done on a bike.  Easy overall...just a lot of disassembly, cleaning and then assembly.

Nice that you have an engine lift; I hung the rear end of the frame also.  Sat on my butt with my legs (quads) cradling the 750 engine while my dad yanked the mounting bolts out.  It plopped down on my legs and I scooched it out from under the bike and onto a sheet of plywood nearby.   Then, to insert the 900, I did the reverse!  Placed it in my lap and scooched myself & the engine into proper position, lifted it up, my dad stuck the mounting bolts in & voila!  It became a 900    

But, before I installed the 900, I did a head-stud replacement on it with A.P.E. head studs.  You may want to look at doing that....another great learning exercise.

Speeddog is right about the containers, pictures and notes.  I had everything laid out on the garage floor in the order that I removed it.

The only real pain in the ass was getting the left-hand pinch bolt out of the swingarm - a slack chain had taken a lot of the head off that bolt and I had nothing to grab onto.  I think I was able to back it out with vicegrips from underneath or something....I can't completely remember.

Good luck and have fun!

[xcanuc]

Too bad you are so far away. I would help you out. It is pretty simple really. Just take your time and label and you will do it no problem.

A trick I use is place items on a white board laying down and you can write notes on it and do drawings to help me remember.