Engine Removal Shaft Drive GS1100

[londonboards]

The problem is; do I need to remove the swing arm to undo the shaft drive from the engine?

I have pushed back the rubber boot around the engine shaft drive connection and can barely get a spanner in to undo the 12mm nuts.

Any ideas?

Greetings

[bwringer]

You do indeed use a 12mm ring spanner on those bolts.

It's a bit tedious, but it's the only way.

You might need to try a different spanner -- some are too thick to fit the space available.

Once the bolts are broken loose, it gets a little easier.

Make sure you use Loctite when you reinstall -- those bolts are highly stressed and (obviously) pretty important. If you decide to replace them, order new ones from Suzuki -- they're an oddball length and specially hardened.

[GelandeStrasse]

Taking the swing arm out is quite easy, I'd recommend it. That way way you get to inspect and grease up all the bearings too. Just my 2c

[londonboards]

How do I get the shaft unbolted?

Still not sorted out how to get the shaft drive disconnected before taking out the engine. The rubber boot covers the bolts. How do I get around this:

See my blog here: GS1100 Blog[/URL]









I need to get the gold bolts out but it is proving impossible.

Any ideas?

Greetings

[Steve]

A different spanner that is not quite so offset will do wonders.

Removing the swingarm is not much more than removing the rear wheel, as in doing a tire change.

After removing the wheel, release the brake hose from its clamps, loosen the swingarm pivot bolts, the swingarm will slide right back.

.

[bwringer]

You need a spanner that's not offset, as Steve noted.

Also, you want to remove the black bolts holding the driveshaft to the flange. Do not remove the gold bolts holding the output gear to the engine. In your last photo, your prybar is pointing to and partially covering one of the bolts you need to remove.

Or, remove the swingarm as noted. The rear end of the driveshaft is splined to the final drive, so it just slides out. But I've done this several times without needing to remove the swingarm. In your case, it looks like you've already mostly removed the left swingarm stub axle, so you don't have far to go.

[bwringer]

Now, what will **** you off is if you put the motor back in and forget to put the driveshaft back in first(don't ask me how I know), in that case, I did remove the swingarm in lieu of taking out the motor again, but other than that, I'll stick to theres no reason too aside from painting, or greasing up an old neglected bike.

Yeah, I, um, might have heard that this is really frustrating, too...


Also, one detail -- you'll need to start the bolts moving with a ring spanner, but switch to an open-ended one in order to get them out the rest of the way. There's just barely enough room -- the bolts are a nonstandard length. But there really is room to remove them.

[matt1100]

Once you undo the shaft coupling and engine mounts you can pick the motor from the frame, Just as the manual shows. Its gotta come out the right side, hard lesson learned.

[londonboards]

This is how I did it in the end!

So thanks everyone. I got lots of advice and help that gave me ideas. Unfortunately for me I still had some learning to do. Let me see if I can run you through it:

I didn't know about the splined shaft at the wheel end. I imagined it to be another screw type affair (thanks bwringer). What I was trying to do (in my mind and in reality) was to break the link between the engine and the shaft drive at the universal joint near the engine end of the shaft by undoing the gold bolts (or at least darker bots) that join the shaft to the universal joint. The bolts point (by this I mean the head faces the engine and the threaded end points to the rear wheel) to the back of the bike and can be seen here (the one that the screwdriver head is touching):



My idea was to remove these bolts and then the shaft would be disconected and the engine could be removed. The problem is that without removing the rear swing arm (I didn't want to remove it as I wanted to wheel the bike to the garden to do the engine removal on it side "trick") it is very difficult to get to these bolts and remove them. Well I found it impossible.

See my blog here: Go to my Blog

There were problems so I removed the swing arm to get better access:





Now to get the shaft off. I started on the bolts that go into the engine casing:



This would allow me to get the shaft off surely (and quit calling me Shirley) but I didn't know it was the helical gear housing and not the shaft connector.



And that it would not come out completely as it hits the frame here:



So it was back to the idea of trying to get the shaft disconnected. But the shaft kept turning when you applied any pressure on the spanner. I had to use another spanner and lay it against the tops of 2 of the bolts and jam it against the frame in order to get any leverage. I did it in the end.



You can see the other spanner at the bottom of the picture. I didn't actually work like this but I did not get a photo of the actual arrangement I used.







That's how I got the shaft off. Now to get the engine out.

[londonboards]

You must surely be joking: "pick the motor from the frame". I have been eating my spinach but there is no way I could have done that even with the 3 of us. What is it that they put in your water over there?

Greetings

[londonboards]

I just had another look at the manual. Problem I had is no brakes as they were seized and I could not get the rubber boot back far enough as it had gone hard.

Thanks for reminding me about the workshop manual again. I have been working from the Cylmer manual and had forgotten that I had the original workshop one from BassCliff's site.

It still makes me laugh though with statements like:

"Gradually lift up engine and lower the engine ass'y on the right side making sure it does not make contact with the rear bracket"

Just like that eh. I wish I had know it was that simple!

Great fun.

Greetings again.

[matt1100]

Not joking, just working with the right stuff (engine hoist). I put the bike on the side stand, come at it with the hoist on the right side. Do not forget to remove the breather cover atop the valve cover, it gives you just enough room to wiggle it out. Drop 4 ratchet straps: 3 to the obvious places in the rear and front rt; the third I sling around the rotor cover. Start at appropriate lengths to match the angle it naturally sits in and ratchet/ jack as necessary until she's free. Then I set it right on the workbench and commense surgury. Its a one man job like this. Its not easy, but its not terribly difficult either

[GS1000G Shopper]

I had a tough time getting the 1000G engine out. It reinforces the observation that the folks that design stuff like this never have to work on it. Another 1/2" here & there on the frame would work wonders.

I saw the "lay the frame onto the engine" method somewhere and it does look interesting. Since I'm redoing the front forks and rear wheel bearings, at some point I'll have a minimal frame- kind of like what is left of my ST1100. I can pick that up, but cannot pick up the engine. If I go the conventional method, I'm planning to put it back in w/o the head so I'll have more room to move it as needed.

[Steve]

Even if you do use the "lay it on its side" method, it goes much easier if you have two people to lift the frame.

I have found it easier to use those same two people to just lift the engine out of the frame while it's upright.

.

[chuck hahn]

Go to the TIPS AND TRICKS section and sellect the thread...Eric asked me to post this for others to learn from. Use a floor jack and some plywood and your done in a matter of minutes..it really is just as easy as he makes it look in the video.