yet another stupid question from me

[homerJ]

ok so here goes, well iv just got myself this

a gs500 which i got as a donor bike for this

my old skool chop, with a gs550 engine (broken) in it, and running on a gs 750 rear wheel, thing is i have now been told it wont work due to the new 500 engine being narrower the 550, yeah i understand the 550 is a 4 pot n the 500 is a 2 pot, the main concern is the chain alignment, anybody got a link or two with the dimensions of bothe engines or some advice. what over problems do you see me facing with this engine swap? many thanks

[earlfor]

The 500 exhaust ports will probably be in front of the double down tubes on the 550 frame, blocking you from installing the header pipes and exhaust system.

[wedoo2]

Homer, why not work on that 500, it looks to be in good shape? Obviously, it is not the same ride as your other bike (few are). It just seems a shame to disassemble the 500 for the motor.

[Seana23]

Hi babes. I love your bike...
If the 500 engine is narrower AND the.exhausts hit the frame tubes, couldnt you just.shift the engine over to one side a bit? This may line up the drive chain too!
good luck.
Xxx

[hjfisk]

Why not just fix the 550? how hard can it be it only has 4 pistons?

[Suzuki_Don]

Yes, fix the 550, I doubt the bottom end has any problems. They are so strong. You say it's broken but don't give any detail. Even if you have to buy another 550 engine, they are relatively cheap and a straight bolt-in. Or get adventurous and drop a 750 in with 850 cylinders and pistons, that would be a more interesting swap.

[bwringer]

The 750 is a much bigger and wider engine than the 550. So it wouldn't fit in a 550 frame without a lot of fabrication.

You'd have to offset the GS500 engine to the left by at least a couple of inches (I don't know how much -- you're the one with both engines nearby, so you'll have to measure yourself), so it honestly doesn't seem like a good candidate for the swap. You'd also have to figure out how to mount the engine correctly -- everything is in a different place.

Ride the 500 for a while and see how you like it -- they're really fun bikes. Or sell it and use the funds to pick up a good used 550 engine and take a vacation.

[tkent02]

Ride the 500 for a while and see how you like it -- they're really fun bikes.

You might like it, what with real brakes and suspension and everything.