Engine lift....

[Ponderosa]

OK, I am getting old, had to remove engine from 82, and put it in 83 frame. So son and I horsed both engines around the shop cleaning, tearing down, now ready to put it into frame, back is pulled, had to crawl around house after chiropractor had his way with me...

Trying to devise a lift for these inline fours, awkward as hell, maybe two rods to go through top mount holes, connected to floor lift somehow? Or should I just hire some strong young backs?

[spyug]

Or should I just hire some strong young backs?

That's always been my approach. Luckily for me, I have a musclebound, weight lifting son. When I picked up the spare engine for the Kat, I had it in the back of the wife's hatchback. There was no way she and I could get it out. Son came over, reached in backed out and stood there with it in his arms until I figured where I wanted it. Its like my own personal human crane

My buddy and I have been thinking about this too and some kind of portable lift would be handy to have but coming up with a design is eluding us too.

I have seen it done once with an automotive engine crane but that is very unweildy. Perhaps some kind of scaled down version. Another idea we had was the good old "chain fall" or even a comealong suspended from a roof truss or better a steel beam across the width of the man room.

If I were doing engine swaps regularly, I be on top of something like this but as its only once every couple of years.....I just call the human crane

I'd still be interested in seeing if anything could be designed.

Cheers,
Spyug

[Larry D]

This one works for a V-twin....some slight modifications and it should work the same for a GS.

http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/2009/05/04/one-hander-engine-lift/

[gssuzukixxx]

I did this with my BSA Tbolt when I had to put the motor back in: I set the motor on the floor on it's side and blocked it up so it couldn't roll around. Then I had 2 guys lowered the frame over the engine and get it in position so I could put enough bolts through mounts so I could raise it upright. Seems like the frame is less awkward to lift than the engine.

Just an idea...it might work with a GS.

Brian

[Kwest187]

What I'm using now-

This is how I've been doing it-
I do have a motorcycle jack...
So I put the motor on the Jack, Then I run a strap through the right side of the front of the motor ( on a GS550 I used the rocker tops) then I run a strap through the center rear bolt hole, I then loop each of those straps to a their own ratchet strap that I have strung through my shed truss- (a come-along would be better)
With the straps taunt- I pull the Jack out, with the motor suspended I only have to steady the one front left side...I slide the bike frame into place... (I've done this with frame only...very easy...and with a rolling chassis, a bit harder but still easy lifting) put the jack back under the motor, switch the front strap around the entire front of the rockers...so the strap is centered above the bike, pull out the jack...and now just adjust the ratchet straps and slide in mounting brackets and bolts until the entire thing is in-
Another good tech is to lay the engine on its side...in an old tire works good...then just lift the frame onto the motor and tip the entire bike up...this method still requires some grunting to get the mounts to line up...
The pic shows the frame suspended with motor mounted...the straps are looped through the frame at this point and I use the jack to keep it steady and take some of the weight off the trusses
I've attached a pic of my motor suspended in the frame...I just installed this last night-you can kinda see the straps in the bad cell phone pic-
Good luck and be careful...

[oldgrumpy]

engine lift.... fairly cheap....

guys i like the idea of the lift for v twins a if you have a supercheap or similar store a cheap engine stand,,,the one,s that you stast with at the front of a car put the chains over the motor and lift ,then wriggle about ,claer the car and theres your motor ...because they are very basic and hold a V8 you could fabricate some arms for our gs 1000 or 550 etc .. hope that it works .. and not much of an outlay ..regards david