Let's get this show on the road

Thanks Piet, doesn't sound too bad. Not going to risk a solo effort with my back so one of the guys is gonna earn himself a couple of beers tomorrow.
 
Dellortoman said:
... or use some webbing strops and a chain hoist to lift it.

That's what I do because I don't have any mates  :'(

No wonder you haven't got mates if you call them that.

If, however, you mean straps, then that is exactly what I do now. I did remove the engine and replace it manually by myself once when just off the farm and much younger and fitter. Probably explains the totally crap back I now possess.
 
I make up 4 short webbing ''STROP'' loops. 2 at the front & 2 at the back of the engine. I have 2 round bars 20ish mm diameter & 1 meter long. Pass the bars through the STROPS leaving a short end on the left of the bike & the long at the right. Get a MATE!! to assist. Lift front of engine with the front bar. lift the back bar & walk the engine straight out the l/h side in one action. Works well for me...  :)
 
You could probably get a hundred methods Phil!
Long and the short - it is a big heavy lump (60 ish Kgs?).

Same as many others I favour clear plastic hose split along the length to protect the frame.
Support the engine bottom with a trolley jack+wood, set up more wood slightly lower than frame rails to the left (somewhere to put the engine - always pays to have a lifting plan).
Perhaps remove sump plug, cam chain cover+studs on bottom which get in the way.

I use the 'Clem' patented method with long 10mm threaded bar through front and back upper engine lugs with one helper, the length protruding is your handles.
The unlucky one lifts from the right and bends over more as the engine moves out of the frame to the left and as Piet does both people move to the left to do the last lift to the floor.
Prepare yourslef for a bit of jiggling around, but not too bad.
 
The RGS frame offers a lot more room for the engine to move around in, nowhere near as a pita as with the old 180 frame.  Removing/replacing the engine is quite straightforward, the 180 frame requires a definite "knack", as Red puts it!

piet
 
Thanks for all the tips guys. My mate Craig is calling over tomorrow morning to give me a hand.

In the meanwhile I found that the LHS piston was a bugger to remove. The gudgeon pin was as tight as hell. Lots of plusgas and heating up the piston eventually released it without anything breaking. The piston was tight before I sarted extracting it and needed quite a bit of effort to move it back and fore to try and loosen things up. The little end looked good when the piston was eventually removed, clean and shiney with no scoring or corrosion at all. The gudgeon pin had a little bit of very light marking.

Now I was wondering what type of gudgeon pins these are. Are they the type that lock in the little end and rotate in the piston bosses or vice versa? Could be that the problem is in the piston, if so less of issue to solve but if it's an out of true little end then it's a bit more bother.

Also noticed a difference in the colour of the con-rods. RHS is a 'normal' colour for a cast rod while the centre is slightly darker and the LHS (with the gudgeon pin problem) appears darker and a bit blued. Over-heating issue??

Anyone come across something like this before?
 
Phil,

The gudgeon pin is/should be a sliding fit in both piston AND rod.  If it is tighter, it should be in the piston.  Pin/rod clearance 0.015-0.018mm.  Service limit 0.06mm.

Seems you have the earlier rods, later rods were copper-plated on the upper half.  A bit of bluing is no problem, as long as the pin bores are not scored.  That would mean the pin is/was too tight and on the brim of siezure.

The bluing would only be temper colouring, light blue comes in at around 320?C.  The rods were nice and shiny when fitted, a bit of temperature will have them change colour quickly.  While a bit high in this particular area, that is easily achieved with wrong ignition timing or carb jetting... check the underside of the piston for tell-tale signs of over-heating.

piet
 
Thanks Piet, no indication of over-heating on the underside of the piston. I'm going to check the fit of the other gudgeon pins in the offending conrod to see what they're like. May be down to a fault in that particular piston or gudgeon pin. Pin bores definitely aren't scored; had a very, very close inspection of them since they were my first concern.
 
Dellortoman said:
Davo. Definitely a strop, not a strap. If you go into a shop that sells goods handling stuff and ask for a strap, they'll probably give you a belt for your trousers.

That's funny, cause I use a sling https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/H316 for lifting and a strop http://www.mensbiz.com.au/shaving/strops/dovo-two-sided-razor-strop-leather-canvas.html for sharpening my razor  :LOL:
 
Well the engine's out now. Not a bad job really, guess having the head and barrel off made it easier, may not be so easy getting it back in.

Closer inspection of that tight gudgeon pin suggests that it was the gudgeon pin that was at fault. Tried it in the other pistons and small-ends and it was way too tight in them too; so that won't be going back in. Now it's a case of splitting the cases for two reasons 1) so that I can get the top case vapour blasted and 2) as I've got this far may as well check the bottom end just to make sure all is okay.
 
Davo said:
That's funny, cause I use a sling https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/H316 for lifting and a strop http://www.mensbiz.com.au/shaving/strops/dovo-two-sided-razor-strop-leather-canvas.html for sharpening my razor  :LOL:
Cams right Davo. A lifting webbing sling is a strop.They are flat. Trust me.
 
SimonR501 said:
Cams right Davo. A lifting webbing sling is a strop.They are flat. Trust me.

Better sharpen my game and sling the sling then  :LOL:
 
SimonR501 said:
Cams right Davo. A lifting webbing sling is a strop.They are flat. Trust me.

:o Well I'll be buggered! All these years and I never twigged on how Paul Hogans off-sider got his nick name; Strop.
For those that don't know, Paul Hogan acted as a construction worker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8ooos8vu0
 
Found a local company who can do me a respray at a good price. Owner is an old biking buddy of mine who loves his Lavs so I'm getting it for near enough cost of materials. I was wondering what the colour options were for the RGS; mine was originally red but I was wondering what other colours were used.
 
Red was most popular. Also available in silver.
The RGS Corsa was in black.
 
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