main bearings

[lukamon]

bike (kmx) startyed making a tractor- like noise today, thats main bearings took it to the usual engine shop and thuey quoted £400! alright it included taking out the engin and a conrod kit, but didnt include any top end stuff... surely it should be cheaper than this?
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killa wrote: Im an ass man myself

[stinkwheel]

It's a ball ache. You have to split the whole engine usually. The cost will be for labour time, not parts. It's a full days work at least, especially if they have to remove the engine too.

Plus if it needs a conrod they need to press the crankpin out. Might even farm out the crank work to someone else.

It's a pretty big job all told, I should know because I'm doing it on my Jawa just now. The engine is all but reduced entirely to its componant parts.

You could make it cheaper by taking the engine out of the frame yourself and just dropping the engine in past. That's at least an hours labour less.

I have stripped mine myself and just dropped the crank and cases in at the garage to have the bearings pressed out. I have to have the crank pressed apart too though on account of having centre main bearings. Getting it balanced while it's in there.

I still expect this lot to cost into three figures, despite supplying the bearings myself.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[lukamon]

the trouble is, i would go right up to splitting the cases myself, but thats one of the things ive never done and im scared that as im splitting the cases, lots of little unidentifiable springs and cogs will fall out and vanish

if i do decide to to this, do i need and specialised tools to get up to the splitting the cases part? i.e. getting flywheel off ect?
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killa wrote: Im an ass man myself

[stinkwheel]

Yes, you need specialist pullers. Yes small but vital bits do go ping into the corners of the workshop and other bits cascade onto the floor before you can see where they are supposed to go back.

It's a "five-spanner" job, hence the price.

My bike was free and I'm just doing it for fun so I don't mind pulling it apart myself, if I screw up I haven't really lost anything.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.