help with gear shift rod replacement

[proto]

Thanks for the comments and advice guys - luis I completely agree, if it ain't broke there's no reason to fix it. but...here's a look at the damage:

[proto]

The rest of the damage:

here we have the left crankcase cover, which looks like took a big blow.




Got a brand new one to replace it off ebay

next up, my speedometer:



and the bezel cover for it, sadpanda



the left foot peg. Holy *****, my foot was on that! (I was wearing sneakers, good grief)



the headlight. still in tact, but the bucket/cover is pretty scraped up:



And just for kicks, here's a pic of the overall bike. 2 into 2 slash cut mac exhausts installed, glad they didn't get damaged in the crash



Edit: just realized the pic of my bike I had the right side pedal assembly laying on the ground and all the covers off...gosh I feel exposed ><

[proto]

So question for you guys:

In the near future, I would like to take the engine out when I have some time to do quite a bit of maintenance on it, including replacing that bent spindle among other things (like diagnose a very, very minor oil leak in the front cylinder somewhere).

Do you guys have any recommendations for engine stands/lifts, of the store-bought or "home-made" variety?

[proto]

OK I think I know why there is air in the line now. Me being the amateur, idiotic mechanic, I have undone the slave valve and was squeezing the clutch lever while it was not attached.

I am also having trouble with the stator. I am trying to remove it from the old crankcase cover and it won't budge. I removed the 3 bolts that appeared to be holding it on, still won't budge! any Ideas how I can get it off without damaging it? am I missing some other piece that is holding it on?

[luisr320]

3 bolts. That's it!

Try this: Hold a hammer upside down and insert the handle inside the hole in the center of the stator (where the 9 VP is written). If the hammer handle is too large, use something else that will fit.

Hold the whole contraption horizontally (case on top, hammer on the bottom) by holding the hammer handle on one hand and putting the other on the top of the case.

Now holding the case horizontally with the hammer head pointing down, slam the hammer head on the ground, VERTICALLY. Like Thor. Hopefully, Sir Isac Newton will do the job for you and the stator will fall on your hand along the hammer handle. Since you are not Thor, a glove might be useful to avoid hurting yourself.

Some centuries ago you would say something like this:

[proto]

Your trick worked like a charm, thank you luis

Got a few new shiny parts today! the left rear turn signal arrived...damn its shiny. I think I will have to order a new right one since they are cheap and it looks odd that my left one appears to be brand-new shiny like chrome, and the right one looks old and worn.

Took the rear seat off and was surprised to find most of the wiring hidden underneath the rear seat. Even more surprised at how nice and organized the wiring is with quick disconnects, within a few minutes I turned the bike's ignition key on and tested the blinker...working great! (that also means the battery isn't drained or frozen/ruined yet. great sign since it gets a tad bit cold here at night!)

Unfortunately the left rear blinker stem has not come in the mail yet, so I used the old one thats been torn into nearly two pieces and just used heavy electrical tape on it. from a distance can't really tell! derp.

My speedometer came in the mail as well today! I was going to ask about adjusting the odometer numbers to match my old one, but this one actually has a lower number - so I think the easy solution is to use a drill on the speedometer cable and run the numbers up until it matches. Unfortunately I realized that the allen bolt that secures the speedometer and the little black metal piece that covers the white portion are both missing, probably lost on the road from the accident

Noticed in the shipping box the tachometer had an allen bolt and a small black cover for it. It's not the same one, but it did fit over the speedometer and covered *most*, not all of it, and apparently the allen bolt was the same size because it threaded just fine and secured the speedometer to the housing just fine.

Now just gotta figure out how to install the speedometer cable tonight and I am all prepped for my final repair! Just waiting on my new gasket and oil stopper for the left crankcase so I can throw it back together and get riding again. I've got a nice hour-long trip to a wrestling tournament that I will be coaching on saturday morning, just hope my pieces come in tomorrow.

[proto]

one more question before I head to bed:

This is my first time working on an engine, I am slightly concerned about the crankcase having too much "junk" in it and am wondering just how clean do I need to leave the inner workings before I seal it up? I have a nice supply of WD40 which I'm told works great, as well as brake cleaner, just not sure if I need to be super-thorough since the crankcase cover has been laying next to the bike for the last few days, allowing a bit of dirt/dust to get inside the engine.

[luisr320]

When all else fails, a hammer will always do the job. Well done, Thor.



Regarding the engine cleaning, if you have an air compressor, you should have one of these:


Fill it with kerosene and spray the guts of that engine. Kerosene is a bit oily and will not remove the oil film covering those parts, like the starter gears. You should grease those gears in the end.
Collect the dripping kerosene to avoid environment contamination.

If you don't have one of those, try one of these:



Now a word about safety: I'm sure you know all this but... it is good safety practice to disconnect the battery when working on the engine. Do these work in a vented area and use protective gear. There, I've said it.

After reassembling everything, ride your bike around for a while to be sure there is no oil leak from the shifter gasket. It would be tough to find out after riding it for an hour that you don't have enough oil to return home.

[luisr320]

Are you sure you can put the new cover on with that shifter stem all bent?

[proto]

Originally Posted by luisr320

Are you sure you can put the new cover on with that shifter stem all bent?

That is a very good question - I will find out pretty soon..