Merging K75s

[Motorhobo]

I'm considering retiring the frame of my 95 K75 with 107k miles. The backstory:

Back in 2005 I had a front-end accident at about 25mph with an illegally left-turning cage (a Ford Taurus, to be precise). I should have totalled the bike out and got another one right then and there but it was my first K-bike and I couldn't let it go, so I ended up having it fixed at Ride West BMW in Seattle. Some time later, after relocating back East, I discovered that the impact had broke the stops off the frame that prevent the triple tree from slamming into the tank when locking the steering left/right. A buddy of mine welded some metal nubs back on the frame where the stops were, but though I've put close to 60k miles on it since then,  I'm thinking maybe I've been pushing my luck and there's some other damage that was unseen at the time but may eventually end in catastrophic failure. If I'm going to ride a 20+ year old bike, I'm better off with a frame/front-end that's accident free.  Not to mention the fact that the resale value of a bike with big blobs of metal where the factory stops used to be is more or less $0.

Last summer I bought a 94 K75 with 175K miles from a long-time motobricker...some of you will probably recognize the bike. I had considered parting it out, but now I think I'm better off merging the two onto the frame of the blue one. The blue one has a better front end and frame and all the electrics work. Problem is, the blue one, despite being garaged and being in very good visual shape, doesn't run that well and is weeping engine oil. I don't want to deal with the clutch 0-ring or rear main seal on that bike when I know those things on my '95 are good. I recently did the valve adjustment on my 95, the transmission has no issues, the clutch is good, the bell housing interior is dry, the final drive is good, and I just got a brand new OEM driveshaft.

According to this video here, one option is to just swap the frame and front end of the blue one onto the engine and drivetrain of the black one, then replace the blue tank, rear cowl and front fender with the parts from the black one, and I'd be done. Yeah, right.



So the question is -- what am I missing, and has anyone else done this job, and does anyone have any other suggestions, recommendations or improvements on the job as shown in the video, or other links or references to this job? I looked in the Lieberry and didn't any specific tips and did a search of Workshop posts for 'engine swap' and didn't get a whole lot of pertinent hits.

Any info appreciated. BTW, there's also the issue of whether the OEM heated grips on the RT bars of the '95 will fit the C bars of the blue '94 -- but that's a topic for a different thread.

Thanks --

MH

[Laitch]

According to this video here, one option is to just swap the frame and front end of the blue one onto the engine and drivetrain of the black one, then replace the blue tank, rear cowl and front fender with the parts from the black one, and I'd be done. Yeah, right.
So the question is -- what am I missing, and has anyone else done this job

That seems to me to be all that's necessary given you have an advantage because the bikes you're using are adjacent late modelyears and should have the same alternator output and wiring.

Based on this rider's other videos, his approach seems casual but he's attentive to detail. He caught that bad valve by performing vacuum and compression tests before it did severe damage to the engine. I believe what I'm watching so I'm not as skeptical as you. It'll will be tedious but eminently do-able. Paying attention to how the frames are shimmed to the engines would seem important.

[Motorhobo]

OK, I'm going to review that video, see if I can document it in a step-by-step procedure and put it up here for anyone to review and comment on before I start. This will be the most challenging thing I've done so feedback is appreciated.

BTW, I do intend to break down the drivetrain of the blue one into individual parts, either to keep as spares or sell. So I'm thinking it would be best to disassemble the blue one's drivetrain while it's still connected to the frame and on the lift. Otherwise I'll have to figure out a way to fasten it down to something to prevent it from flopping around as soon as I put any torque on a wrench.

More to come...

MH

[Scud]

I have a project thread about merging 2 K75Ss into one:

http://www.motobrick.com/index.php/topic,7638.0.html

I had a 180,000 mile 1990 and 40,000 mile 1992. Unfortunately, I discovered that there were many significant changes between those 2 years - but the merger has not been too difficult. Yours should be even easier.

I would take the bad frame off first. Try to do it as though you were going to move it to the other bike - that will be excellent practice, you'll learn what you need to remove, disconnect, and what can be left in place.

Another way to think of the project is as though you are swapping drivelines. In that case, you would suspend the frame and front end (ratchet straps from above), then drop out the entire driveline (engine to rear wheel as one unit). A platform jack and furniture dolly would probably do the trick.

In case you are interested, I have a straight and solid frame available (from the 1990).

[Motorhobo]

Thanks, Scud - awesome info, I'll study it carefully before getting started. I can't tear down the bad frame first, though, because I need a ride and it's the one with the damaged frame that runs well. I need to get the other one prepared to accept the engine/drivetrain assembly first before I can start tearing down my daily ride.

I plan to do the work on a lift, no way to support anything from above. I figure I can tie the front end down in the chock to keep it upright, then I have a dolly I made a while ago that I can roll the engine/drivetrain section off the lift with, once I get it separated, which is basically what Michaelovitch did in the video. In the meantime, I read that you need to separate the frame from the engine with the drivetrain and rear wheel attached, so that's what I'll do. I see Michaelovitch didn't have any trouble disassembling the drivetrain from the engine without the frame attached.

I'm not going to get to this right away -- need to prepare myself mentally for this kind of crap. So thanks for the link to your very informative post.

MH