I have a spare engine. What to do with it?

When I bought my xj650 this past summer the PO gave me a parts bike. It still has the engine in it, and I was wondering what to do with it. I am going to my buddy's house where the bike is this weekend to try to get it started, I just don't know if its worth anything to anybody. I could keep it as a spare, but that doesn't seem logical. Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

i would keep the spare engine if i was you, i know i would. you never know when your gonna need some spare parts from that spare engine. keep in mind you do have a 26yr old soon to be 27 yr old bike and spare parts are getting rare and expensive to find.

 

Good advice. If it were mine I'd check the compression and the valve clearances, then drain the oil w/o starting the engine. Plug all the holes, bag it, then park the lump in a dry place for a rainy day.

 

Agreed. Mothball it.

Make sure to get some oil in the cylinders (really a coat on everything) before you bag it.

 

Let's see what use is an extra engine? A complete set of valve shims, cams, cam chain, tensioner, camshaft caps, camshaft sprockets, cylinder head, intakes, shifter spring, clutch plates, clutch hub, clutch basket, point covers, pistons, rings, tranny parts.......na ...not much there worth keeping!............NOT!!!!

 

Hopefully you have somewhere to store it!!

Really a no brainer!
Hang onto it.

 

Well it seems that I am a dim wit. I think the only reason I asked was because its in my buddy's garage, and I kind of feel like he wants to get rid of it.

Just to recap. I should pull the engine off the frame. Put some oil in the cylinders, and wait for rain, but hope it never does. Without trying to start it first.

I'm really sorry if I sound kind of inexperienced, but thats because I am really. When we picked up my bike I told the guy I wanted the parts bike, but told my buddy that we weren't going to go back and get it. Thankfully he is smarter than I am because I already swiped the bars from it, and the ignition, but like I said I think he wants it out of his garage.

What about the frame? Is it worth anything?

 

we learned the things we know about our bikes gradually and over time by asking lots of questions, it doesnt mean you are a dim wit. if you can keep everything that you have including the frame that would be good, if for some reason over time you want to sell your bike then you can pass along the extra stuff you have to the next owner, you`ll find that you`ll use allot of stuff off the extra engine over time.

maybe you could rent one of them small storage units, or if you find that you have to keep it outside then pull the plugs and fog the cylinders and tarp it up nice and tight, maybe somebody else might have a better suggestion.

 

there are a few members in here that live in detroit and michigan maybe one of them could help you out with storage, there is nothing scheduled yet but in the spring i know there is talk of a carb clinic in maybe Michigan.Ohio or Windsor Canada area and you are more than welcome to come and join in, it will give you the oppotunity to learn allot about your bike from some pretty knowledgeable people and also get your bike tuned to its maximum peformance, you`ll pick up some tips and tricks from everyone.

 

Build a go-kart.

 

Where in Michigan?

 

Muskegon

 

Sorry, didn't know you had nowhere to keep that parts bike.

A penny saved is a penny earned. If you can hang onto that parts bike, I recomend that you do.

Good Luck

 

Too Far

 

Just to be sure, no sarcasm in my post. That should be read in good natured fun with my hand on your shoulder and a smile on my face!
The frame boosts the value. There should be things there like the TCI, a spare u-joint, Regulator/rectifier, assorted relays, turn signals, coils, exhaust, fenders all of which could come in handy. What you could do is strip off the parts you are interested in keeping and either store them inside where rust and mice can't harm them or sell some on ebay or our swap and sell forum.

 

I'm totally with the guys on this one, save it as best you can. Parts are not getting any cheaper nor plentiful. Storage can be a pain. I stripped my parts bike down to the frame, oiled and baggied everything up and packed it all in a wooden crate built on castors. The frame was unregistered so I hacked it up and recycled it. Crate takes up some room but I have a ready supply of parts. Preservation is key. Do it right or you will have junk by the time you get around to needing the part.

 

Actually my wife just told me last night that she is planning on getting a storage unit so it seems as though my problem has worked itself out. I'm sure she won't notice a motorcycle skeleton in there.

 

chopp the dang thang!!itll look sweet,is it a shafty?

 

I've just mostly finished dismantling a 850Special parts bike. Took off or apart anything I thought I or someone else might need someday and put all the keepable stuff into medium sized plastic bins. Used four bins so far, they stack up nicely in a corner out of the way, clean the oil off and they won't smell so much like parts if you keep the bins inside a house or apartment. The forks and wheels won't fit into bins, but can be wrapped up in plastic and stuffed into a corner of a closet if you don't have the garage or storage space.

I figure I'll eventually be hitting some XS forums to unload the unwanted stuff eventually once I figure out what I can use for my XJ650, which is where the forks are going.

Just another thought to consider.

 

great for a chop experiment. i say chop it :twisted: