[Postal1]

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I'm looking at buying a used engine from an auction site or reseller and have a question. Is there any way just by looking at the rear of the engine to know if it came off an Aspencade or SE so it will have reverse? I keep looking at different one's and they don't always say which bike they came off of. I know I could swap all the reverse gears out of mine but it would be nice to buy a motor that already has reverse.

Thanks

 

[AZgl1800]

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I don't have the picture handy, but yes there is.

It has to have the reverse mechanism on the left side and that is just plain hard to hide if they give a full on shot of the left side of the engine.

 

[Chromo]

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Just going by hearsay, I don't know for certain.

I was told by a member here, forget which one but a well known and respected one, he was adding reverse to his 1500 that did not have it. What he said, I think, was all the 1500 engines are the same basically and have the reverse inside, but some models of 1500's do not have reverse set up so the external parts to use it are not installed.
He was getting all the missing external reverse items to make reverse on his work.

If that is correct, and you are swapping out a bad engine on a bike with reverse then you should have all those external reverse parts on your old engine and just have to swap them over to new engine.

Might be worth checking into to be sure that info is correct.

 

[Larry]

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I think kemoloney just went through this about a week ago.Maybe he will come on and have some information for you.

 

[Oregonwinger]

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Black lever on right rear is reverse lever.

 

[SabreJoe]

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Larry22935 wrote:

I think kemoloney just went through this about a week ago.  Maybe he will come on and have some information for you.

I believe he swapped over the whole rear engine cover onto his Interstate, and it worked. If you look up kemoloney, you will find the thread he posted about the project.

 

[kemoloney]

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I did just do an engine swap. Look on the right side of the engine for the reverse linkage and also a protruding screw for an electrical hookup. If you give me the ebay item number, I will look and tell you if it has reverse.

Engines with the reverse gear and other reverse components are from either an Aspencade or an SE and are the same engine. Those without reverse came only from an Interstate. Its a lot of work to switch over components from your old engine if you buy an Interstate engine without reverse. You'll also need to open the interstate engine case and add the internal reverse gear. Not a lot of fun so don't go that route. Only buy an Interstate engine if your installing it on an Interstate which has no reverse. You'll save yourself a lot of grief. Let me know if you need any tips on doing the engine swap. I just did mine about a month ago so its still fresh in my mind. And there are some helpful pointers that the book doesn't tell you. I learned the hard way.

 

[gumbyred]

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The Interstate was made between 1991, and 1996. Too many improvements in the latter years for me to look for a engine older than 1997 for a replacement. (Stronger transmision, and shifting forks. Same transmision as the Valkrie. Needle bearings in rocker arms in 1993.)
Tom Bishop
`98 S.E.

 

[Outlaw]

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I just happen to have one out of a 1993 model. Not sure if it was an Aspencade or SE, but it does have reverse. It's a little dirty. Not nearly as nice looking as OregonWingers photo, but I imagine it'll clean up just fine. 56020 miles on it according to the guy I bought it from on Ebay, and he has a pretty good feedback rating. I bought it to use for a jig to make my EFI manifold.


Tons of photos of it here if you're interested:


http://www.goldwingfacts.com/forums/forum1/123882.html



I really hadn't thought about selling it this early... But hey, you're relatively close, and I am pretty much finished with that phase of the project.




Doug

 

[kemoloney]

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gumbyred wrote:

The Interstate was made between 1991, and 1996. Too many improvements in the latter years for me to look for a engine older than 1997 for a replacement. (Stronger transmision, and shifting forks. Same transmision as the Valkrie. Needle bearings in rocker arms in 1993.)
Tom Bishop
`98 S.E.

I totally agree with you Tom. Especially about the redesigned shifting forks and better gears. I did my research and chose a 98 Aspencade engine with 5800 miles on it. I didn't want the dreaded 4th gear problem to reoccur, which was the reason for my engine swap to begin with. Go 97 or newer if you can find one. I paid $400 for mine and paid no freight. I got very lucky!!!

 

[Postal1]

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Thanks for all the info guys. Now I at least know what to look for. I like the idea of going with 97 or newer for the Valkrie tranny (my 4th gear is gone due to the shift fork issue) but I may end up contacting Doug with the 93 since It would eliminate shipping.

 

[kemoloney]

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Postal1 wrote:

Thanks for all the info guys. Now I at least know what to look for. I like the idea of going with 97 or newer for the Valkrie tranny (my 4th gear is gone due to the shift fork issue) but I may end up contacting Doug with the 93 since It would eliminate shipping.

Your thinking is flawed here. Do you really want to risk having the 4th gear problem again? If you buy an engine older than a 97 and develop the problem again, and have to swap out once again, haven'e you just covered the additional freight you could have paid to get the newer engine to begin with? Not to mention the grief involved with doing 2 or more engine swaps. Pay the freight or take a road trip and go pick the darn thing up. Take my advice, go 97 or newer. Then thedreaded 4th gear problem won't always be in the back of your mind wondering when its gonna happen.



Or another alternative would be to crack the engine case of your existing motor and add the newer redesigned fork and gears. I was gonna do that until this deal came up on the 98 Aspy engine so I went that route instead. I actually have the newer fork, drum andgears if youre interested and decide to go that route.



But pause for a minute and think. Do I really wanna go through this all over again? Good luck with your decision and let us all know what you decide.

 

[Postal1]

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That's what I like about this site - brutal honesty. Thanks for slapping me upside my tightwad head Kevin. I've got all winter to find an engine for this so I think I'll hold out for a deal on a 97 or newer.

Mike

 

[kemoloney]

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Postal1 wrote:

That's what I like about this site - brutal honesty. Thanks for slapping me upside my tightwad head Kevin. I've got all winter to find an engine for this so I think I'll hold out for a deal on a 97 or newer.

Mike

Bravo Mike. Glad I got through to you. In the end you'll be glad you listened. Patience is a virtue. You will find one. They show up on eBay every week. One will surely show up that's located in your area. In the meantime, get yourself a motorcycle jack, Harbour freight has good ones at fantastic prices. They're nice to have even after the engine swap to move it around in your garage or driveway. Next cut a a piece of 3/4 plywood about the size of your engine footplate to use a platform to lower your engine out on. Now you can work on pulling your engine while waiting for your new one. Best tip to make your life easier during the pull is, remove your rear wheel and final drive unit. It only takes minutes to do. Not nearly as hard as you may think. This will allow you to slide back the driveshaft from your engine which will allow you to slidethe engineright out. Book says you don't have to but if you don't do this, you'll find yourself cussing for an hour trying to move the engine forward enough to disengage it. There is like zero room to move it foward.



When removing bolts, put them in disposable cups and label them with a scripto. And take plenty ofpictures of areas where you disconnect components such as wiring harnesses/connectors and vacuum hoses. And don't sell or dispose of your old engine until you've installed the new one. You may need parts from it. I needed my old pulse generators and timing covers. Youwon't truly know how complete your new engine is until you get it.



Feel free to contact me when you're ready to do the swap and I'll help you in any way I can.Take care for now.

 

[Postal1]

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Picked up what I would call a short block for $300 from a 99 trike that was in a garage fire. Supposed to only have about 40K on it. Spent 3 weekends and several nights moving everything over and just took it for a spin. It's nice to have 4th gear back and doesn't sound like I'm dragging a six pack of empty cans anymore! Thanks for the advise on going with the 97 or newer engine.