cost to change out motor

1983 xj650, what would be a average charge to have someone to change out the motor?

 

More specifics please: Are you talking about a professional shop? Would you have the motor and just be asking for labor to do the swap?
Do you expect any kind of warranty for the work?
Any thing unusual about the swap, diff size motor, unique mods on the bike etc.
Drop this info and you can get an accurate estimate.

 

Real difficult question to answer.
1) Shop rates...$70.00 + per hour if they'd do it.
2) Place add in local paper and see if any gear heads reply with a price
3) Take the average cost of the above two options and see if it would be cheaper to buy some tools and a manual and go for it.
Probably not the exact answer you were looking for.
Don't take this as an insult but it was a vague kind of question with not a lot of other info.
Would the change be done at your place, in your yard or do you have a garage? Will you be supplying the tools or will the person changing the motor out have to bring tools with?
Will you be helping or is the person going to have to do it on their own?
Do you want the motor changed out and have it running or just a "remove and replace?
Just a few questions that might need to be addressed. Let us know how you make out.

 

take all your bike and your replacement engine to a carb clinic and make it the days project. You'll go home with the new block in place all ready for you to re-hook up everything. Cost.....time, friendship, edumacation.

compare;

Do it yourself cost- time, frustration

Shop do it cost- time, lots of $, and they probably don't get it right anyway cuz many of them don't like, or know, how to work on these bikes anymore.

Carb clinic project..... engine swapped in a day, you do the rest. Friendship, education, comaraderie, etc......

Now that's assuming that you have the replacement engine ready to go, and that it's the same size/model engine. Otherwise, there's a lot of other mods that have to be planned for to put a different size engine in.

Give us more info on what you're trying to accomplish.....and things such as: do you plan to ride it to ----- and then ride it home with a new heart? Or do you mean literally just swap the engine, you having already done preliminary prep and have a bare engine ready to pull out? etc.....


dave

 

In 1985 my XJ900 needed 2nd gear done at a shop. I bought some metric tools, $15.00?? - removed it myself, then paid a couple neighbors a six pack to help lift it back in. Cheep azz tiightwad!!

 

Like to hear more about that! Sounds interesting!

 

I know that there are members down in your area, or nearby. I am sure that if you provided the refreshments. You could get out rather cheaply, and gain a friend, and fellow rider to boot.

Do that friend a favor, and soak all those nuts, bolts, and fasteners with either Kroil, or PBBlaster before hand, and have any necessary gaskets, seals, replacement parts on hand.

Ghost

 

Let's back up a step:

WHY are you contemplating "changing out" the motor? This won't be a case of taking it somewhere, and having a "new" motor installed; do you have a replacement lined up?

 

I am a man with few words. I didn't figure it would have been that much of a problem to figure out my question sorry, I have a 83 xj650 and a extra motor (xj650) the one in the frame needs some work the one out of the bike should just needs to be a bolt in, no work. All I want to do is take out the old 650 and replace with the other 650 no biggy just a change out, no moods no extras just a change out. All I wanted to know how much (not a yamaha shop) would charge to change out, just maybe one of you would like the challenge. I live in Georgia now close to Athens ga.But the bike is in Asheville nc. The reason I ask is since I moved I have no place to work 0n it. I am willing to trailer as long it is not to far from ether place. Hope this clears it up. As the first post said what would the average cost be to have a motor changed out? BTW I have it striped down, pipes off, tank off and head off the one in the bike.

 

I lived in Spartanburg for a year - -
I bet if you offered a young dealer mechanic a "monday job" at your house, someone would come over for $75 and you both lift it in and out.
If the bolts are already broke loose, it's an hour or so job, tops.

Any young mechanic - tranny shop, lawnmower, PEP boys, or post a want-ad on Craigslist for a helper.

_____________________

"Like to hear more about that! Sounds interesting!"

I was 22 and the shop quoted me $200 for the "in and out" and $500 to fix 2nd gear. The 900 had 1,000 miles on it in 1985 and cost $1,000. My other bike was a Suzuki Titan 500. I had no idea what I was doing - I bought open end metric wrenches ! The rest of my tools were SAE and I was NOT gonna go Metric. :lol:

Installation - a couple guys I didn't know helped lift the engine in and line-up the main bolts, then back out when I saw the "U" joint on the ground, then OUT AGAIN to fit the rubber bellows! These guys worked for that 6 pack. Scratched the heck out of my frame. Use towels, carpet padding, duct tape.

Get rachet straps and rope and suspend the motor from a secure overhead support ( rafters, swingset, tree, roof) as the motor swings slowly into place you re-attach a rachet to clear the "backbone"

 

Thinking $200 to $300 would be a fair price for a professional (and by pro I mean someone who typically gets paid to do mechanical work) to do the job and go through the normal process of prepping to run (ie wires, fluids, etc.).

I had a shop rebuild a bike on a new frame and make it turn-key ready a number of years ago for $220. But they did EVERYTHING and it was many years ago.

Like the idea of getting help from someone who likes to wrench and then do all the little stuff yourself. If you go that route is might be a pretty cheap fix.