Planning a 570 rebuild

Hi all,

So I probably have one of the 70-degree bikes that encounter premature big-end failure. The signs so far are metal sludge + thin metal fragments in the oil screen. Plus a knocking/cattering sound.

At this stage I there are some gaps in my knowledge about tools, and what parts to replace.

I'm reasonably handy and have a decent mechanical intuition, but I'm pretty green in the motor rebuilding department. I'll have some of the finest advisors on the project I could possibly have ...

First is my grandfather who was a Citroën mechanic in the '50s/'60s, specially trained in the crazy French hydraulics they used to have in Citroën cars. He used to align crankshafts by hand with copper mallets and built his own valve cutting gear out of scrap. Great, great man. Always willing to help everybody and share what he knows. I'll be working in his aircraft hangar, next to the airplane he built - a 215kg two-seater with motor modifications, and aluminium wing tanks he welded himself. 215kg for an entire airplane, meters long and meters of wingspan! And I thought 'Bergs were light! It's like a crazy bird skeleton or steel spiderweb, wrapped tauuuu-ut in doped nylon canvas. The construction is fascinating, and then you can climb into it and fly in the air to boot. So good. I'll be sure to post some pics of it.

And then secondly I'll get some great help from some local experts who have graciously offered to drop by and help me figure things out, at least if I can scrounge up a cup of decent coffee for 'em.

And then you guys

I'm going to try to do everything myself except for pressing/aligning the crank. Will take this to a well-respected local privateer mechanic.

I have a basic set of tools - most wrenches/heads you'd need and some decent torque wrenches that cover 6-200 Nm or so. Impact screwdriver, old-school calipers, feeler gauge.

I'm going to get a dead blow hammer and a magnet-on-a-stick. I'll need a chain tool for the cam chain, right? Or doesn't it need to come apart? I'm fairly sure I'll be able to borrow a flywheel puller.

Should I get a case splitter, like these ones from Tusk or Motion Pro?
A crank puller/installer?
A clutch hub holder?
Micrometer?
Digital calipers?
Dial indicator ("clock")?

And then I'd really appreciate some pointers about what parts we can KNOW beforehand I'll need to replace. Do I need a full gasket set? Or just a headgasket?

Let's assume that the rod and big-end bearing need replacement for sure. Will the debris have trashed things like main bearings and oil pumps? Should parts like this be replaced on principle, or can they be checked and verified as bad or good? The bike hasn't been ridden much, only 46 hours on the clock. So these items probably won't be worn from standard use, only from having bearing trash forced through them.

I am looking forward to the task, and want to take it slow, select good parts, and build a reliable motor. I really love this bike and want to do this right ... but I am a little cash-shy so I have to save where I reasonably can I'd prefer to investigate and learn and check things carefully if it means I can save on parts.

So that was the wall of text. Thank you for reading

THANKS!

That really really helps connect the dots. Gives good traction for further reading. I've learned a ton from threads here, not least your rebuild thread mr. Smerg ... really appreciate you helping push my enthusiastic but feeble self across the threshold here

I read between the lines that it is simply the rule to change the main bearings in this situation?

berglsmerg said:

Thanks bushie, I knew one of them could be a candidate, researching the net is a little bit difficult here. Not my first rodeo up here, and crack laced kava would hit the spot right now but its a dry cramp, and the rules are enforced by guys with well used Mosberg pump guns

Sorry about the thread jack tourist but at least you got a little more info.

Click to expand...

haha, you owed me one remember

Re. parts - I was thinking to go with OEM as much as possible. I'm not sure but the word seems to be that it's generally the most reliable stuff.

Cometic gaskets though as you suggested, and then I'm wondering about the conrod ... Does anyone else have a hunch that the OEM 70-degree rods are a bit varying in quality? Have seen posts that the frayed big end looks unusual. Might be better to go with a nice Carillo rod or similar?

So silent here without the threadjacks Bring 'em on!

But yeah, I'm having a little financial "oopsie" ... turns out the apartment I was renting is a taa-ad moldy so I need to divert all my extra money into a new place to live ... arrgh ...

Considering whether to sell the DR-Z to pay for 'Berg repairs ... but I can hardly bring myself to do it. Had my mind set on playing some tricks on the motor and suspension to bring out the best in it: Raise compression w/ E-type offroad model base gasket, KLR650 carb + jet kit, maybe cams, DIY suspension revalve, maybe cutting the springs a bit as I'm close to being the right weight for them. The work itself ought to be a lot of fun - and the DR-Z is said to benefit A LOT from these mods. Low-hanging performance fruit. The Zook also has such a nice setup already - a very nice French titanium full exhaust system from CRD - sounds a bit like a Ducati down low and a '60s racecar up high (!) - but still pretty quiet. Then there's a brutal homewelded skidplate from last owner, huge handmade bar risers etc. - it's way more off-road ready than a standard DR-Z ... and these goodies wouldn't really fetch a fair price so I'd always be eating a loss if I sold it, at least in how I feel about it.

Also makes it less appetizing to sell the Zook that it's time for a valve adjusment a few other maintenance tasks to get a decent price for it. As in I'd have to spend time and money and dedication just to be able to get rid of it and not be burning myself on the sale, kind of.

The 'Berg is a bit of a luxury animal; conversely, it's so nice with the DR-Z to have a bike that you're willing to put through dirt and salt and asphalt miles without a worry or a care. So I'm going to go to some extra measures to not have to sell the Zook. But it's going to SUCK having the 'Berg lying half-disassembled during the summer - riding season is already starting!

*vent*

I know you'll understand - thank you for reading! Thanks for being there for a bro :crybaby:

hmm good thinking!! thanks for that ... transforms the berg from a sad reminder to a PROJECT again!

Hmmmm. Things are looking less gloomy - and I am sounding less whiny ... Just sold my beautiful 12-string Seagull guitar - for approximately the cost of an OEM conrod kit. That has to have some kind of meaning, right?

Haven't found the Cometic base/head gaskets for sale online so I contacted them directly - that's the way to go, yeah? thx!

ahh I see! many thanks!!

Finally ordered the gaskets! ... had some problems with the Cometic site, it seems like it didn't work with my non-US credit card? Although it's supposed to work with some billing address magic that the card company does. Sort of by accident I googled the gasket part number "C3244-EST" and found a couple of hits on Amazon by chance ... got the complete top end kit for $48.12 shipped! It's $61.31 excluding shipping on Cometic's shopengineparts.com site. The full kit includes head, base, exhaust gaskets, valve stem seals, cam chain tensioner O-ring and crush seal, and rocker arm O-ring. Nice!

Comes from Amazon shop "ehgoods" which are these guys afaik: Lion Parts Store

100mm bore or GTFO!

I've placed an obscure coin there for a convenient size reference

shipito.com is really nice! thank ye O mechanic of bushes