Kawasaki Z550

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 Continuing the saga of the Z550 also affectionately known as Kermie. After a long and arduous struggle the engine was finally removed from the frame. All but one of the stubborn engine bolts came out. Just the lower front left bolt refused to budge. Because the bolt head had rounded off, the angle grinder was called in. After grinding the head of the bolt completely off, a hammer and drift was used to try and punch the bolt out. However sod’s law dictated that the bolt had corroded solidly into the aluminium of the crankcases. Hammering on the bolt simply started to spread the frame a little. Had Kawasaki just fitted a flat metal plate for the mounting it would undoubtedly have been possible to spread the frame far enough to get the bolt to disengage, but of course they hadn’t. Instead the mounting was a piece of tube welded to the frame. so grinding through the bolt between the engine and frame became the only option. At this point the gap wasn’t big enough to get a grinding disc into it. I had to concede that the only option was to grind through the frame rail next to the engine mount. Jack did an admirable job of this assisted by Phil our club mechanic. Even once cut right through in one place, the frame was surprisingly strong and it took a great effort to spread it far enough to get a grinder into the gap. However we mustered up enough strength and Phil was able to grind completely through the bolt, finally freeing the engine. Removing the engine from the frame without removing the rocker cover took a lot of pushing and shoving. Eventually having removed one of the rocker cover bolts it was possible to pull the top of the engine towards the right-hand side of the bike and pull the engine out to the right. I did my weight lifting trick and placed the engine on the floor, not forgetting to keep a straight back and to bend the legs!! Now it’s time to think about how best to clean this grubby looking engine up, how to deal with one broken and one bent exhaust stud and how to get the broken sections of crank case repaired. Oh and do not panic, we have a spare frame for this bike in far better condition than the original was, even before we ground through it! Special thanks to all those involved in helping to get the engine out of the frame!