Engine swap ??

I'm selling one of my 78 kz650's. I haven't heard the engine on this bike run since purchasing it. I was told by the previous owner, that he was told by his local bike shop, that two of the cylinders were low on compression. I discovered that one of the coils on this bike was bad. The bike has the Dyna ignition and Dyna coils. So I'm questioning his shops diagnosis about the low compression.

I've discussed this with the guy that's purchasing this bike, and he also questions the reliability of the shops diagnosis. This brings me to my question, I also have an 82 kz650 CSR, that's a good running engine. If the engine in the 78 kz650 that I'm selling has compression problems, would the 82 kz650 CSR engine be a direct swap into the 78's frame ??

Yes

It will be a salvage title thus worth less. Some states the title has to be changed.
Steve

swest wrote: It will be a salvage title thus worth less. Some states the title has to be changed.
Steve

Because of an engine swap, the title (usually recordable as the frame numbers) is called salvage? I didn't know that.

In some states yes. If the title has the engine numbers and the frame, they have to be recorded thus salvage title. In the 70/80's, the cops would pour over the bike looking for a mismatched Vin. Hell that's how Doug the thug got busted with my old dead truck. :evil:
Steve

swest wrote: It will be a salvage title thus worth less. Some states the title has to be changed.
Steve

"Some states" being only CA and MN I think.

I'll bet more than that.
Steve

swest wrote: It will be a salvage title thus worth less. Some states the title has to be changed.
Steve

I live in Iowa in the US. I've never heard of that law here, but I'm not sure one way or another. It's worth checking out though. I do know that our bikes engine numbers are not recorded on the titles. Just the frames numbers.

We have an enormous amount of custom car clubs here, and I'm sure more than half of there custom cars do not have the factory engines installed. Quite often you'll find a Ford engine in a Chevy, and vice versa. I know there not required to be titled as salvage.

I feel sorry for the people that that law affects.

A lot of it has to do with combating stolen parts and bike/car rings. Some by the EPA and some by local smog Regs. As I said, if the Eng. # and the frame # is on the title, it will be on the registration. Some cops love to find a mismatched Vin or Egn. # and impound the bike. It makes for a really FK'ed up day for the owner and a good laugh for his buddies. I've been involved with LE for 19 years and can tell you, there are some Chicken SHT cops that make the rest look bad.
Best not to give them the opportunity or pleasure.
Steve

Not in California, you simply report the engine swap with the DMV. And so what if it ends up with a salvage title as long as you can still ride it.

I agree, reselling a bike with a salvage title kills the selling price. I don't even bother with a bike that has a salvage title.

What do the states do with the custom home built bikes, like my custom chopper ?? I had to save all my paperwork and MSO's to get my bike titled. The Iowa DOT came out and stamped there own number onto the frame of the bike that I built, and was given a title with the DOT chosen numbers. So I am left with a big pile of numbers for each major part, and now there are two different numbers stamped into my custom frame, the manufacturer of my frame stamped there number into the frame, as did the DOT.....

Will this bike be considered to be a salvage titled bike in other states ??

I know this is off track from the kaw motor swap......

My Z1 has a salvage title. When I had the wreck, I bought the frame I have now from Mike at Riverside motorcycle salvage. He told me the receipt he was giving me saying "Value received" would keep it from being a salvage title. LIE. $300 Not only is it a salvage title but the frame was damaged too. :pinch: This guy was and is a crook. He lost the business and started another one. I found him, he was being a jerk as he was pouring oil down a rain drain in Costa Mesa. I turned him to the AQMD. GOTCHA. :evil:
Now if I have another accident, no insurance company will pay what it would be worth. That's why you don't want a salvage title. :whistle:
Steve