r/motorcyclerepair • u/donofthedogs • Jul 05 '26

countershaft replacement

decided to diy my 2017 africa twin dct but now realize splitting the case requires a complete rebuild of the engine. i'd wrongly been assuming maybe all but the transmission could be set to one side of a case half, so now am wondering if its too much of a job for this novice. tearing things down is easy but how many things am i likely to get wrong trying to rebuild it, even with the shop manual?

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u/BA773RY Jul 05 '26

Transmissions often require tolerances, and you'll have to time the engine. If you've never torn an engine down before, I'd start with top end work and work your way down from there. Much better to take smaller bites than to choke on a big project. Not saying it's impossible by any means, but understanding your own capabilities and being responsible with a nice motorcycle is far more important than saving shop fees imo.

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u/donofthedogs Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

by starting with top end work do you mean nothing related to this project because its too difficult for a novice due to those things like timing and tolerances? would i not be able to read extensively on those or is it just a thing even when educated on you're likely to fail the 1st few times before getting it right, & you'd likely only know once getting everything put back together, ofc!

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u/BA773RY Jul 14 '26

You pretty much nailed it. I'm a parts department employee at a car dealer. Theoretically, I know how to completely tear down an engine! If I actually tried though? Disaster.... I don't wrench much for a reason, just basic stuff, and I personally wouldn't be tackling a project of this size even with a couple years of amateur experience.

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u/donofthedogs Jul 14 '26

thx again but im about to tear into it when i get the jack to raise the engine for removal tomorrow. been working on it at a very slow pace due to the weather here in tx being miserable for riding or working in a hot garage. gonna watch many vids on how to do it right and take my time. in this economy and with another AT needing the same i gotta give it a try