How to remove the top end of a Suzuki Intruder VS1400

First, undo all the bolts from the head case and remove the decomp valve spring set by removing the bolt directly above it. Make sure you undo the bolts, but leave them resting in place as they are different sizes and we don’t want to put them back in the wrong places. Remove the head case, with the bolts in place and put it somewhere safe.

Now we can work on removing the sprocket. Remove the 2 bolts which are secured in place with a bent lock-washer – do this by flattening the bend out with a flat head screwdriver and a hammer, bring careful not to break it. When you go to remove the bolt (with a 10mm spanner), you might find that the engine turns over. To prevent this, you need to find your stata side case so you can get a socket set on there to stop the engine turning over. When this bolt is out, you will then need to turn the engine over (in the stata case) to expose the second bolt so you can repeat the process. You don’t want these bolts to fall into the bottom end of the engine, so you may want to put a rag in the void to prevent this. The lock washer is also connected to both bolts, so when you remove the second bolt, make sure you put some pressure on the washer so it doesn’t fall down, then carefully remove it with a pair of long nosed pliers.

Once the bolts are out, we can remove the sprocket.  To remove it, we can pull the sprocket off of the cam towards us, then we can use the slack we’ve created to manoeuvre the sprocket out and take the chain off. Again, be careful not to drop the sprocket into the bottom end. To keep the chain safe, place a screwdriver through the chain, balancing it on the side of the case.

Now we can remove the cam – do this by hand, although it might be awkward and require some pressure. You don’t want to use a screwdriver or other lever to pry it out as you may cause damage. Then, dry up the pool of oil – it is meant to be there, but we don’t want it there whilst we work.

Now we can start removing the bolts that hold the top end to the bottom. There are two by the spark plug and three in the centre. These will be difficult to undo as they are torqued to a high setting, so try to ratchet the engine in place or get a friend to help hold it. These bolts again are all different lengths so take note which one goes where.

Then we can undo the nuts on the outside of the cylinder (which holds the two top pieces of the cylinder together) which are on both the front and rear of each. Then, with some encouragement, you should be able to free the top end and pull it straight up, exposing the piston.