Restoration Honda CB500K1 1972: Engine bolted on engine stand

When I ordered a complete gasket set for the Honda CB500K1 it came with new std piston rings. And as I wanted to clean and paint its frame anyway I decided to remove the engine from the bike and bolt it on an engine stand. After two weeks of spraying the mounting/hanger bolts with WD40 all the bolts came loose pretty easy.I started with removing the bolts from the top hangers and worked my way down.

Tip: If you wanna open the engine for a rebuild it's easier to loosen all the bolts and screws when it's still in its frame.
I removed the brake pedal connections, kickstarter, carbies (see previous post), all electrical leads, the top breather cover, front sprocket and chain.

Honda CB500 four brake pedal

Honda CB500 four kick starter

Honda CB500 four engine

Honda CB500 four breather cover

Honda CB500 four 17T sprocket

Even after the last long bottom bolt was removed the engine stayed motionless in its frame. The engine weighs around 75 kg but it wasn't too hard to take it out of the frame and put it on a soft blanket next to the bike.

Honda CB500 four removing engine

In order to bolt a bike engine on a standard rotating engine frame you need four 90 degree brackets, some threaded rods and a couple of washers and bolts. I used 50x50x50x5 mm brackets but other sizes may do the job as well.
It's way easier to fix the engine stand mounting head on the engine when the engine is still laying on the bench/floor. Only downside is it's gonna add another couple of kilos you have to lift while sliding the whole lump into the engine stand. I managed to do it myself but it's f*cking heavy...