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Message started by Jayhawka on 02/08/17 at 15:25:26

Title: Engine mods??
Post by Jayhawka on 02/08/17 at 15:25:26

now I'm happy with the exterior of the bike... it's onto the engine!
Given that I live in Australia in trying to steer clear of a big kit as shipping to and from the US will kill me...
what are my options?
How much power gain would I be looking at with a cam, piston, carby and price?
I already have a Jardine slash cut muffler and pod filter

Thanks heaps in advance guys!

And here's a pic of the bike for those who haven't seen it yet :D

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Jayhawka on 02/08/17 at 15:26:28

Big bore kit **

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Ruttly on 02/08/17 at 19:51:02

Here in The Marketplace , Lancer has piston , cam , a mikuni carb kit but you will need a custom cable for those ape swingers , Verslagen for cam chain adjuster , head plug. Everything can be found here , gaskets & seals I like to get from the dealer. Have cylinder bored locally once you have the piston. All the advice is free. How bout some more pics of your bike ! Welcome to the forum.

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Jayhawka on 02/09/17 at 03:07:20

143332322A3F460 wrote:

Well that makes life nice and easy! Haha
Takes all guess work out of it!

One question I do have is.... is the power gain really that much different between the normal bore and the big bore with a 97mm?
Because I've done some reading up on here and some people seem to think for the $$ to do the big bore it's not really justifiable?
I appreciate any advice I can get so don't hold back haha

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Dave on 02/09/17 at 05:14:28

The change to a Wiseco piston results in a compression increase from 8.5 to 10.5.....and it also requires that you use Premium fuel. It is a labor intensive swap, as the engine has to come out of the frame as the cylinder head and cylinder won't clear the studs before bumping into the top frame tube. Lancer did have some 94mm pistons that could be installed into the stock cylinder with just a honing - I don't know if he has any of those left as it was a "special" order and Wiseco only made them for Lancer using his approved design. Those pistons provided the most bang for the buck power increase - the 95 and 96mm pistons are commonly available....the 97mm may not be available as Wiseco doesn't make batches of them regularly.....the last time they were available Lancer bought all they had so they would be available to the members of this forum.

The cheapest thing you can do is to remove your exhaust header and trim away some of the restricting ring in the exhaust port. Stuff some paper towels that have been lightly oiled into the exhaust port (make sure the valves are closed), and then use a die grinder and burr to cut away some of the ring, then smooth the grinds with a sanding drum. Don't cut away any of the flat angle in the top of the port, as that supports the valve springs - but you can round off the sharp edge a small amount.

If you are willing to take the head cap off and install a cam, those will provide a significant power increase with the stock piston (but work best when combined with a Wiseco piston). While you have the head cover off you should install a Verslagen head plug so you don't leak oil all over your pretty bike.

A carb change would be the last thing to do unless your carb is damaged.....the stock carb does an OK job with a mildly modified engine.

Armen is now cutting the flywheels to make them lighter and it provides an increase in acceleration - unfortunately he started making them just as winter arrived......and we haven't had a chance to do much riding with them to know how well they work. I installed one and I believe it cut about 1/2 second off my 0-60 time - it was 23 degrees and I didn't get a lot of testing done and my bulky clothes and gloves made it hard to get consistent runs in. Ruttly, Lancer, Verslagen and I am all giving them a try......we will know more when warm weather allows us to go riding again.

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by philthymike on 02/09/17 at 05:23:32

I added the big bore and cam to my bike in december and this is definitely what I recommend. More HP and a power band that uses it better. I found both the big bore kit and the cam at clearance prices then but they may have changed by now. It's worth the investment if you really want to wake up this engine and put some excitement into your ride. I'm very happy with the results. I have a power band with plenty of torque all over the place and a ton of extra grunt. I used to avoid taking my bike on the highway before because I couldn't overtake other vehicles as quickly as I needed to in the type of traffic seen in my part of the world. Now it's no sweat at all. I go on the highways and overtake without worries at all now...
And the bike is still tractable enough for the stop and crawl downtown too.

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by old.indian on 02/10/17 at 18:11:57

Since I did all the engine mods at one time, I can not say what single mod made the most obvious improvement. I do feel that the head modifications allowed the other mods to reach their maximum potential. Per the dyno meter the stage 3 cam has a the torque peak at 3500 RPM with 90% of peak torque between 2,500 and 5,500 RPM.

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Jayhawka on 02/15/17 at 11:41:53

Really appreciate all the input guys!
I've decided to go down the big bore route...
I found a 97mm piston on eBay but says it's only good for bikes up until 1995?
I'm going to slowly accumulate the parts I need then in a about 2 months when winter hits I'll pull the bike off the road and get stuck into it

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Dave on 02/15/17 at 12:25:01

The Savage piston/cylinder is the same for all years (except the color of the paint on the cylinder).

It the piston will work on the 95 model....it will also work on yours!

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Ruttly on 02/15/17 at 12:30:47

Those pistons look so nice you just want to put it on shelf to look at it !

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Jayhawka on 02/15/17 at 12:54:24

Cheers guys I just ordered it!!
So in a couple of weeks ill order the camshaft from here then I'll be well on my way to a super thumper 8-)

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by LANCER on 02/15/17 at 14:30:58

Do you intend to do exhaust port work ?
Carb swap or going with the stock unit ?
If you need help, info or whatever just ask.

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Jayhawka on 02/15/17 at 14:40:43

From what I can gather the exhaust port work is a must?
As for the carb side of things I'm still not to sure about that...?

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Ruttly on 02/15/17 at 15:11:26

Get some new rockers for new cam , Lancer can help

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by batman on 02/15/17 at 19:08:35

I wonder if going to the 97mm piston to start, isn't a mistake ,the increase in hp is mainly from the increase in compression (higher thermal efficiency)not displacement .A 94mm-96mm may allow you to overbore the cylinder to 97mm later .Ruttly has a good point, rocker arms newer than 2005 have hardened faces where they ride on the cam.

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by Dave on 02/16/17 at 03:22:37

2F2C39202C2379754D0 wrote:

Good used cylinders are about $50 on eBay......so it isn't that expensive if you end up needing another cylinder way down the road..........(Australia prices may vary).

So far....nobody has worn out a Wiseco of any size. There were a couple of fellows that suffered a piston/cylinder failure shortly after installing a Wiseco - I do believe that in both instances they ran them hard on the freeway prior to getting 500 miles on the "break in" finished.

It is very important that you take your cylinder to a shop that does boring work every day (pun not intended). The clearance is critical - too tight and it can seize....too loose and it is already worn out! Some shops have equipment that they seldom use, and they lack the experience that is needed to get it right the first time!

Title: Re: Engine mods??
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 02/16/17 at 15:58:56

I know people with brains like that.