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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Are Heads Interchangeable?
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Message started by ThumperPaul on 06/01/24 at 11:37:45

Title: Are Heads Interchangeable?
Post by ThumperPaul on 06/01/24 at 11:37:45

Are the heads on our bike interchangeable? Or are they specifically matched/mated to it's specific original cylinder?

i.e. Can you rebuild a head from one motor (cylinder) and put it on a different motor (cylinder)?

Title: Re: Are Heads Interchangeable?
Post by Michael Moore on 06/01/24 at 13:16:53

An online fiche shows a cylinder head assembly 11100-24B10 is used from 1996-2019. 11100-24B06 is the earlier head number but it doesn't come up on the "where is this used?" search at two different sites, so it is hard to say if it is superseded by the later number or not. My impression is that the 4 and 5 speed transmissions are the main difference between the new and old engines and even those can be interchanged so I'd expect that the later head fits all the older bikes too.

Crankcases are sold as a matched set which surprises me. Yamaha (at least) has sold the left and right crankcase halves on their 2T dirt bikes as individual parts for many decades, and I had presumed that with modern manufacturing processes and quality control that would have been the practice with the Savage too. The cylinder head and rocker cover as also listed as an assembly.

So you may need to keep cases or a head+cover together as a set, but pretty much all the other parts should safely swap around (as long as you swap an assembly).

Title: Re: Are Heads Interchangeable?
Post by ThumperPaul on 06/01/24 at 13:34:03

Maybe its the Head and Cover that are matched/mated. I thought I read a post somewhere (can't find it) that talked about something being matched/mated. Maybe my memory is bad and/or my imagination may be good, but I think I recall something about oil passages lining up properly between head and cylinder.

I found a $150 parts bike that I'm considering buying to have some engine components to torture and abuse without crying about the damage I'm likely to impart. A guinea pig.

Title: Re: Are Heads Interchangeable?
Post by Michael Moore on 06/01/24 at 13:38:35

$150 sounds like a good deal to me!

Title: Re: Are Heads Interchangeable?
Post by Dave on 06/01/24 at 15:32:43

The head and cylinder are interchangeable on any year.....and you can bolt any used head to any used cylinder. They can benefit from some machining if the gasket surface on either one is out of spec.

You do want to keep the head and head cover together - as the cam rides in the holes made when your bolt those two items together.......I imagine they were machined as a set. (It bothers me a lot when the eBay sellers break them up and sell them individually).

Title: Re: Are Heads Interchangeable?
Post by ThumperPaul on 06/02/24 at 05:54:54

Thanks Dave!! That makes such perfect sense now! Sometimes I wonder if I think too much or not enough!

Michael I know! $150! There are a few donor parts I could use, and I’d like to see if I can build a nice head. Dave sold me a gently used Web-Cam 466 that I’m itching to do something with. It’s a very mild grind that mimics the stock cam with a little more duration. I don’t think it has any overlap and doesn’t do much if anything top end.

Title: Re: Are Heads Interchangeable?
Post by Graybeard on 06/02/24 at 15:46:51

I remember this being discussed years ago. The cam bore is created with the parts bolted together. A mismatch May be of no consequence. Best move? Matched pair.
Considering the rest of the Degree of Perfection of the build, I'd recommend keeping them together.