Best Bang for Buck Rebuild?

Im looking to build up a new engine, dont want to spend a crazy amount of money, but want something decent.

Wut i've got to start with is a 1974 900 case with a welded crank, 1000 block, head will be getting sent to APE for a good clean up, 29mm smoothbores, and a vance and hines sidewinder pipe.

I want to build maybe a 1075cc, gonna be for the strip, this is my first drag bike build so i dont want to go too crazy, just want to have a reliable consistent motor.

I dont know wut i should do fr compression ratio, cams, should i go bigger than 1075?,

any opinions will be greatly appreciated!

build an 1197 with decent head and 435 cams you should have enough power to keep you occupied for a long time.you wont need to beat it nearly as hard as the 1075 so it should be easier on parts;)

"build an 1197 with decent head and 435 cams you should have enough power to keep you occupied for a long time.you wont need to beat it nearly as hard as the 1075 so it should be easier on parts"

What he said! It will cost a bit more than a 1075 because of the added machine work, but in the long run, you will be better off. Headwork is the key here. All the parts must work in combination with each other and they won't work to their best unless you have a good head and can get lots of air in there.

sell your stock head and buy my j head... it has all the machine work and a valve job already done at APE and all you need is the cam tower which is 55 bucks... eh? haha... you know you want it

also i want to make sure i can continue to use the push button starter, i dont want to have to use a starter cart.

wut compression ratio should i go with?

the father in law is suggesting i go with the 1075cc 12:1 kit from APE with the k410 cams.

i know in the next couple years i will be building a "large" engine bike, so do you guys think i can get decent runs with the 1075 and 12:1 with the 410 cams for the time being? i want to keep machining don to a minimum for now.

i think he's got the 1105 kit with the 420 cams and he is running low 10's on his set up which is more than wut i want.

That 1075 set-up sounds like a good one for what it sounds likeyou want to do. It would be a bore in for 1000 cylinder so the machining would be kept to a bare minimum. My guess is low 11's to high 10's. Maybe a little more. A 1075 is a good motor and can be made to run very strong. In the future you can add bigger cams if need be. Just remember the head is the choking point so spend some time and money there. I was told that a stock head will start choking of at about .360 lift so for best performance, you should have a little work done there. Wouldn't take much though. It should be a nice low maintenance motor that you should be able to use starter with. Gas it up, check the oil and go have some fun.

thats exactly wut im looking for!

so if i go eith the 1075 kit and a j-head would i be best to go with the 12:1 compression to compensate for the compression loss?

Yes. You will lose approximately 2 points of compression if you go to the J head. Just remember that a stock J head won't flow too much more than a KZ head. They have bigger valves, which are at a different angle, and the ports are a bit bigger but not much. So you will have to check the clearance between valve and piston. The valve pocket on the piston will be smaller than the valve itself, so it might be neccesary to cut valve pocket on the piston bigger....maybe not....be sure to check it if you go that route. Another way to go, is if you want to go with the J head, you can order J pistons(which use same size pins)and use a spacer under the cylinder to bring everything back into spec. Pins on J pistons are located in different spot. The spacer comes in different thicknesses and isn't that much. I think it's only about $30-$40. You can get all this from APE. Jay can tell you what parts you would need if you call him. Simplest route would be to use KZ head and you wouldn't have to do all the stuff needed to use a J head right. Have the ports opened up a little or at least match the intake ports up to the size of the intake boots in about 1 1/2". That will help. Then when you build that bigger motor, you can go farther and use the J head with all the work necessary needed, with right port work to make some serious HP. If Lee's head is done right, you would only need that spacer. Beings you are starting from scratch for the most part....decide which head you are going to use and buy the right pistons. Lee's head might be the ticket for you. Check it out.

iroc355 wrote:

so if i go eith the 1075 kit and a j-head would i be best to go with the 12:1 compression to compensate for the compression loss?

If you buy bicycle Lee's head (above) and send us your block, we will do 1075 ( or anything else) with the J model dome so the compression will be right.

The only reason to put a J head on that bike is so you can spend more money on a center idler.....what's that get you?

Stay with your KZ head, put a 1075 kit with drop in cams with those 29's and you'll have a great little street bike.

J heads are pushd on here like they're some magic potion or something. That's pure bullshit unless you're going with bigger carbs and porting. Aske me how I know..

Larry C

larrycavan wrote:

The only reason to put a J head on that bike is so you can spend more money on a center idler.....what's that get you?

Stay with your KZ head, put a 1075 kit with drop in cams with those 29's and you'll have a great little street bike.

J heads are pushd on here like they're some magic potion or something. That's pure bullshit unless you're going with bigger carbs and porting. Aske me how I know..

Larry C

exactly what i plan to do....78 kz 1000 ltd....1075 kit and .384 lift cams......minimal amount of cash and most bang for the buck....i figure it to be totally streetable with no issues as far as detonation or cooling and should wake it up nicely....just my .02......keith