1st. time engine builders

There has been some real wisdom, already given in this thread. We want the best for the new builders, they will keep these bikes going and all the memories alive.

when i'm building motors for my self or other people i tend to not follow the school of thought if some good , more is better . when i port heads i always am thinking about port velocity not how big of a hole can i make i look at carb sizes, size of engine type of cams and what is this engine going to be used for if it is a hot street motor i wouldn't put pro stock type cams or valve train in it also if it is gonna be a turbo motor i'm not gonna go crazy on the porting iwould want to build as strong a bottom end as i could. if it is gonna be a bracket bike then you are looking for consistency and long life and ease of maintenence so i would not put .520 lift cams in it and buzz to 12000 i'd back off on the cams run .460's and shift at 10000 instead,get some life and go quick and have fun.i want something that is easily repaired if something does go wrong and is not high in the upkeep department something that is not eating valve springs every third pass i only have so much money and energy so why stress your self.

Interesting posting indeed....

For me, the first thing was in what did I truly want, desire and expect in performance... Meaning was I building a race bike, daily rider, weekend rider, drag strip etc...

Or something with a little extra zip, optimum performance in throttle response at low to mid ranges where we mostly drive and get's fairly decent gas mileage or doesn't require some special blend of gas where your stuck near home and for the most part, is maintenance free where I don't have to continually tweak it every moment once completed......

From there it was research the hell out of it for what was required to accomplish my ideal goals.... How much was it going to cost, out of my league or fits into the budget, time, how much could I do by myself versus having to pay someone else to complete etc...

Example, how many times have we heard put 34's on it... Well of course I asked why which only could be responded well bigger, more power etc...

Ok, but at what cost meaning how often did I plan on being mid to max range to truly benefit the larger carbs where they don't perform well at idle or low to mid range... Or I have to fill up every 75/100 miles versus every 150 miles but hey, got there faster right.... :blink:

Same in the cam shaft selection... Bigger lift, badder response, meaner etc.... Ok, great for increased top speed... Or wow, I get off the line extremely fast so I can haul ass between stop lights right... :blink:
Me thinks, at my age, how often do I plan driving at full throttle so whats the benefit again....

Or when we heard, 150mph is not fast enough, 180mph is what I want to do.... Right (sarcasm), and this was on a daily rider...

Or I pumped this motor up to 1400cc's... Wow, are you drag racing this monster, nope, just a daily driver... :blink: Only flaw is I have to stay within a couple miles of the house for special gas blend.... Wow, how fun.... :blink:

Best advice is be realistic in your expectations of what your building the motor for (drag strip or strong running daily driver), how much is it going to cost you, how much is going to be required in maintenance/tuning every weekend, are you building for speed, longevity, comfort, how much of this are you truly doing yourself versus mechanic fee's etc....

But one thing for sure, do your homework and research it before leaping into the abyss... And for KZ Gods sake, buy the damn service manuals before doing anything....

Ok, better now, my 2c's worth....

OMR

bein a newb with my first bike, i think my knowledge and mechanical abilities and resources limit me to basically keeping it stock. I have no idea how to do anything to my engine.....i just hope that once it has all new fluids in it and the carbs rebuilt that it will fire up and run. I just want somethin i can have fun with and i want it to sound mean.

I just like a bike that don't miss and sounds sweet at 5 grand when i shift. (when i'm riding easy)

I sometimes drop a sprocket tooth on the front just to keep my friends guessing what i'm doing to my bike.

I had a friend that asked me once if i had dropped a tooth on the front and i said no. I actually uped the rear sprocket gearing. He never could figure it out.
I had two rear wheels with diffrent sprocket sizes.

I have two engines to build and i just want them so i don't have to work on them when i'm through.

I was hoping some one was going to go through a step by step build so i could follow along. Roy

If you're going to go through the effort to actually build an engine, I say build it big like this twin!

V Twin

Here are some of the biggest tips I could give anyone. Sorry If I don't take the time to be sweet. There have been many good motor builders, come and go from these sites. There are some good builders that never go to the race track or will never be in a record books or be in the public spot light. My question is, why don't they post very much? Why do they get burned out and fade away? I know the answer and I have confirmed it, with a few of them. Maybe I can lay it out, in simple terms.

1) Use your best manners and respect their opinions. Be humble!(you are asking for what, it took them years to learn)

2) Don't be a "know it all"

3) Don't waste their time (always thank them, for their time)

4)If your asking for help, don't debate them.( the people that know, aren't going to waste their time debating, someone who doesn't know)

5) Use your head, be slow to speak and quick to listen.(theres a good chance, they won't learn much from you)

6) Don't tell them all about what you read. (if what you read, impress you so much, just do it!)

7) If you ask what you should do, do it exactly. (don't do the oppsite, they won't help you anymore)

If someone helps you, don't take all the credit.(Give credit, where credit is due)

9) Most builders are very nice guys, with families. (watch your attitudes and foul mouths / respect their family time)

10) Find someone who's building style you like, and stay under their wing.(if they like you, they will help you)

Most builders have seen a million "Ricky Racers" over the years. Don't be just one more added to the long list. Building is a way of life for some people, not a hobby or passing thing. Everyone likes to be good at their work, and motorheads are no different. Many people have helped me, many times. I try my best to follow the above rules, if I disagree, I keep it to myself. Once you gain experience and make friends, then they may want to debate with you. Last of all, builders respond well to treats.

This may well be the best thread I've seen on any motorcycle forum......Ever;)

thanks john that is some good advice for people to observe and pay attn. too most of the guy's that have a bit of experiance building heads or motors have been thru the wars and have made mistakes themselves some big some small, if a guy is giving you the benifit of his experiances at least have the decency to pay attn. and try to learn from his knowledge and years of sacrifice and hard work.remember the engine builder that is giving advice on here is not recieving a dime for his troubles and is just trying to help people thru there tough times and prevent them from making huge expensive mistakes.