Neveragain55

Honestly, I'm not sure if he lightened the crank, and I'll ask about the valves & cams next time I see him. I didn't get super technical with these types of questions while the engine was being assembled, but they are great questions and I'll follow up and get back to you. I'm building a few other things simultaneously while this build is going on and my attention span these days is stretched pretty thin.

Not there yet, bike is still being put together. Once she's done I'll pay close attention to where the revs are, speed, rate of acceleration in all gears, and where I'll be most comfortable.

I've said my entire life one thing about both racing, in any venue, on any machine.... "It's not the machine, it's the driver/rider" I've left tons of idiots in my rearview over the last 44 years with far less powerful equipment than what they had. Coincidentally, I'm not a track guy, and I'm not looking to win every "spontaneous" street race that happens as much as I'm just looking to build a fast bike that will keep a grin plastered on my face the entire day, no more, no less.

Yes............but........... What Captain Chaos said.........

Love it, and yes, you understand and get where I'm coming from...

Great points.... When I started this project, the builder asked me similar questions. Here's what I explained to him: "I want this motor to produce a bit more power (HP) than stock, but I'm not looking to go nuts and wind up with a motor that will overheat in daily traffic, or be temperamental and constantly shut off, or require race fuel to run properly. It has to behave like a stock (no issues) motor, but it needs to embarrass the "kids" pulling up to me on their modern bikes thinking they're about to blow away an old man on his old bike. I need/want a decent top speed somewhere near 150 (or above), but I also need enough midrange punch to blast around the slow-pokes out for their Sunday cruises." He told me that he completely understood, and that he's built hundreds of motors producing exactly what I was looking for, that's when he suggested the 1186 kit instead of anything larger. The engine was completely disassembled, the castings were sent out to be acid cleaned, and everything was re-assembled correctly. Take a look: Also, the transmission was rebuilt, and the gears are "straight cut", we have Carrillo rods, APE studs & springs, APE cam chain tension adjuster, etc., etc., etc. You have to trust me when I tell you this motor was built correctly, it's actually sick. We're going to run Keihin 39mm FCR's So, the build is all behind me now, what she puts out is what she'll be putting out, and I'm pretty confident that I'll never be able to open her up and let her run all the way out until she's got nothing left to give based on the fact that anything above 130 to 140 on such an old frame (braced or not) is going to feel like 250 mph. and scare me to death.......if I'm being honest.

Please let me know where you actually top out at when you do your first shake-down-runs.... I'd be curious to know.

She may not be Old School but she "looks" the part, and she's awfully pretty. (in my opinion) I actually started out wanting to get a Kawasaki ZRX1200R, but when I compared the specs (and looks) of that bike compared to the GSX1400, I thought, I'll just stick with Suzuki. (brand loyalty) Then I found out that they're not sold here, and that's when I got the idea to just build a beast. I came across Spikes thread in here purely by chance where he built this: And I decided I had to have something similar (if not exactly) like this.

Understood...... Honestly it did seem odd to me when I saw those figures last night on various sites. Splitting hairs with horsepower number isn't my bag though. Going from a 750cc motor up to damn near 1200cc's is more than enough for me, regardless of the horse power output. I will post the ultimate numbers whenever she gets done along with a full write up within a build thread. Thanks again for the replies....

Max horse power from a 1989 GSXR1100 was 143hp @ 9500 rpm (US spec) Max horsepower from a 1988 GSXR1100 was 125hp @ 9500 rpm (UK spec) Just found this tonight.......never realized, it sucks on a million levels, and it's incredibly unfair. On the other hand, Suzuki, in their infinite wisdom decided "not" to sell this bike here in the states: Our loss, so I'd say..........we loose.

Absolutely, and point well taken, and yes......he's the same cat that advised the 14T / 43T split from the stock 15T / 48T if I'm looking for more top end. He actually got those numbers from a gear ratio chart in his office, but he did explain to me how I would loose some torque on the bottom end by going with those sprockets, and possibly through the midrange. We've got quite a ways to go before we get to the part where new sprockets need to be purchased so I figure I'd pick the brains of guys that modify these things constantly for a second, third, fourth, fifth opinion...... I'm a big believer in gathering many opinions on subjects before I pull the trigger. Honestly after reading all of the replies, and thinking logically about how fast this bike will go, how I ride, where I ride, and what she'll be able to do "real-world" once she's finished, I'm starting to think that maybe Deeza is right......................just leave the stock gearing alone. Naked bikes naturally "feel" like they're going much faster than they really are due to the fact that they're un-faired, and putting this monster of a motor in a truly Old-School frame is going to be mind blowing enough as it is. Still not sure........but thanks for the reply.

Understood, for whatever its worth this guy has been building race bikes (specifically big bore Suzuki race bikes) for about 30 years, and raced professionally all over the US. He took many trophy's home and still to this day has pro's calling him up asking for pointers & tips. Click on the link and search for Lewis Jolly: https://www.theautochannel.com/news/date/19980711/news014450.html There were some other mods he did to the engine other than just the kit , and I'm not engine-tech savy enough to know exactly what he did, but every time we talk about the bike he keeps telling me to be prepared for something a hell of a lot more than what I think. (whatever that means) I promise to post the dyno numbers once she's done which will hopefully be later on this year towards the end of the summer. Thanks for all the advice on the sprockets.....

True.......but she'll be the prettiest girl at Woodstock......

Not a bad idea........thanks...

All excellent points.... I'm basically a weekend warrior, and my thing is going stupid fast on long straights.... The problem is, I also love jetting past slowpokes and I don't want my midrange punch (that I would need to pass & merger with) to vanish in an attempt to gain more speed on the top end. After reading all of your replies I'm definitely getting educated, thanks.....

I actually thought about that, I thought "does any of this really matter anyway because this bike is going to be un-faired and the drag will probably never allow the bike to reach the speeds a faired bike would reach". The motor isn't stock though, she's been punched out and she has an 1186 piston kit. My mechanic say's the engine should be pumping out roughly 170 horses, if not a little more. We'll dyno her when she's completely assembled, and I'll report back to let you know just how much she's really putting out.

Found that site, put the info in........................confused the hell out of me...... I'll go back in tomorrow after a good nights rest, thanks for the reply.

I've seen that comment about "chains not liking small sprockets" and have heard guys saying it on YouTube all day today, Jesus you guys really know your stuff.......

Before I start, I promise all of you that I searched the internet and all types of forums for the answer to this question, but all of that research only made my head spin…….. The 1989 GSXR1100 bike had a stock tooth set up of 15T (front) 48T (rear) The motor going into “Project X” is a modified, punched out 89 GSXR1100 Slingshot motor (1186 kit) The wheels are from a 1995 GSXR750 (17” straight, three spoke wheels) All of these parts will be stuffed into a modified & braced 1980 GS750 frame with modern, upside down GSXR750 front forks, and a braced JCM rear swingarm. I’ve been instructed to go with a 14T (front) / 43T (rear) set up if I want more top end (which is what I want) without losing all of the upfront & midrange punch. Again, the wheels are the stock 17” units, 180 (rear) / 120 (front) All of the charts I’ve seen online put the 14T / 43T set up at a ratio of 3.07 The stock set up of 15T front / 48T rear gives it a ratio of 3.20 These ratio numbers mean nothing to me and despite all of the videos I've watched and articles I've read, my thick head still doesn't get it. It’s very simple: Is the 14T / 43T setup the best in terms of getting good top end (over stock) without losing too much of the lower end and midrange punch (in other words, is it a good compromise) As always, thanks in advance.......

Understood Deeza, I'm "slowly" starting to accept the fact that I may just have to go with a smaller brake caliper that came with the shorter hanger that I need. I found a brake hanger on (you know where) that fits the 2004 to 2009 GS500 bikes that looks to be the correct length. It's roughly a half inch shorter than the hanger that came with the GS1150 caliper that I have, so as long as the mounting holes line up, I'll be all set. I know I said I didn't want to just keep buying parts until I got what I needed, but for $9.00 bucks.....what the hell, right? If it doesn't work I'll just throw it in the box with the rest of spare parts that I could either use in the future, or try to sell down the road. The guy selling this unit was nice enough to put a ruler against it so I could see the length. Check it out: This hanger appears to be 4.5 inches in length, the hanger that is currently attached to the GS1150 caliper is exactly 5 inches in length, and that 1/2 inch is exactly what I need to cover my 9.5 inch diameter rotor. If I bolted up the GS1150 unit (as it is with the hanger it came with) the pads go beyond the top of the rotor by about.....you guessed it, a half an inch. As long as the mounting holes (from the hanger above) line up to the GS1150 caliper I have, I'll be all set. Here's the caliper I currently have: I promise to keep you guys posted, including pics as no doubt someone in the future will run into this same situation and could reference this thread as a guide on what to do. Thanks again for the advice.......

Thanks Tony, I'll look into it.....

Hi Gang, I decided to post any questions I have regarding my "Project X" build in here opposed to the projects thread. If this isn't the right place for this question, I'm sure the moderators will guide me to where I have to go. I'm still struggling with my rear wheel setup and the reason why is because I don't want to just throw a bunch of money at parts only to try them on and find that they don't fit. I did a bunch of searching today trying to find a cross reference chart or site that lists cross reference's of Suzuki motorcycle parts (specifically rear wheel & brake parts) so I can save a ton of time & money. The closest I've found was RonAyers.com that lists all bikes that a particular part will fit, but it still doesn't give me what I need. What I've been doing up until now is going on an OEM Suzuki parts site, and writing down all the parts numbers of the parts listed, and then trying to see which parts will fit on which models in which years. (very time consuming, not very accurate, and not helpful at all) On to the question.......do any of you seasoned experts know of such a site or chart that somebody created so that I can finally figure out which parts will work best with this strange situation I've got going on. What's my situation you ask: I have a 1980's JCM underbraced rear swingarm, with a "top-side" torque arm mount, with a 1995 "straight" three spoke rear wheel that came off of a 1995 GSXR750, that has a 9.5 inch diameter rear rotor. The brake hanger for that year wheel was the one that slid into the stock swingarm eliminating the need of a torque arm. (which is why I'm having so much trouble, I'm not using a stock swingarm) I have a rear brake caliper from a 1984 GS1150 that I want to use because the torque arm mount is in the right location for the swingarm that I have, but the hanger that came with it is too long. The rotor on my wheel is 9.5 inches in diameter, and the caliper sits slightly too high. Yes, I could just get an 11 inch diameter rear rotor and that would solve my problem, but the bolt hole pattern for the 11 inch rear rotor is different than the 9.5 inch rear rotor. I've measured the bolt hole pattern of both rotors and they're definitely different. (thanks Suzuki..) If there is an 11 inch rotor with the same bolt hole pattern that will fit my 95 wheel then I'm all set, but I can't find any info on one. So I need a hanger short enough to make the brake caliper I have work. Yes, I probably could use a brake caliper from a smaller bike like a 550 but I don't know for sure that it will fit unless I buy one and test fit it, and that's exactly what I don't want to do. I really want to be sure about what I'm getting and if it will fit "before" I spend any money. I really like the design & look of the GS1150 caliper and I really want to use it if I can. Any & all comments & suggestions are welcome, thanks guys......

Thanks TonyGee, excellent points, and I'll definitely look into it.......

Thanks..... Most of all the things you mentioned have already been done, including lots of machining work to mate the swingarm to the frame, take a look: All I need to know is...... if the hanger from that 85 GS1150 rear brake caliper will slide over the existing shaft (with no slop) that came with the swingarm. As you can see, the wheel fits just fine, no worries there, and I'm just about positive that the 85 GS1150 brake caliper will fit perfectly over the rotor you see in the picture. I can easily have spacers made to shift the brake hanger closer or further away as needed (if it doesn't line up perfectly), and I can have a torque arm fabricated so that's not a problem either. It just comes down to making sure I have a shaft that going to fit through the swingarm, wheel, and brake hanger.... I thought about continuing on with my other thread in here but typically when I do that I never get any hits. I won't make any new threads in the future, I'll just stick with the main one that I created.

Tremendously, thank you.....