The 07-15 fz1 uses the same head? Cool. Check the part number on the valves and valve springs. If they match, check the part number on the cams. If they match it's a direct swap.

If they don't, you'll have to change the cams, valves springs or other components.

You wouldn't need to change the pistons, rods etc unless you kept the fz cams and installed an fz harness and ecu etc.

 

Thank you, good point. Ill look those part #’s up a bit later to see if they match

 

What's wrong with the head you have? A machine shop can maybe just rebuild it for you depending on what the problem is. My 05 head was done at a shop when I rebuilt the bottom end.

 

Hey bud, I'm currently rebuilding my 05 R1 due to chain letting go and destroying engine crankcases. There really wasn't much wrong with the bike before that. Anyways, I wasn't planning on doing any head work, but I'm curious what the cost ran you to have yours done? Especially since I already have it off the bike, I'd hate to get it all back together and wish I had done it. I really don't think a machine shop would find much wrong with it other than maybe addressing the valves, but from my research those seem to take many more miles to need adjustment than 21k mine has. Anyways, just curious 🧐? TIA!

P. S. Love this site! I would never have found the confidence to do the rebuild on my own without some of the things I have learned on here. Thanks guys

 

I bought the bike close to nothing with a lot of aftermarket parts, clean title, but the motor was locked. When I dropped the oil pan I noticed that a piece of the gasket that was installed tore off and blocked the oil pump, it was in pieces. I’m guessing that starved the top end because one of the valves broke up by the retainer and broke the head, piston, and most likely cylinder, just loosened the bolts for the cases and will split it soon to see how the rods are and crank

 

Ah, guess it might be safer to replace it then. But figured it was worth mentioning. Don't know today's prices, but back then 14ish years ago. It was $400 to get the head checked, decked, and new seals and stuff, plus a light port and polish.

 

Dude, price a set of valve keepers.

 

Yeah that's ridiculous. $105 just for the intake side. Shims are $10 each it seems, give or take. I think I got my whole shim kit for like $50, $100 at most. And that was like 10 of each shim or something.

 

But back on topic, just doing a little search around while I was checking the prices. It seems the cams are different. So you can use the head it's self from the other models but you would need your cams if they are useable. And your valve springs. The rest seems to be all the same parts, so head, valves, ect.

So seems for this to be easy for you, you would need an R1 head or engine for the parts. If you go with the FZ you'll have to tear it apart and swap the cams and springs.

Edit: Valve springs are different it seems as I look deeper into this.

 

Everything is much more now. I’ll inspect the cams I have now to see if they’re useable. Once everything is torn down and inspected I’ll price everything out hoping it doesn’t go too much over $1,000. If it does maybe I’ll just part out the rest of the bike, but i’d like to bring it back to life thats the goal

 

I’ll take a picture of the bottom of my oil pan so you can see what happened with the gasket. Cant believe something so silly like that happened and failed the engine

 

 

I looked at the part #’s in both cylinder heads on the r1 and fz1. The only thing that seems to be different is the valve springs, and the camshafts. So if you end up getting an fz1 head, I guess you will have to put r1 valve springs in it along with r1 cams?

 

Nab a used engine and piece the one you've got together slow with premium parts bud. Build the engine you want. Send your head out to ape for port/polish. Install bronze valve seats. Get a premium set of rods and pistons.

It'll be spendy, but, when it's done, it'll be bulletproof.

Just my .02

 

all of the used engines I see look like junk unfortunately. My crankshaft, bearings, crankcases, tranny, connecting rods all look great with no visual wear. I guess now its just a matter of plastiguaging to see if they’re still in spec right? Would it make sense to re use the main and rod bearings if they look good and are within spec? Finding 8 new oem ones for the rod is near impossible, at least the size my bine calls for which is 3 (Brown)

 

Measure with a mic and check against the min/max for wear in the service manual.

Plastigauge is to verify fitment.

 

 

I can’t find those J1-J5 numbers (bottom picture) on my cases, anyone have pictures of where they are?

 

I found it 👍

 

So I ended up buying a good used fz1 cylinder head to put on my r1. Every part number seems to be the same except for the valve springs. My question is, would it be okay to just keep them in there and run it if all are within spec? Ill take out a valve on each head to compare them, but I cant think of what the major difference would be. Let me know, thanks!

 

Can't help you there, as I don't know what the difference is. But I'm going to assume it's different spring rates due to the R1 revving higher then the FZ. If it was me doing this, I would take the springs from the R1 head and go to a machine shop, and have everything fitted, lapped, and swap the springs over. New seals and guides are never a bad idea either.

 

So what I’m doing at the moment is taking everything out of my r1 head thats good and putting in on the fz1 head. The valve springs, and retainers are different, but the valves, keepers, buckets, are all the same and I’m pretty sure the guides and seals too but I’ll double check that. Looking forward to see how it all works out. Getting my main bearings in the mail today and will be installing those this weekend. Any tips for assembling this engine that the manual may have left out? Thanks

 

Valves have to be matched to guides. If you are moving valves, you have to cut new guides.

 

Thanks. I’ll just use the fz1 valves then so that I won’t need to do that. They had more carbon build up than the r1 but I’ll just clean it off.

 

This may be a silly question but when you plastigage the main bearings do you need to put sealant on the cases? Also can you plastigage all of the journals and torque it down once? Do I need to oil the journals or keep them dry with the plastigage on it, thanks

 

You can gauge them as a set. Dry. IIRC it's in the manual.

 

Okay, the main bearings in my engine now read D5F3 and the bearings I just bought according to the numbers stamped on the case/crank read D6G3. Anyone know what those letters/numbers mean? Also is the bigger the # the bigger the bearing? For example the manual reads 0-White 1-Blue 2-Black 3-Brown 4-Green, is 4-Green the biggest bearing? Thanks

 

Pictures please.

 

Oh yeah sure

 

I plastigag’ed the bearings that were in bike when I bought it. They all are at .0015” around the loose end of the clearance, should I change out the bearings with all of the new ones I got and see if I can get a tighter clearance?