Next generation CNC heads
 

Okay, I know a lot of you guys were interested in my CNC heads, but they were cost prohibitive when you factor in overseas shipping. I had a concern with using +1 valves in a 100mm bore, due to the possibility of shrouding. So we finished a new head design that utilizes the stock valves to help knock the cost down, and reduce the possibility of shrouding.

We ended up nailing it! The head actually flowed 353 CFM@28" and .500" valve lift. This is better than my original +1 design. For those that don't know about flow numbers, this is not only good, it is borderline obscene! I am super proud of this piece.

Some dyno testing will be done this week, and then we will finalize the pricing. We will not have numbers that are a direct comparison for a while, but we will know if the technique is solid.

Tease!

Keep 'em coming Kenny.

I still need a XT cam so I can build a dual bolt pattern cam flange..... That will reduce the cost of you guys running my billet cams by enabling you to use the gear and de-comp mechanism you already have. My cam is the most expensive one out, but if you can go without buying a new de-comp mechanism, it might become a bargain.

Have you still got what Kenny needs Fran?

Can he do it with the cam alone or does he need the block?

If it's just the cam let me know how much to buy from you and send to him for experimentation.

I have one whole engine and only the bottom half of another engine but the top end lives in Marjani's bike, so I don't have cam/cylinder/piston etc....

I asked Kenny if he wants to buy my whole spare engine but.... I haven't heard back from him.

Its there sitting in my shed waiting.

Money is still WAY tight over here ! I would love to have both the bottom end and the complete motor. I can't remember......Wasn't there knocks or gear problems with both? For some reason I remember being afraid that I wouldn't be able to get the OE parts to fix it......

Kenny I'll be fair to you and will keep this discussion in the open public for all to see.

The bottom end of the first engine it's dismantled in like a 100 pieces all gathered in a few boxes. It has a snapped drive axle (see attached pic)

You can have the whole bottom end for free, it is of no use to me as it is.

The other whole engine has a slight knocking noise but no loss of performance at all, coming from around the cylinder head.

While it was still fitted to the bike, I took it to a reputable private mechanic not a Yamaha franchisee, who diagnosed that issue as a possible worn bearing in the crank shaft, or a possible valve issue, in either case he told me the damage would be minimal and easily rectified, however at a cost which was pretty steep, because he quoted me so much money just to open and shut the engine for inspection, that I found a new engine from an accidented bike to be the much cheaper option. Unfortunately less than a month after the new engine was on my bike was stolen and with that all my patience for motorcycles expired ever after.

Now... I am offering that engine, as is, for �200 english pounds (about $292 all in) to you as a gesture of good will and for the good things to come for our forum members once you get your hands on one of these motors. This you can appreciate is a considerably lesser offer than what I had originally asked you in the past.

I am now getting to the point where this is just a dead weight to me, my bike was stolen I am not riding anymore, I am selling my home to return to Italy and if I don't sell it here I will be forced to sell it to a local bike breaker.

Problem is.... you'd have to organize and pay for a courier with a large crate to pack it and ship it.

If I were you, in the line of business you are in, I would see this as an important investment, without one of these engines on your workbench you are slightly limited in the way of R&D for new trick parts to sell here and in other similar forums such as Aprilia, Derbi, MZ, MT03, all bikes that use the same engine, and worry not, we have 100's of lurkers here from those places reading about mods for their bikes.


Over to you.

I'll take it...... I need some help from someone over there that can pack and ship it..... I don't know what the couriers charge, as I use the US Postal service almost exclusively. I have no idea what the costs are. Do you guys have a national courier service that might be more reasonable than UPS or FedEx?

I honestly think getting the right top-end combo and a stroker crank will turn this into a giant killer!

One of the popular ways we ship engines is to get one of the large Igloo coolers, that has 2 wheels and a tote handle. We will then seal the engine securely with garbage bags, put it in the cooler, and fill the cooler with a few cans of Great Stuff expanding foam. The entire assembly will be locked into place until it is chiseled out. Is that something that could be reasonably done?

I will look for some of these Igloo cooler see if I can find one large enough and I know where to get the expanding foam. I'll let you know.

Good decision Kenny !

Only one or two sales of your goodies should defray the cost of purchasing the engine. We wait with baited breath.......

From my experience with buying from Kenny he's putting these things out at not much above cost price and it will take a lot more than a couple of sales to defray the costs of the test-bed engine and shipping. He is like Kev - an enthusiast who is willing to provide a service to us with low/no profit margins and selling into a foreign market unless Yamaha do eventually decide to set up the infra-structure in the USA to be able to sell the XT660 there. We benefit from this enthusiasm and the fact that he may be able to develop a product which suits both the XT660 and the quads over there. I am sure we all wish him success and try to help him by giving him firm orders once he has been able to develop and cost the modifications.

Kenny is providing the possibility of getting reliable performance parts at well below the prices charged by OTR and as such will open up the European and Australian markets as well as the Eastern Europe market which from the evidence on this forum seems to be very keen to purchase such parts.

Monty,

Fully agree with your statement. Anything that gets us away from OTR and their stubbornness and high prices can only be a good thing for all of us, and hopefully at some point OTR will realise this and start to reduce their prices ( dream on :) )...

WB

I really love what I do.... I don't know what volume of business OTR does, but I can tell you that I can count the number of parties interested in my products for the 660's on one hand. One of the things about race engine builders vs sales driven builders is the fitment and quality of their product. I have found that even the most respected names in race engine parts will only send out a product that fits the production pieces they have on hand. And since they don't have time to develop each and every product, they are at the mercy of shops to give them proper information. What we usually end up with is a factory fitment with slight changes. As large as the ATV market is over here , we had no proper fitting pistons. I had never met an engine builder that knew how important deck clearance is for efficiency and power, until I designed "corrected" deck height pistons, now it's all the rage.

I would be willing to bet the OTR CP pistons still install at .050" below the deck. My pistons on the other hand will install at .015" below. This is kind of a hard change to quantify on a dyno, but in real world use, it is noticeable, and only lots of real world testing and experience lead you to this kind of careful design work. We are very lucky to have people like Freez and Kev over here to set the pace and push the limits.

The most interesting part of this whole deal for me is the cultural differences. Americans want a screaming fire breather out of the box, then they will have to turn down the heat to get what they really needed. Europeans, on the other hand, tend to start out very conservative then turn up the heat to get what they want. Australians tend to be in the middle, but still somewhat aggressive. This is quite an interesting social experiment, and a wonderful experience for me. I am learning that the XT market will start low and ramp up as it proves itself worthy. The US market is the opposite.... they will instantly jump on almost anything, and the sales will fall off.

This is really fun, and I would like to thank you guys for letting me be involved.

Thanks again,
Kenny

Great work Kenny. Are you using stock valves with this head?

Yes indeed. I was really concerned about leaving power on the table due to bore shrouding. So we decided to go after the hard to get airflow.... The stock valves are very high quality, they are just small. I think this is gonna be a very solid combo with great power numbers and OE durability.

Great head flow Kenny well done mate. Have you sorted the rings out for your pistons now, I know you were out of stock for a while?

One thing I am after is a stroker kit for my XT & have had great difficulty in finding a stripped XT & Raptor motor to compare cranks. If I could ask you to have look once you get Frans old motor, that would be great.

Kenny, I got the OTR head+cam on my 103mm JEpiston and gave me a lot of HP+torque. But as I'm hugry for more power I would like to try a raptor head with oversize valves + special cam. I'm would like to do this mod next winter. What HP/torque gain you think this will give with a +2TB?.
Let's not underestimate OTR, I think they also do a good job. In Europe parts like pistons, valves etc are very expensive, this quite common.

Who/what is OTR please?

sorry, OTR is Off the Road; www.offtheroad.de
It's a German XT part supplier

If you need a hand moving/packing the motor, Fran, just let me know.