SuzukiSavage.com /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Head Removal /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1133454975 Message started by chas on 12/01/05 at 08:36:14

Title: Head Removal Post by chas on 12/01/05 at 08:36:14 hello all,, im going to remove and repair the head of a 95' savage, bike is on the lift and prepped. it looks to me like the head can be removed without pulling the entire motor, does anyone have experience to divulge here...??? being consistant i will purchase a manual after the job is done and mistakes were made, the pics make so much more sense at that point. out there somewhere....... delamite

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by lancer on 12/01/05 at 08:55:19 According to the book, the head may or may not be removed from the frame without removing the engine...it depends on each individual bike frame...it seems there is some variation on the assembly line. I will pray for your adventure. Keep us posted on your progress.

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by slavy on 12/01/05 at 09:04:40 Check the back postings. There are 2 ways to take off the head without removing the engine. 1. To take take off the motor mounting bolts and lower the engine in the frame. This way You will have more space to slide off the head. 2. Raise the head as far as You can and use big visegrips under the head to unscrew the longest stud. Anyway- why do You want to remove the head?

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by chas on 12/01/05 at 21:09:21 oh, thanks for your prayers but engine rebuild,mods are nothing new in my garage. just new to this bike. basicly aquired this bike recently runs fine, low miles, but has a distinctive tick up top. im 99 percent  sure the exhaust rocker is the culprit why im not sure....possibly a low oil condition who knows.. while im wrenching i have already layed out a killer exhaust system and the stock cvk is slated for replacement via a vm series carb. saddle bags and a windsheild from my parts piles and viola i have next years daily rider. now, i just hope my triumph america dont get all jealous on me... out there somewhere... delamite

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by sluggo on 12/01/05 at 21:31:42 personally, i prefer to remove the engine and work on it on a bench.  it's not all the difficult to remove and replace.

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by slavy on 12/02/05 at 08:52:21 90% sure, You don't have to remove the head. My bet is on a /to be politicaly correct/ not realy bright former owner, riding the bike with almost no oil. You have a worn rocker arm /s/ and squared cam shaft lobe/s/. 3 out of 6 Savages, that I had  were like this. In my humble opinion , You will need at least 1 , but may be 2 rocker arms . About the cam shaft- You will have a choice to go with a new one, or to send the old one to be regrownd /you will have the chance to change the valve timing and the lift/, or You can just compromise, go cheap, and take a stack of sand paper sheets and smoothen the squared lobes.

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by chas on 12/02/05 at 21:38:35 thanks slavey,, thats good advise,, tonite im gonna remove the valve cover before i just pull the motor. seems logical, the tick or clatter is definatly on the exhaust rocker side only but full inspection of intake side will happen as well. i like the idea of welding the cams for a performance profile can you refer a service who is reasonable and aquainted with the savage motor already..?? i used to get angry with people who have done dumb things with nice motorcycles but not to much anymore, im finding that i really enjoy fixing them when there a bargain and im riding more and more bikes that i would have never owned otherwise. will try and keep an update of somekind as things progress. delamite....

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by lancer on 12/03/05 at 06:25:44 I used Web Cams Inc, in California, to regrind my cam.  I think it was about $125 (3 years ago).  They offered about 10 profiles from which to choose and I had the cam back in my hands in less than 2 weeks from the date I sent it.  I picked one that was just a little up from the middle of the pack.   I you want more detailed info I can dig out the file for you.

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by chas on 12/03/05 at 07:38:58 hey lancer,, sure if you want to dig out the info i will take it. i would probably pick the profile you chose as well, enhancing torque and delivery is the winner. no need for building a drag race motor, i see you have done some nice mod work. while my bike is down i want to share some thoughts i had looking at it: 1. stock muffler way to heavy-dump it. 2. dump original airbox , weld on tabs for side covers. 3. relocate battery where airbox used to be. 4. dump stock CVK 5. new carb can be pushed back about  3 inches until it almost hits gas tank. 6. run k&n air filter and a krank-vent. basicly i did all this and more to my triumph america, it needed it badly. may or may not happen to the savage all depends on how much time i can allocate this winter. i also pulled the motor just like i said i wouldnt last nite bottom line was its quick and easy, motor bolted down to my workbench in a heated basement where i can stand-up wrench is worth the labor.  also like the idea that bike can be cleaned well before reassembly. if i accomplish all this next year this thing should run very healthy. delamite

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by lancer on 12/03/05 at 08:44:45 That is exactly what I did with mine.   I don't know what your budget is like, but you might consider having the cylinder undergo a "silicone-carbide treatment".  My was done by Bore-tech.  It makes the cylinder wall much more slick, and thereby creates less friction and less heat...yielding more power and the cylinder will last 5-10 longer.  An added benefit is that there is no breakin period required.  The power gain is noticeable and the engine runs noticeable smoother as well. I paid about $100 for a larger bore piston and about $200 for the bore and treatment.  I do not know the condition of your piston/cylinder, or whether they can be left as is and just add the treatment to the cylinder...if so that could save you a couple hundred.  This is a long term engine saving investment...just some food for thought. I really like the sportster mufflers, good performance/sound and cheap on ebay.  Or a screaming eagle II type mufler for more sound and a little better performance when other mod's have been done.  Or, since you are doing this throughout the winter, you have time to shop ebay for a new supertrapp and a rock bottom price. My supertrapp is running without the baffle plates as normal.  I have a few of them on but have a partial cone on the end for a reverse cone meg look...so the baffle plates aren't really doing much of anything other than as a base for the reverse cone to bolt on to. Please keep in touch, I really would like to see and hear of your progress.

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by chas on 12/03/05 at 21:34:20 hey lancer ,, i see were on the same page pretty much. ive learned alot of technique from building old triumph motors, man if you can make them live you can make anything run. that nickasil coating is awesome and i do want to start incorporating into builds, did you do the piston as well and are you having any ring flutter issues..?? the krank-vent would probably be a must at this point. i did tons of test builds and designs on my america before i got the exhaust to work and sound the way i wanted, thought you may be interested since im using the same formula on this bike. at about 40 inches down from the exhaust port (wich is about the header length) i weld in a custom chrome drag baffle (6 dollars). idea is it keeps the the exhaust from swirling,breaks the decibals, ads a skosh of back pressure. then any universal packed muffler for the final echo and decibal cut seems to give the perfect tone, not to loud, but throaty in sound. BATTERY-- i thought about leaving it in the original mount BUT i would have to buy a shorter one so carb will clear, and alter battery box to suit. not sure on this one yet gonna have to think about it, dont like the idea of 12 volts right under a fuel bowl. perhaps cutting out face of stock airbox could become a battery tray and also leave side cover mounting..?? well cam regrind and rocker repair is top priority for now i need to look up those people you spoke of. im hoping sunday morning will give me time to actually have head busted down in my hands for evaluation.   delamite

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by lancer on 12/04/05 at 08:49:30 If I remember correctly, and it has been 3 years, about the treatments for the cylinder...the nikasil was for aluminum cylinders and the silicone-carbide was for iron/steel liner type cylinders.  The result is the same for both.   During discussion with the rep at Bore-tech he said that doing the cylinder was all that was needed for a streetbike, going for the piston/cam and associated gear would be needless expense unless you were going racing for real. When I sent the cylinder in for the work I also sent the new piston with it, that way they could actually measure the piston prior to doing the bore job instead of just assuming the standard size of the piston since there is some variation. I have had absolutely no issues whatsoever with rings or anything else.  The engine ran BUTTERY-SMOOTH from the first crank.  I could FEEL the difference in the way it ran...just amazing!   I have two favorite exhausts.   One is the supertrapp (sounds good, no baffle plates) seen  in the most recent photos I have posted, and the other is a R&D muffler I got from Performance Design (at present they are not selling any) that was made for big inch Harley's.  It is of the swirl-design, with lots of small tabs on the inner spiral, and long swooping spiral ports on the outside.  It is said to make good back pressure when going  slow and virtually open-pipe-like with wide open throttle.  I do know that it works well and makes a great sound.   Leaving the air box in and modifying to accept the battery is the way to go if you want to keep the side panels.  I ended up removing mine and sometimes wish I had not...but...I also wanted to make new plates but have not done that yet...no garage/shop so I am slow to get stuff done. I need to get a house with a garage so I can work inside during any weather...I am really tired of working around the weather. By the way, the Webcams Inc can be found at www.webcamshafts.com.

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by Reelthing on 12/04/05 at 18:24:54 www.webcamshafts.com is quite a different place than www.webcams.com I see ::)

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by lancer on 12/04/05 at 19:42:56 Yea...a...just a little different............

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by chas on 12/04/05 at 20:40:22 great info lancer,, i will be contacting the cam people this week, however i have one more obstacle i think you dealt with already. the head and cover plate bearing surfaces are shot, they will either need to be welded or bushed for repair. im confident i can do this myself but time probably isnt going to allow it to happen i have no idea where to start with a qualified business to repair for me. automotive places wont touch it because its not there forte and bike shops just want to sell new parts and new bikes....im gonna start making phone calls this week i figure you probably have been thru it already. any help there would be appreciated then its just up to me to make it happen. delamite

Title: Re: Head Removal Post by lancer on 12/05/05 at 07:44:37 When my bike was damaged, leading to the rebuild, it was a small slice on the bottom of the engine case...sort of like a silver dollar was shot through the case "endwise"...1/8" wide and 1.5" long...very clean actually.  I was down from surgury and could not do the rebuild so I had it taken to the local dealership (this is a good one), they had the case welded and put it all back to gether again.  I am blessed, these are good folks at this shop. Anyway, I don't have any contacts for this issue for you.  You will have to let your fingers do the walking for you.

SuzukiSavage.com » Powered by YaBB 2.2! YaBB © 2000-2007. All Rights Reserved.