gsxr 1100 cam in kat 1100

[mahemmjr]

Saw a 1216 build on YouTube and the guy seemed pretty legit. What would the benefits be?

[cintidude04]

Benefit to which part, 1216 over-bore or gsxr cams? Over-bore provides more displacement, cams allow the engine to breathe better.

[Wild-Bill]

...cams allow the engine to breathe better.

Sorta. Depends on your definition of 'better'. Changing cams will alter how quickly, how far and when the valves are opened and closed. The stock cams in your 1100 are designed to maximize on the engine's ability to provide power in the rpm ranges where the engine's designers expected you'd want power to be produced.

The stock cams in the 1100 Kat were enough to make it the world's fastest production bike when it was new. It took that title away from the Honda V65 Magna. The cams have been a popular swap for GSXR builders who want a smoother, fatter power curve with more available torque for street riding.

Before you go swapping cam shafts you want to do a whole bunch of research. Take a look at the shape of the power curves on both the Kat and the bike you're proposing to take cams out of. Swapping cams won't make a huge gain in power but it can tweak the engine's performance characteristics.

[cintidude04]

Yea, I wasn't in the mood to type that much last night Bill. My answer works just fine for a question that starts with "I was looking at a 1216 build..."

[arsenic]

GSXR 1100 cams are a total waste. In a built motor with a 1216 Wiseco piston kit, if you don't have aftermarket cams from Cam Motion or Web Cams with more lift than the stock GSXR cams you failed in epic proportions.

[Mojoe]

not true, Chris. I did a lot of research and asked a lot of questions before buying that V&H engine a few years back, and the general consensus was that the stock cams works fine, but the kat cams were preferred.

the epic fail seemed to be leaving the stock crank from the kat. it was also the number one question I was asked when I had it posted for sale on ebay....which crank the engine had. gsxr has the straight cut gear on the end of the crank, kat has diagonal cut. with a bore kit, and the added torque, the cam bearings have a tendency to wear faster, and eventually spin. in fact, that is what happened to the V&H engine I bought....and the reason it was all tore down when I bought it. the PO was going to replace the crank with an aftermarket one, but before investing over a grand on a new crank, he just went with a busa engine.

[arsenic]

I can see the Katana cams being preferred... If you want to build a streetable high performance reliable engine. Anything above a "streetabe" engine, the stock cams are not what engine builders go with. And yeah, the Kat crank does suck, same with the crank in the B12 engine everyone seems to have a hard on for. That is the whole reason when looking for an engine, I went with the GSXR 1127. Because when you overbore a GSXR 1127 or B12 (1157) the biggest it's gonna be is 1216.

[mahemmjr]

All great info. I'm in contact with a shop willing to build it for around a thousand. I'm going to fix some cosmetic issues then gather parts this summer.

[arsenic]

You know a 1216 overbore is not a good idea for city traffic right? If you're just gonna build this motor a tool around on your bike like it's all regular, you're gonna overheat the engine all the time.

[mahemmjr]

Oh. Hmmmm nevermind then. Sounded good in theory.

[DClark]

You know a 1216 overbore is not a good idea for city traffic right? If you're just gonna build this motor a tool around on your bike like it's all regular, you're gonna overheat the engine all the time.

With Dale Walkers 1216 kit, doesn't it come in couple of flavors, difference being cr? I really don't remember, but I thought his kits were good on the street. I know there are lot of B12 owners that have gone 1216.

[arsenic]

I honestly don't know. I build race motors. I didn't build high performance stuff to sit in traffic.

[mahemmjr]

Ok well how about just a rebuild kit?

[Mojoe]

Ok well how about just a rebuild kit?

why, is your engine blown or bad rings...low compression?

[suzy1052]

I used GSXR750 Slingshot cams in my big Kat along with the slingshot head and a 4-1 exhaust. Surprisingly it liked the stock sized jets and ran flawless. I cant rember if I used both cams or just the exhaust but I would put it up against my ZX11D anyday in the quarter mile.