FZ1Oakville
Well-known member
My bad, I thought one of the threads mentioned an interest in comparing the performance of the two bikes....
FZR"400" project build
- Thread starter Freestyle72
- Start date
There is more to "performance" than what it does in a straight line ...
Hey man nice build! You probably don't read this string much anymore but if you do i got my first fzr400 this spring. Actually my first bike ever. Just thought you may be able to give me some tips on parts sourcing as I live in Brant which is close to you. I would like to put a YZ tank on mine and a new tail, as well as fighter it up alot! Let me know if you could thanks in advance.
Well if you want you can shoot me some specific questions and I would be happy to answer them. BrianP on this forum probably knows quite a bit more than me about FZR part sourcing than I do. But if you need a hand with anything let me know. Whatever it is I probably ****** it up before and learned haha.
If you have a "nice" 400, I'd still strongly recommend not modifying it, and failing that, if you insist on doing something, do it in a way that doesn't modify any of the stock FZR400 parts (so that you can put the bike back to stock). There are not too many of these bikes around and most people who appreciate them, will appreciate the stock(ish) bike more than something you've modified (or more commonly - and unfortunately - "butchered"). If the bike is a basket case cosmetically, then have at it. It's hard to make newer fuel tanks and bodywork fit properly without doing a fair amount of re-engineering, and this thread is evidence of that!
my bikes already butchered, its an 89 with about 13800 kms on it and runs great though. the bodywork is butchered that is the rest is pretty clean. i'll post some pics so you can see its condition. im wondering if ebay is a good place for parts most of what ive seen is cheap offshore crap like headlights for example. will post some pics and a wishlist of parts then you all can tell me if im wasting my time and money.
I'll try and get it off you some time in the near future. I just been blasted with work lately haven't even had time to look much into my fuel injection endevour. Not to mention my garage is cold as hell.
Thanks Old Dude. Couldn't have done it without you.
Very nice.
Here's a dumb question about the 400 vs. the 600... I thought that they had the same chassis, so an FZR400 with a 600 motor would be equivalent to an FZR600 (although maybe with cheaper brake and suspension components). Am I mistaken on this?
Here's a dumb question about the 400 vs. the 600... I thought that they had the same chassis, so an FZR400 with a 600 motor would be equivalent to an FZR600 (although maybe with cheaper brake and suspension components). Am I mistaken on this?
The 600 had a steel frame. The 400 has an aluminum frame. The 400 weighs quite a bit less than the 600. Also the 400 had a shorter wheel base among other things. The 600 was actually just a stroked up 400 if I am not mistaken. The FZR600 was made to be the cheaper of the two bikes.
Thanks. I knew that the motors had a common heritage, and knew that the FZ600 had a steel frame (and the Radian motor) - but thought that the FZR600 had the same chassis as the 400. I appreciate the clarification.
I'm hunting around for info about 400cc I4 engines because I'm daydreaming about wedging one into an RS125 frame...
If the 600 is a longer stroke than the 400, then I assume that the 400 is a bit lighter and more compact - do you know the difference in size & weight for the motor only?
Sorry for the mini-threadjack. This really is a cool bike and I especially like how you've taken a very careful and systematic approach. Plan your work, work your plan!
The 400 and 600 engines use crankcases that differ only in minor details. The overall dimensions and weight of the crankcases are the same. The 600 engine is taller (by about 20 - 30 mm, I don't know the exact dimension) and this difference is entirely in the cylinder block (between the base gasket and the head gasket). Cylinder heads are the same basic design (and weight and overall dimensions) although the 600 has bigger valves - so it can't be used on the 400 cylinder bores, and although a 400 head will fit and work on a 600, why would you want to (valves and ports that are undersized for the 600 application). The 600 engine is only slightly heavier than the 400 engine.
These engines are not particularly light or compact by modern standards. Open-deck design (the liners are not "siamesed" and the cooling jackets go all the way around each pair) with the timing chain tunnel up the middle, 6 main bearings. It's a 1980's design and was pretty good in its day, but that was a long time ago.
That's why I said "FZ600".
Thanks a ton for the info, Brian.
What would be your choice for a light, compact, carbureted I4 making ~60-70hp, that's not pure unobtanium in Canada?
