Engine dimensions for xvz1200

[speedbug78]

Hey guys. I am building a compact hot rod and just purchased a xvz1200 for power. It won't be here for a while so I was hoping to get some basic external engine dimensions so I can draw it into the plan. I searched, checked out the tech section, looked through the manual and googled. You guys have any info I can start with? Basic wlh is a start, but the more detailed the better. Thanks!

[saddlebum]

Dang I just scraped a frame. Had I known sooner I could have sketched up mounting point dimensions. Never fails no matter how long you sit on something its usefulness always crops up after you get rid of it.

[sleepy2]

Does it matter what year frame? I have a spare frame in my side yard that I could bring in out of the COLD and take some measurements for you if you want. What measurements do you need?

[Condor]

As soon as it stops raining I'll put a tape to the engine I have on the side of the house. Do you just need HWL dimentions... Or???

[speedbug78]

Wow, thank you guys for the kind welcome! You'd be surprised the number of places a person gets hated on for doing something out of the ordinary.

@sleepy2 - I don't think so? I'm a noob here . The one I bought is an '83 if that helps. Reading in this forum, guys are swapping V-Max heads onto older blocks and saying things like "the blocks are the same". I haven't read of anyone doing engine swaps yet, but I just started.

 

 

Basic length, width and height of the engine would get me started, but mounting points would be awesome! There are tons of things I could use, but don't let me put you out. A list off the top, in no particular order, if you really want to measure stuff

 

- Driveshaft offset from center of engine

- Overhead location of intake ports (for building a custom intake manifold)

- Carb throat diameter

- U-joint cap diameter

- U-joint height (top of cap to top of cap)

[speedbug78]

Here is what I'm working on. It is a Geo-Metro sized hot rod truck. I wanted something different for the engine and settled on either a v4 or I3. At first I thought about building a custom engine, but when I saw what you guys have and how it sounds, I was sold.

 

 

I'm currently working on the chassis.

[zagger]

Hey guys. I am building a compact hot rod and just purchased a xvz1200 for power. It won't be here for a while so I was hoping to get some basic external engine dimensions so I can draw it into the plan. I searched, checked out the tech section, looked through the manual and googled. You guys have any info I can start with? Basic wlh is a start, but the more detailed the better. Thanks!

 

Ok, these are just crude dimensions using a tape measure.

Length, front to back on outside of heads: about 17"

Height, to top of carbs: about 21"

Width, at top of heads: about 12"

Width, near bottom of engine: about 20"

 

These dimensions do not include any sort of air filters, or boost valves (if you use them on the intake), or radiator. On my 1200 I installed Vmax boost valves (manually operated with a bicycle shift lever and cable) and a narrow radiator that fit the bike width better than the stock radiator.

 

My '83 1200 venture is quite fast when compared to other cruisers. Seems like the extra weight of a car chassis will slow things down quite a bit. Probably should flip over the engine and pull off the oil "pan" and check out the condition of the gearbox to prevent 2nd gear slipping issues. I filed down the sides of the toothed gear cogs so they would not tend to slip past each other. No problems in quite a few years.

Good luck,

zag

[speedbug78]

@zagger - Thanks for the dimensions! I did a quick sketch and came up with this:

 

I think it will fit quite well. I did a Suzuki twin cam GTI engine (~100hp) into a Geo Metro swap once so I feel like I have an idea how fast it will be. It should end up well under 2k lbs. Of course not as fast as a bike though.

 

Suzuki/Metro: 99hp/83ft. lbs. 1.3L, ~1700lbs

XVZ12/rod: 95hp/??ft. lbs. 1.2L ~1800lbs - Way cooler

[Freebird]

That's going to be very cool. Hope you post some pictures of your build as you go.

[Freebird]

Wow, thank you guys for the kind welcome! You'd be surprised the number of places a person gets hated on for doing something out of the ordinary.

sleepy2 - I don't think so? I'm a noob here . The one I bought is an '83 if that helps. Reading in this forum, guys are swapping V-Max heads onto older blocks and saying things like "the blocks are the same". I haven't read of anyone doing engine swaps yet, but I just started.

 

https://www.venturerider.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=118234

 

Basic length, width and height of the engine would get me started, but mounting points would be awesome! There are tons of things I could use, but don't let me put you out. A list off the top, in no particular order, if you really want to measure stuff

 

- Driveshaft offset from center of engine

- Overhead location of intake ports (for building a custom intake manifold)

- Carb throat diameter

- U-joint cap diameter

- U-joint height (top of cap to top of cap)

 

One thing you should know, if you don't already. The '83 - early '85 models had a bad washer in the tranny. Usually they will lose second gear at somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 miles. Just something you should know if the engine has higher miles on it.

[speedbug78]

One thing you should know, if you don't already. The '83 - early '85 models had a bad washer in the tranny. Usually they will lose second gear at somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 miles. Just something you should know if the engine has higher miles on it.

@Freebird - Thanks for the heads up. I've been reading a lot about this engine and made a list of things I need to check out:

 

YICS ports - Plug with 1/4" hardware (can't link the post showing where I found it as I only have 6 posts)

Plastic water pump impeller - Where should I get the metal replacement one?

Ignition Unit - Best place to get the '83 only unit? E-bay?

2nd Gear - Fix it. Can you tell if it's bad w/o driving the thing? I read somewhere that it's marked if Yam fixed it. Are we talking post '85 fixed, or dealer fixed? What does the mark look like?

 

I'd like to get the parts coming to fire it when it gets here. I think the biggest thing is the ignition. Without much space restriction I'll go single carb on the intake. Other than that its all the little stuff (oil, filter, wires, starter solenoid, battery). I'll probably need a regulator/rectifier module. Anything I'm not thinking of?

[Prairiehammer]

Plastic water pump impeller - Where should I get the metal replacement one?

New metal impellers are still available from Yamaha. Best place to get genuine Yamaha parts at a discount is Partzilla.com. But, since the water pump impeller was most likely upgraded by the dealer already, before you buy a new impeller, pull the water pump cover and have a look at the impeller currently installed. Bet it is a metal one.

 

Ignition Unit - Best place to get the '83 only unit? E-bay?

Yes, either eBay or here. However, You can (and should) just upgrade from the 26H (1983) TCI to the 41R (1984-1989) TCI. More reliable and common. To use the 41R TCI on your '83, one needs to simply plug the vacuum port on the 1983 number 2 carburetor and pull the vacuum source off the #2 synch port on the cab boot. But since you are planning to use a single carb setup, even that is not relevant.

 

2nd Gear - Fix it. Can you tell if it's bad w/o driving the thing? I read somewhere that it's marked if Yam fixed it. Are we talking post '85 fixed, or dealer fixed? What does the mark look like?

 

You can not tell if second gear is bad without driving the bike. And no, the second gear "fix" is not indicated by any "mark". (That is a common fallacy.) Yamaha never issued a formal recall for the second gear problem. Not to say that a dealer or previous owner might have performed the fix. The only way to tell if the second gear was fixed is to split the cases and examine the installed gears.

 

I'd like to get the parts coming to fire it when it gets here. I think the biggest thing is the ignition. Without much space restriction I'll go single carb on the intake. Other than that its all the little stuff (oil, filter, wires, starter solenoid, battery). I'll probably need a regulator/rectifier module. Anything I'm not thinking of?

[Condor]

OK, this is what I just taped..it's not raining... H=19", W=19", L=23". This is for the entire footprint of the motor, sans carbs, including covers etc. The drive shaft is offset from the center line of the valve cover 3.5". This may help...or confuse... I have a habit of doing that... :-) Like Don said, pics of the project would be great...

[speedbug78]

@Condor - thanks for the follow up! I'll get some picks up soon. I just got confirmation my engine shipped 🎉

[speedbug78]

@Prairiehammer - Thank you for the detailed follow up. I'll check the impeller and 2nd when it gets here. As for ignition I decided to order a Speeduino. I've done megasquirt before, but have been interested in Speeduino for a while. I plan to use it for programmable ignition with a carb at first, but may switch to full fuel injection later. I downloaded an ignition advance curve from another thread on here so it should give me a place to start. At $160 it is very close to the price I am seeing on eBay for an ignition box.

 

How about the rectifier/regulator charging modules? Are they pretty reliable or should I get a different year or aftermarket?

[speedbug78]

Here is the only pic I have on my phone. It is some frame gussets I cut out on the cnc plasma cutter I just build. They need some cleanup, but it's getting there.