Yamaha YZF-R1 - Project R1 Part 2: Engine and Fueling

This month we get the engine dialed in, but not before a single silly spacer slows our project build to a grinding halt. Literally.

Photography by John Zamora

With the rolling chassis mods sorted, we moved on to the motor, but talk about jumping the gun....

Something wasn't quite right with the rear end. All of the parts bolted on and it seemed in order, but after a couple laps around the parking lot we found the rear rotor was dragging inside the caliper bracket. D'oh.

The solution was obvious enough-find a spacer to fit between the wheel spacer and the caliper bracket. As luck would have it, there was just the right piece in the loose bolts bin and it only took about an hour buzzing it with a Dremel to get it fitting properly. Are we upset that the wheel didn't fit properly? Of course. Is it the end of the world? No, and it proves a valid point when embarking on a custom build. Sometimes parts don't fit exactly as they should. Your options are to either send it back and find something that does fit (recommended when time permits) or take matters into your own hands and find a way to make it work. We opted for the latter and got lucky ... this time.

About a half of a millimeter is all it took to stop the entire project. It was nothing a makeshift spacer couldn't sort through.

Now that the rear wheel was spinning properly it was time to get the crunchy old pipe off and love up the engine a bit. Leo Vince's exquisite exhaust bolted on perfectly and looks amazing. With the removable baffle lying on the floor, the thing sounds utterly amazing and we can't wait to hear this baby at full tilt.

WHEEL SPACER
Leo Vince says that its exhausts don't require a fuel management system for better results over stock, but we went ahead and hooked up a Power Commander anyways because with a little tuning time on the dyno we're sure to squeak out some extra power. Additionally, we wanted to install a Dynojet quickshifter and it requires a Power Commander to function.

While we were hooking up the quickshifter, it seemed silly to bolt it into the worn-out old stock gear linkage, so we looked to Sato Racing for a pair of its beautiful rearsets. They come pre-assembled and bolted on in a jiffy, but we utilized their full adjustability and tucked the pegs one notch higher just for better ground clearance.