KZ camshaft info

The below info is mostly for my own personal future reference, but hopefully someone else out there in internet space gets a benefit from it.

Obviously a ton of options for aftermarket cams, but I’m going to highlight only three specific cams.

• specifically for the z1 / kz900 / kz1000 motor.
• specifically for 1015cc or 1075cc piston kit builds.
• oem cams – .325″ lift intake – .300″ lift exhaust – 235˚ duration at .50″

OEM upgrade replacement cam

• Get a webcam 118.
• It has .365 lift and 246 degrees duration at .050″.
• There will be no noticeable crazy power band difference. It will just be a bit more power than stock across the rev range.
• This is a good cam if you have a bone stock motor, or only an upgraded piston kit.
• Don’t need to upgrade valvetrain, even though you prob should
• Don’t need to port head.

High rpm power cam

• Get a webcam 110.
• It has .395 lift and 256 degrees duration at .050″.
• According to the KZ cylinder head guys, you want to avoid cams with more than 250 degrees duration at .050″ for a daily rider street bike, unless you have a lot of compression in the motor … or a bigger CC motor (1075 or bigger). Or unless you want to be racing revving the shit out of it.
• For example, I have this cam in my weisco 1015cc build and the cam makes all its power from 6 – 10k rpm which is super fun but 1015cc is hair small to take full advantage of the cam at lower rpm. Plus revving the shit out of your motor is going to take a toll on it at some point. Normal riding 4-6k rpm feels fine, but no, I can not go WOT at 4k rpm, it bogs a bit.
• I’m convinced this type of cam with duration will make the most peak power, especially with a ported head and carbs.
• It really feels like a strong VTEC Honda. It keeps pulling and pulling.
• Should port head a little.

Torque cam

• Get a Megacycle 470-15.
• It has .410 lift and 242 duration at .050″.
• I would say this type of cam with less duration is best for a street bike that you want to have broad power across the middle rev range, but it’s def not going to have the gnarly high rpm power VTEC feel that the webcam 110 has.
• I don’t think this set up will make as much overall power as compared to a cam with a more duration.
• This cam is for hammering it 4 – 7k rpm street riding, light to light.
• Should port head a little.

Degreeing cams

• When 1/4 pistons are at TDC, from right side of engine, with advancer aligning to T mark, intake and exhaust cams should be pointing directly at each other perfectly. This is 110 lobe centers.
• Over time, cam chain stretches and both cams will slightly sit in a retarded position. (which visually, from right side, is; intake cam tilted up a little and exhaust cam tilted down a little)
• 110 lobe centers is stock and will give broad power.
• Advancing intake cam 1-2 degrees gives more low-end torque. (tilted down a hair)
• If you advance the intake 4 degrees and retard the exhaust 2 degrees, thats 106/108 centers.
• Changing the lobe centers will just shift the power around a little bit to be higher rpm, or spread evenly, or torquey. Each cam has recommended lobe center numbers but you can put them where you want.
• Prob stay between 105 and 109. Some tuners will even say stock oem cams are better at 108 than stock 110.
• Technically I didn’t degree my cams. With my adjustable cam gears I pointed them perfectly at each other then turned them both down a hair, what I considered a few degrees to be somewhere around 105-107.

Cam gotchas

• must clearance the head starting at around .380 – .390 lift depending on the casting of your head
• shim under bucket starts after .410 lift
• Prob don’t want over .405 lift for motors under 1100
• 256 degrees duration at .050″ is prob max duration unless you have a much bigger cc motor than 1100 with at least 10.25 compression
• Stick with stock base circle size
• Your set up all needs to match. Porting, carbs, compression. If you’re doing a high rpm power cam, make sure the head flows for it.
• Prob use red loctite on bolts that hold cam onto slotted cam gears. I did.
• 30 tooth cam gear rotates twice for every one rotation of the crank. So, if you advanced your intake cam 1 tooth that is 24 degrees! 720 % 30 = 24.