Suzuki GSXR 600 07 / 08 Engine Swapout part 1

Overview

This blog post will cover an Engine Swap from a Suzuki GSXR 600 k7 to a Suzuki GSXR 600 k8 engine. The reason for the engine swap is that the 07 super sport engine broke a shaft whilst racing in Race 2 Formula Extreme formula Oz class round 3.

Initially the engine was going to be replaced by a k7 engine, however, upon investigation the k8 uses the same engine mount positions. Initial research suggested it would be a straight forward swap as the Yoshimura race harness and ems pro is the same for the k8 and k7. We also ensured that in-case the mounting was different we got the k8 wiring harness, stock ecu, and dash.

Difficulty:

High - changes require include dropping the engine, wiring harness etc. It is recommended that you have a-lot of experience with motorbike repairs and comfortable replacing parts. Anything you are unsure of check the service manual and take photos for any plugs and sensor connections your not sure off.

Disclaimer:

All changes, views are correct at the time of writing to the best of knowledge of the author. These parts are for Australian Motorcycles and it may differ at your location. You are responsible for any changes made to your bike and if you decide to try this check everything with your local dealer and service rep.

Differences

After purchasing a complete engine kit (engine, wiring harness, etc) the following differences were observed between the k7 and k8:

1. Intakes
2. Throttle bodies
3. Injectors
4. Throttle body - fuel clips
5. petrol pump
6. Direction of the fuel connector (makes connection to petrol tank very difficult)
7. ECU system (kill switch block), 3 map settings
8. Dash, for the maps, mounts the same as the k7
9. Higher compression engine
10. Different engine internals
11. Different thread for the idle screw, Yoshimura k7 idle adjuster does not fit

Some of the k7 Yoshimura parts are re-usable, they have not been used for this engine as we are keeping the engine in superstock condition instead of supersport. Speak to your engine builder before purchasing any parts.

Photos of the K7 throttle body

Photos of the K8 throttle body

Upon further investigation there have been major changes to the throttle body and head. There is an additional air tube which goes to the k8 air-box (we are currently using a k7 air-box).

Installation

Please note we are using a Yoshimura race harness which is NOT the same as the k7 wiring harness. It only has the essential sensors and plus required to make the engine and dash run correctly (Suzuki error codes still work).

1. Remove the k7 engine, radiator, air-box, petrol tank, ensure you label/note all the plugs and sensors.
2. Remove the wiring harness if you are using stock harness
3. Remove Dash
4. Install the engine (make sure the throttle body is off it), easiest if you do the back bottom bolt first, then do the back top bolt. Tighten the engine bolts to the required torque setting in the service manual.
5. install the wiring harness positioning everything in the same position. be extremely careful to ensure that you place all the sensors the correct way, especially the tip over sensor (if you get an FI light its most likely a sensor issue).
6. Attach the petrol tank, you will need to ensure your fuel line reaches both without over stretching. The 08 uses a different blue clip to attach which will not fit the hose. Modify to fit.
7. Bike should start, any error codes check your plugs especially sensors. We had to cut some plugs to ensure they fit.
8. Once everything is installed ensure you bleed both the water and the oil in the head. Make sure you have the correct amount of oil. Start with adding 2700 ml (should always change oil filter). Leave the bike running until hot. Switch off bike and leave it for 3 minutes, check the oil level.
9. Ensure that the water pumped through the engine and is bled properly.
10. slowly run the engine in, if feasible test the bike slowly on closed roads. If changing the wiring harness to the 08 everything should be ok and no tune will be required (if everything is stock). If you are using the yoshi EMS system, or the 07 harness (should be possible) you will need to tune the ECU and/or buy something like a PC5, bazzaz efi controller.

Testing - 31st July 2010 / 1st August 2010

After the rushed engine swap and rebuild (1 week including pickup 1000km away) the only test to safely test was at the next race meet which was a 4 hour endurance race. The perfect test. The bike was tested in 1st and 2nd gear before the trek to the meet.

After arriving, setting up and sign-on the bike was taken out into the first practice session. The first few laps were done very slowly with the bike responsive in low gears 1st and 2nd. The bike felt a little sluggish in 3rd gear but as we were not pushing the revs it was simply considered running in. After a few laps the pace quickened and it was soon discovered the bike refused to accelerate past 14K revs (red-line is 16.5K). The bike felt extremely sluggish and slow in 3rd, 4th etc. The bike also felt very unresponsive, upon inspection it is running extremely rich. After calling the Suzuki Factory Race Team it most likely needs a tune. Unfortunately they are the only ones in Australia capable of tuning the bike (1000 km away), as such, the bike is currently not running correctly. The bike had to be retired for the race meet and we ended up using a Honda 99 cbr 600 carby with very soft suspension for the race meet.

Upon investigation and a few phone calls and mechanics we believe it is the mapping as the injectors are different. The bike is currently scheduled in for a tune by the Suzuki race team. An update will be provided with the results including Dyno results. We will also update the results with the new engine from race meets. We will also do an analysis about the benefits of the 08 model.