Anybody know any info on these heads? Anyone own one? Are they all 410 kits? I found this thread but am looking for more info in a hurry.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1677&view=next

I've spread the Ody disease off on a friend and he's looking at one right now with this head on it. Wondering how much of a pain getting parts is going to be in the future.

Thanks!

Well, he ended up buying it! Guess it's super clean and only $1600 so not to shabby. Here's a pic of the head:

Good score!!! More pics!

Nuke em i believe runs one of these heads on his 420. he would probably know something or other

Yes I do have one! I got mine from a friend in San Diego. I have only seen one other EVER...and it was on an Ebay machine in Nebraska. If he desides to sell it, PLEASE let me know, I would love to have another even as a backup jug!

Basic info I know, they made about 100-500 of them, hard to get real solid info. most were mild ported for recreational use and some were used by the stadium racers in the 80s with massive port work. I have a full race version,even came with the Bills pipe, radiator, and 42mm carb. Mr Leckich was a stadium racer and designer of them and lived in Texas(with Turbo Texas???) lol He died several years back of a heart attack from what I was told also.

I have been having bad o-ring issues since I got mine, allows coolant into the Engine and exhaust into the coolant after a few hours of riding. Also,you have to machine down YZ490 pistons to get it to fit. Alsothe jug sleeve is much bigger than a stock sleeve so you will have to machine the bottom end case halves to install in another bottom end...but its been done to the one its in...or its a non big bore rec version???? Drain the coolant and mic the bore if he will do that. Lots of pics will help me maybe with my o ring issue. OH, he will have to modify all head gaskets and base gaskets to fit the big bores if he has that one too.

Do a search for 420 or 420cc or 418 ..tons of pictures n info! If he wants to sell or trade back to a normal setup, let me know, I will make him a ported up stock hotrod top end setup..or even swap entire engines!

Good luck,hope to see more pictures!
Gary

Post more pics if you can hopefully its the big bore model.

The Leckich company was in Paramount california. Jerry Leckich died in late 99.A good guy and great two stroke tuner. His son Mike also died in 2010. The shop was sold off in 2000..Budddy bar casting company in South gate did all his castings.They might have the patterns for the cylinder heads and the water jack to go on your cylinder..


Dean Harris

Wow, sorry to hear of those deaths. Never used any of their products but I remember them from my racing days.

Ok guys! I'm new here but just got an 85 odyssey with the leckich motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) with the big bore kit. The piston is melted but the cylinder is good. I am having major problems finding a piston. Wiseco can't match up what it is and I read that machine work needs to be done to a YZ 490 piston. Is this correct and what machining needs to be done? The number on the piston is 481 but Wiseco can't cross it. Any help would be great! Thanks!

Do a search on Leckich on this site. I believe Nukem did a write up on his rebuild. I know it is on this site, the full rebuild.

I contacted Buddybar casting and they won't make any or sell to me. I was told pattern or patent belonged to someone (probably Leckich) and they can't make for others. I did post the email I got from them in another thread but I don't remember which one. It was a while back, maybe a year ago.
Baahahahaha I need to look at the post date before I comment. LOL.

Do they know that Leckich has since passed away many years ago?

I don't know if Buddybar knows. I didn't until I just read this revived thread.
Any how I don't need them now. Maybe someone else can run the ball because I think it
would be worth it. Would at least keep the Leckich name alive.

there older yz490 pistons
i forget what year

they need the bottom lip cut off and a window cut in the side of it


hit up nukem

I know this is and old thread, but just wanted to post here. Jerry Leckich was a great guy. He always felt he was playing second fiddle to other tuners like Bill (Bill's Pipes) whom many of the MTEG guys were using. He was a great old school down home guy that would do anything for you. Mike was a great guy too. He never let his disability get to him despite a ton of related health problems. They both would give you the shirts off their back. I spent hundreds of hours at the shop listening to Jerry. He was SLOW, but did a great job. We only had a couple of MTEG cars racing out of his shop and we did not make him much money, but he treated us like family. I am thrilled guys on this forum has found his stuff and are excited about it. Somewhere out there, likely in Oklahoma, is my last stadium car with his motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) in it. There is also a nice fresh backup motor (( Internal Combustion Engine ? )) sitting in a plastic bin. And finally, Jerry worked on a special barrel for me for about 2 years off and on before I got out of the game. It was still sitting on the shelf of the shop when I left. Anyway, I miss Jerry and Mike. They were great people. And my motors rocked!

Thanks for sharing that.
It's good to here stories of the real people behind some of the things we buy from a "company" like Bill's Pipes. A lot of us here are in our 50's but we still have passion about racing and going fast. History seems to mean more to me now. I was never involved in off road desert or stadium racing, but I am a former road racer. In 1982 I qualified to go to the nationals a mid Ohio but we didn't have any money left at the end of the season to do it. Now I wish we had taken a loan.

Now that I have totally derailed this thread. Funny story about Bill's. Bill made the pipes for my cars. Beautiful work. Anyway, I was working at Lockheed in the composites area at the time. Bill asked me if I could make carbon fiber silencers for him. He gave me a 250 R oval silencer (brand new cool factory stuff at the time). We then added all kinds of sensors to it and he ran it on his dyno so we could find out how much heat it would develop so I could pick a good material. Anyway, racing got in the way and I never finished the project. I came up with tooling concepts but REALLY dropped the ball. I had a great in to one of the best tuners in the country and let him down. I could have built a nice business up based on carbon fiber bike stuff. That was my long term dream at the time and for some reason, I never went for it. I still don't know why. One of those things I still kick myself for. I just looked at Bill's website and carbon silencers are all over the pages. Stupid stupid stupid me!

Don here's another triple STUPID STUPID STUPID,free from me you can have...I have plenty it seems in stock!

Old thread resurrection time:

Gaynell Leckich is Jerry's wife and I think she still lives in Long Beach.
Their other sons Jeffrey and Brett also live in the area, they may be able to help.
Jerry kept detailed records on all of his work. If they still have his notebook it would be a goldmine of information about these engines. I was fortunate to have many great conversationsite with Mr. Leckich. According to Mike I was the only one his dad ever discussed the contents of the notebook with.
I went to the track with them many times and the 3 of us stuffed in the cab of a truck must have been a sight to see since I was the runt at 6'4".
This thread brought back many memories. I'm honored that they allowed me to be part of their family. If you talk to Mrs. Leckich tell her Gary says hi.

Since you know the family, and if you ever see them again, tell them many people from as far away as Canada and Australia still talk about Jerry. You can tell them I said "sorry for your loss". Many people have lost when a talented one passes. Tell them hello from PilotOdyssey.com crew.

I moved out of southern California 25yrs ago and lost touch with the family. I found out about both Mike and his dad's passing about 5yrs ago.

i can get jerry leckich stuff
heads and cylinders

Do explain please.

I’ll take a big bore cylinder and head. Thanks.

Yes, please explain. Jerry passed away some time ago, so is there a stash you know about? Thanks

Still have the leckich setup with the rm500 piston in it. Hopefully it gets put on ody this winter. Hopefully here something on these and not just crickets.