My question has to do with the vertical angle of a bike engine when mounted in the car. I tried to search out an answer but haven't found anything yet so I'm hoping for some input.

I have a couple project that I am working on that will use a bike engine, and I am wondering if the engine will be affected adversely by tilting it back on the axis of the output shaft, (making the direction of the cylinder bore more vertical)? I've been working the design around the R1 engine and will maintain the wet sump. If the engine will be fine tilted back then for future reference, can it be tilted the other direction so the bores are moved more toward the horizontal plane making a lower profile?

You need to keep the angle of the engine as similar to the bike as possible (ie, as it was designed).

Make the sump pan roughly level with the ground, otherwise you'll have oil surge/starvation issues and a short lived engine.

Compared with a car engine and gearbox, it's still a very light and compact unit.

[Edited on 19/1/08 by StevieB]

That was my main concern, oil starvation. One application I am designing for is a front wheel drive Mini, and I'm trying to keep it as compact as possible.

[Edited on 19/1/08 by Rogue Se7ens]

It may be possible, but you can certainly throw an R1 in the back of a mini without problems

That will come later, but first I plan to market the car as a composite bodied FWD Mini.
Rescued attachment mini frame assy.jpg

You can mount any engine at a different angle to that which the makers set it at. But you need to redesign the sump to match the new angle, together with the pick up pipe, and any baffles. Easy enough if the sump is tin, but not so easy if its alloy. HTH Ray

Rogue Se7ens

I can't quite tell from you drawing but, if that's an R1 engine, you'll have to find some way of reversing the drive or you'll need a very good rear view mirror as it will have 6 reverse and one forward gear!

;-)

Wyn

I'm laying it out both ways 'forward' and 'backward'. I like the way pro-motive has carried out their kit http://www.pro-motive.co.uk/4.html and it seems to have some advantages, except of course you have to go through a gear set to reverse the direction of rotation.

www.roguese7ens.com

"it will have 6 reverse and one forward gear! "

except it won't have the forward gear.... ;^)

Go for a on older (98-03) R1 as they're about the narrowest, most upright bike engine available thats suitable for a BEC