Gakes
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 07:49 PM |
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Why bike engines??
Hi every1
I am in the process of building a middy but car engines I'm looking at are too big or too heavy or have too little power. I need to know why
Bike engine builds are chosen. Are the vehicles quicker, better sounding,more exciting or whatever??? Please give some of the good and bad points.
Thanks
 
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grub
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 07:59 PM |
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yes yes yes there are no bad points?
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BenB
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 07:59 PM |
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Pros
Powerful, light, cheap, rev quickly (low mass, light flywheel), rev like crazy, more exciting
Cons
No reverse, people with CECs get jealous and slag them off, high rpm cruising can get on your nerves after a while!! You have to keep the engine on
it's toes (you can't just stick it in 5th and drive like on a V8)...
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Hellfire
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:00 PM |
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You've already found out for yourself Car engines are too big or too heavy or have too little power. Rand for rand, bike engines have
better power, are very light, easy to install and sound superb.
There are no bad points. Okay, so it doesn't have reverse but thats not bad..... it's good.
Phil
[Edited on 31-3-08 by Hellfire]
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LBMEFM
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:01 PM |
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Don't really know that much about it, but I am building a bike engined car. The reason I chose it is that the engine is very light and complete
with gearbox, has a six speed sequentual gear box and has an excellent power to weight ration. The only downside I can see is that it lacks torque at
low revs and constant gear changes are required. By the way sounds good too.
Barry
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Gakes
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:07 PM |
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thanks guys, looks likle the bike engines win the battle ALMOST!
No reverse gear is a bit off-putting. I want to use the car on the road as well
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Jon Ison
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:08 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Dragon-Performance-Eu
quote:
Originally posted by BenB
(you can't just stick it in 5th and drive like on a V8)...
erm sorry but I have to disagree, my bike engined car could be left in 6th and still have enough grunt/torque for safe rapid overtakes, as any of my
passengers can attest to.....
I have to 2nd that.
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worX
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:11 PM |
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Thirded!
Maybe not exciting overtakes, but lazy roll-ons are simple...
Steve
ETA - Mine is a road car and I haven't a reverse and no desire to have one fitted - I wouldn't do it if it were free! Since when was it
fun (in reality!) to drive backwards?
[Edited on 31/3/08 by worX]
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Hellfire
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:11 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Gakes
thanks guys, looks likle the bike engines win the battle ALMOST!
No reverse gear is a bit off-putting. I want to use the car on the road as well
Ours is used on the road too, as well as track and the lack of reverse has never been a problem for the last four years.
Phil
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quinnj3
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:12 PM |
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i might be stealing this topic but its along the same lines and i'm sure you'll be interested anyway. A couple of years ago i bought a
kit car mag (forget which one) and featured was a quantum??? with a v8 bike engine. Basically it had a custom block with 2 R1 heads, rev'ed to
about 10k and had around or over 300 BHP. Now that would knock down the lack of torque argument. I think the engine alone cost 10k
my aim is to build my own locost wether it takes me a week or 10 years to get started, i'm sure i will sometime
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itiejim
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:14 PM |
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I've got an electric reverse on mine, cheap simple and (so far!) reliable. Plus of course you get the washing machine comedy factor 
My Blackbird engine has certainly got plenty of steam, no problem with lack of torque either.
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Gakes
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:24 PM |
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Electric reverse!?!?!?!
That sounds awesome!Please do explain how you did that because if thats possible and cheap enough in South Africa Im totally bets for this
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BenB
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:24 PM |
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I wasn't saying BECs don't have torque (I've got a ST1100 after all with 71.8@5500rpm) I'm just saying it's a bit
different to a big dollop of V8 or V12 grunt. Then again, I like stirring the stick a bit whilst driving (especially on a sequential box)...
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Humbug
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:25 PM |
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At the risk of getting flak from the BEC boys, what about the *apparent* fragility of bike engines? There seem to be more stories of bike engines
blowing up, dropping a bollock, or whatever than car engines.
(lights blue touchpaper and retires to a safe distance)
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JoelP
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:28 PM |
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they are not as unreliable as you might think. Ive had 5 failures at track days, this was a fuel pump, a rad hose, a gear link, a coilover, and one
more i forget. Never broken the actual engine, and not for lack of trying.
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Gakes
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:29 PM |
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Please inform me of the electric reverse guys.
And Humbug, before you end up in the gutters somewhere, You have raised a good point.
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Wheels244
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:30 PM |
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Fit a reverse box - I have.
Personally I don't want to look a pillock having to get out of it to push it backwards for parking etc......
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Gakes
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:36 PM |
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C'mon ppl, how reliable are these engines in cars?
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Ivan
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:40 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Y Rand for rand, bike engines have better power,
Phil
[Edited on 31-3-08 by Hellfire]
Your roots are showing Phil 
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Hellfire
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:43 PM |
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ZX12R, fitted 2005, covered 8,000 miles on road, track and drag strip. Thrashed to within an inch of it's life most of the time. Just regular
oil and filter changes and no mechanical problems whatsoever.
Bike engines, fragile?.............. NONSENSE.
Phil
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Hellfire
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:44 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Ivan
quote:
Originally posted by Hellfire
Rand for rand, bike engines have better power,
Phil
[Edited on 31-3-08 by Hellfire]
Your roots are showing Phil
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grub
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 08:58 PM |
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where are you going to want a reverse ,just park a bit futher up road lad or a quick stab on the loud pedal and ya facing the other way or still the
same way if you make it fart loud enough
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BenB
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 09:01 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Wheels244
Fit a reverse box - I have.
Personally I don't want to look a pillock having to get out of it to push it backwards for parking etc......
But then I don't want to look a pillock sat by the side of the road when my reverse box springs a terminal oil leak, glows red hot and stops
working, thereby killing the entire drivetrain 
I would fit an electric reverse if I had the chance now though!!!
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coozer
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 09:03 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Humbug
At the risk of getting flak from the BEC boys, what about the *apparent* fragility of bike engines? There seem to be more stories of bike engines
blowing up, dropping a bollock, or whatever than car engines.
(lights blue touchpaper and retires to a safe distance)
I'm with you there Humbug. I used to have a ZX9R Striker and when it came to choosing my new one I searched on here for which engine was the
best for a BEC and was amazed to see how many bike engines have given up the ghost! Gear dogs, thrown rods, engines going BANG! etc.
Although I choose a car engine this time I decided after looking at the price of installing and updating it later to a turbo with 300bhp. Much cheaper
than a decent bike (ZX12 or Busa) engine.
Its horses for courses of course, if you want a BEC go for it!!
1972 V8 Jago
1980 Z750
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Dale
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| posted on 31/3/08 at 09:29 PM |
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I cant say from experience at all but I would think it would also depend on if you are a big guy - over 200 lbs or more and if you want it to perform
the same with a passenger. I always thought hp per tonne should be given with the drivers weight included.
Dale
Thanks
Dale
my 14 and11 year old boys 22
and 19 now want to drive but have to be 25 before insurance will allow. Finally on the road
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