Pro's And Cons Of A Bike Engine In Your Roadster

[KAMBO]

i'm still undecided as to what power plant to go for looked at a few engine from the usual pinto's to volvo t5's even looked at using a bmw straight 6...now i'm looking into using a bike engine..........your thoughts guys ??

[ayjay]

If you want fear(sorry I mean adrenaline rush) theres nothing like a bike engine----in a bike ,150 mph on two wheels really blows the cobwebs away(I'm told;) )

Bike engines rely on high revs (sorry -VERY high revs) I think a bike engined car would be hard work-however were here now because we dont want"ordinary"

Regards

Adrian

PS Hope to meet up before too long!:)

[Coozer]

Cons, fragile, drop to bits in no time.

Pro's, best for a track car.

[ozzy1]

Bike engines are great fun and give a real buzz when you can really go for it,they are well built and reliable and dont fall to bits.Although they are not that nice to drive on motorway runs etc but mainly for a sunday blast around the b roads.

[loony]

I was in the same situation - including considering BMW 4.4 V8 :) But I want something that won't ruin my future budget like my last project... (I couldn't afford to drive my beast so I had to sell it and it wasn't "nice experience"). That's why I choose BEC way ;)

For me - bike engines pro's are:
MOT, TAX, insurance etc should be cheaper if displacement is the main factor (like in Poland). Not sure how it works in UK or wherever you are ;)
I think it's easier to fit bike engine then BMW R6/V8(:)) or Volvo T5 or any big lump... (but you have to install electric reverse or something similiar)
I like bikes - and high rev bike sound in my toy car will be sweet addition.

They are con's of course:
Bike engine kit is usually more expensive than car engine (but it depends what car engine you compare to)
You will need specific BEC parts like sprocket adapter, baffle plate, electric reverse etc.
It's harder to IVA/SVA BEC - bike engines aren't "eco-friendly".

[trick-kit]

Yes, bike engines can be "fragile" after all they aren't originally designed to haul around 400+kg and yes you will need to overcome the lack of reverse, but there are a lot of companies who have already solved this. Getting the clutch balance right is also something to think about (designed to be operated by hand not a sze 10 boot) fuel consumption is also debatable.

On the plus side you do get an engine that is built to perfection, has it's own 6 speed sequential box, which you can have a padalshift for :D, massive RPM, There are also gains to be had in handling, as it's lighter weight will lower the CoG, change direction easier etc etc

[CaptainCrash1971]

Speak to AB performance, they'll talk you round to BEC way of thinking.
BEC's are only fragile if installed incorrectly. Uprates springs in the clutch are a must (£25) as well as a rubberised propshaft (not the correct term I know, but can't remember what they're actually called). Cable gearchange also comes recommended. You may need a baffled sump and some engines need either a billet sump (quite pricey) or a dry sump (also quite pricey).
I'm intending installing a smaller pre 1995 bike engine in mine to get through the dreaded IVA (already have an RF600 full bike, so will be using that engine), and then when in "explodes" a week after test will be fitting a newer engine. I have an R1 engine all ready to fit in, but may have to sell it to help fund the rest of my build, then buy another later.

[deezee]

From my research looking into Bike engines into the Haynes, its a bit of an expense. Your looking around £1500, which doesn't sound a lot, but its a lot more than the free one you get with a donor. With regards oil, its a large problem. A bike engine tilts over when your turn a corner, thus the G force stops much of the oil surging onto the sides of the sump. In a car this doesn't happen and oil starvation can be a real problem. I also believe you need a slight transmission upgrade to ease the engagement of gears and reduce wear on the gearbox. Then you need to tie in an electric reverse. A home made (starter motor and gear) is cheaper as an off the shelf one can cost a few hundred.

Apart from those few issues, its like fitting any other engine. You just use the clocks, loom and ecu from the bike and your laughing. I think Practical Performance Car did an article on fitting bike engines into cars.

[chunky2772]

Ive built a haynes roadster with a k8 gsxr 1000 bike engine for the road and now wish i had of put a car engine in my build. You'll have a nightmare trying to get a bec through these new iva regs. (DON'T DO IT) stick with a car engine more practical and half the cost.

[leroybrown911]

I had my heart set on a bike engine. Had an early R1 engine lined up. But to be honest, for me the cost does not make it worthwhile. Hence early zetec for me, on bike carbs!

[trick-kit]

The way round a bike engine route is to purchase a right off. It doesn't take much for a bike to become uneconomical to repair. Parts can be salvaged from this and then resold to offset the outlay. Depending on the motor you want it may even be finacially viable to buy a whole bike and do the same.

[fabbyglass]

I would say buy a running bike so you can ride it to see if it runs ok, as in the past I have bought bike engines which you get limited guarantee on, 3 months I think it was. well it took me longer to get round to fitting it. when it was first run there was a god awful noise and turned out to have had major crankcase repairs done but cleverly disguised on the outside anyway...inside there was lumps of weld fouling the gearbox, result was one knackered ZX9r motor and £1200 down the toilet.......live and learn buy a whole bike or one from a known supplier like Andy at AB performance or Yorkshire engines.

[ozzy1]

The other thing with bike engines is that most of a 1000cc or less can generally have just a baffle plate put in to stop the oil starvation problem,this costs less than 50quid generally.The only problem then is the reverse gear which you can buy or make or personally i would buy a complete bike and sell the parts off on ebay and use the money from that to buy the reverse gearbox.:D

[tex]

cost is the only issue
parts are not cheap - but neither are good car parts!
transmission can be a nuisance but not bad
motorway driving can be overcome using an mp3 player
would i buy a car or bike engine? gotta first think on what do you want it for? touring? track? what? buy to suit. try to get the most modern engine you can if possible.

if going bike keep it original - dont modify it - just the clutch springs need stiffening by 10%

[7ishNZ]

I built a Haynes with a 2006 R1 motor... performance is spectacular! It is one of the fastest 7's on our local track, and easily thrashes cars with motors costing 3 times as much.
What lets it down is the constant high revs on the road... 6500 at 60mph with a 3.54 diff. If you want a track day car, with very little cruising.. go for the bike engine. If you want a tourer.. stick to the car engine.
My build diary:
http://www.lotus7.co.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=72&start=140

I am about to re-power it with a 3sgte ( turbo) motor and 6 speed altezza box... should give me the track performance and the touring comfort.

[baz-r]

pros
light, compact, no tuning needed, sequential gearbox

cons
fragile, no reverse, rubber link needed in prop to stop gearbox eating itself, tricky emmisions (year dependent), expensive to repair, noisey, low torque, tall, requires modification for prop fitment, and
not designed for car use so can have oil supply issues under cornering and braking

[KAMBO]

bike engine it shall be :D ..........blade......r1.......blackbird....zx9.... ..who knows what will crop up for sale in the next few months.......my mind was made up last weekend after a trip up north to a friend of a friend who has a xz9r locost.....only one word to describe it......f*****gawsome.....:D

[wylliezx9r]

bike engine it shall be :D ..........blade......r1.......blackbird....zx9.... ..who knows what will crop up for sale in the next few months.......my mind was made up last weekend after a trip up north to a friend of a friend who has a xz9r locost.....only one word to describe it......f*****gawsome.....:D

I'm building a zx9r engined car hence my screen name. Would love to have a go in one to see what they go like, mine should be finished in the next couple of months though, fingers crossed :confused:

Not as expensive to build as you may think, the big expense is not the engine itself (you can get them for about £400), it's the reverse box and the exhaust manifold (about £1000 in total). Baffle plate cost me £30 and a local engineering firm shortened the sump for £50.

Im building it to replace my ZX6R ninja bike, So revs and manic power delivery are what im after :)

[KAMBO]

ok i'm having 2nd thoughts on the bike engined route after a thrash in a saab turbo/locost today " even scary doing doughnuts in reverse"........so.............hmmmmmmmmm car engine/gearbox combo search is now on.........cosworth v6......saab turbo.......volvo t5.......vauxhall red top......rover v8......alfa twin cam........:eek: theres just too much choice

[js1uk]

You can buy saab turbos quite cheap at the moment and you can tune the ecus to what ever stage you need.
You will need a Omega gearbox R28 gearbox with a spacer in the bellhousing.
I got a complete car with mot for £300 with a cracking engine.