What engines do you guys recommend using for an mk chassis?

As some of you may have already read in the "luego locost, Velocity....." room, im a total noob, but would like to build my own car using what limited knowledge i have.

Can you literally bolt any bike engine onto a chassis or are there recommended ones to use, and more importantly, ones to stay clear of?

Also, i was talking to a good biker friend of mine about bulding a BEC, which he seemed really shocked about because according to him, bike engines need stupid amounts of maintenance on them (such as oil changes regularly)

Is he correct in saying this?

(one final point.......no reverse gear?! How do you guys manage to use your cars practically without having to get out and push all the time?!)

In response to the last question, you get the mrs interested and when she goes out with you, she becomes your reverse gear!

Ignore your freind!
Use a R1 engine!!!!!!!!!!!

Leigh

Oooops, or Blackbird! Sorry DIY Si

Well they provide mounts for pinto and engine cradles for bikes IIRC. Some have fitted Zetecs. I assume they modify standard mounts some how.

For bikes, if money was avaliable and I was doing it I'd use a Hyabusa engine. Try and get an issue of Performance Bikes where they go on about Project 250. Thats 250mph not bhp. On the standard crank they got 700bhp out of then engine. They said the engine with fettling is good for something like 300 bhp.

Bike engines need 3000 mile oil changes though with OEM filters some engines alow that every other change (for 4 quid I would just do it anyway). Partially also because the oil is a comproise to cope with gear box mashing it and avoiding wet clutch slip. With valve clearances around 16K which is around 120 quid from a dealer for a 16v engine. Bike engines are certainly more delicate than car ones. They are always a compromise between power weight & durability. Usually power & weight comming first. They also frighten you with constant rattles and all sorts of new noises you "didn't notice last week".

Suzuki make strong bottom ends to bikes, but there have been horrors of cam chain tensioners (even Honda have had this though). Suzkis do have a rep for silky smooth gearboxes that are pretty much bullet proof ('cept the usual 2nd gear probs alot of bike engines can suffer from).

Kwacks are good too, though ironically the only bikes I've seen with knackd cranks were 2 ZX9-Rs.

I don't like Yammy's gear boxes and the tendancy for R6 & R1s to be a bit thirsty oil wise (though usually because they were run in too gentally). At least some Yammy engines have the more agricultural gearboxes.

You can get a reversing box, some mention electric reverse motors too. The Honda gold wing has a reverse BTW as well as odd others.

I'll beat hellfire to it BEC!!!

I think it's fair to say BECs aren't for everyone (despite the fan boys ) but if you are planning to use it mainly for trackdays they are hard to beat, if planning to spend the summer months cruising about in Europe they will be a pain (in the ear if nothing else). Most people sit somewhere in the middle.

Going away from the 'common' fitments is going to be more expensive, and some bike engines don't like being turned longditudinally without also being dry-sumped so easier to avoid those.

Have a chat with 'yorkshire-engines' to get some advise on what works and what kind of budget you'll need to think about (http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=53067)

Something else to think about is BEC engines tend to be from the newer bikes so you will need a catalytic converter and it seems to be more challenging to get them through emissions than a '94 pinto.

Edit: forgot to say reverse gear is possible (at a price) and is required by many race series.


[Edited on 9/10/06 by iank]

ok mate first of all

an r1 engine needs a filter and Oil change just like every other engine

you have to have a cradle made for the engine you want by MK

Reverse = plan ahead and youll rarely need to go backwards

dont park in stupid places

if in doubt get out and push 460kg car is light

Looking for a cheap and cheerful bike engine? Easy- Honda Fireblade.

Dont get the impression that R1s are the only engines that will do- there are quite a few to choose from, all depending on your budget and personal taste

[Edited on 9/10/06 by scotlad]

R1 engines are fashionable at the moment because they're plentiful and reasonably priced. Fireblades used to be, until R1's came into fashion, and no doubt they'll get fazed out for GSXR1000's before long - it all depends what's getting crashed the most to donate the engines at the time!

The fact is that an older 'Blade engine is plenty fast - things just get faster and faster from that point.

My kit came with R1 engine mounts. the guy asked what engine I wanted to fit and made it to suit.

My R1 engine needs an oil change every 4000 miles and a new oil filter every 8000. I've done 4000 miles in the last year. It needs the valves reshimming every 40,000 miles. I think thats it.

As for use on the road, it is just fine. The engine doesn't pull much below 5000 RPM so it is docile around town but it gives awesome acceleration over a huge rev range of 5000 - 12000 RPM. - thats 22 - 54 in 1st and 30 - 74 in 2nd. I have a good clutch and so have no problems with stalling it or driving in traffic jams (apart from boredom). The lack of reverse (I'm too tight to pay for a reverse box) means that you have to push it into some parking spaces and you can't do 3 point turns. It goes forwards beter than a zetec though.

The only concerns with a bike engine are the revs and the noise. You need a big silencer to quieten a BEC compared with a CEC. The revs on the motorway can become tireing. I drove from Birmingham to York and back in a day recently, to do a track day. Relaxing it is not, but if I wanted relaxing, I'd buy a big citroen.

Honestly, for twisty B-road fun, not just trackdays, a BEC wins out on pace and light weight turn in. If you want to cruise to the coast for a spot of cruising then a CEC would be your best option. Neither are slow , neither are quiet and neither are relaxing. Both are a lot of fun.

wot smart51 said except its worth getting a reverse box..

you can even get one with a 1:1.4 ratio so you dont have to worry about your diff ratio as well...

3.14:1 LS diffs are like hens teeth and more expensive than a reverse box...

Also, the latest R1 has something like 180 bhp I think! As said, becs do need a little more maintenence than a cec, but both wil probably get an oil/filter change once a year/3000-4000 miles anyway, so it's not an issue. Becs also have the most useful/pleasant sequential box.