December 19 Weekly Open Thread
As usual, the back corner of the garage is reserved for hot chocolate and random conversing.
I recently discovered an interesting phenomenon: the "B.E.C." The acronym stands for "Bike-Engined Car," an entertaining bit of mad science in which a small, light subcompact is repowered with a large motorcycle engine. Fitting a relatively low-torque bike engine to a car in a manner that actually powers the drive wheels in a practical manner is a complex exercise in seat-of-the-pants mechanical engineering. It pretty much requires you to be a certified machinist with your own personal CNC machine--or at least know someone who is a certified machinist with a CNC machine, and who owes you some favors.
Some examples of BEC's include a Miata repowered with a Suzuki Hayabusa engine, a Toyota Starlet driven by a Hayabusa, and the "Angry Hamster," a Honda Z600 with a mid-mounted Honda Magna V-4 and an RX-7 suspension, built to run at a a 24 Hours of LeMons race.
--Cookie the Dog's Owner
Tim G on December 19, 2011 at 02:34 PM
another BEC: Legends racing cars use a 1200cc Yamaha engine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_car_racing. The air-cooled engine comes from a Yamaha FJ1200 sport-touring motorcycle sold in the US from 1986-1993. Oh yeah, and it has 130hp and 80ftlb of torque! I don't know how fast the Legends cars end up, but my '91 FJ is stupid fast.
One issue (of the many) in putting a motorcycle engine into a car is connecting the auto's driveshaft to the chain drive of the bike engine. A shaft-driven bike engine could make this a bit easier, so one from a Honda Goldwing or V4 (Magna or Sabre) may work. I also have a '84 Sabre with an 1100cc, 120hp/70ftlb, water-cooled engine with shaft drive. Anyone want to use it for a project?
Big Chris on December 19, 2011 at 03:08 PM
Check out YouTube for the Hayabusa Smart Cars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtWeSa3naKk&feature=related - a Ferrari 430 left in the dust by a "Smart Car".
George on December 19, 2011 at 04:50 PM
Do you have a comment on the liquidation of Saab?
That Car Guy on December 19, 2011 at 05:42 PM
I believe something is on the way, George. Thanks.
...m... on December 21, 2011 at 05:52 PM
...i've toyed with the notion of dropping a modern triumph triple into an old first-generation lotus europa: it'd make about the same power as the old big-valve twin-cam ford blocks used in the hotter lotus-tuned race cars, save with modern reliability from a lightweight lotus-designed motor...
...it'd be a big commitment to make real, but a very tempting thought..