What are the best motorcycle engines for an Exocar? [Archive]

Gage

11-19-2008, 11:14 AM

What other engines would you suggest? List the stats!

The 2008 Hayabusa for example:

Displacement: 1340cc
Horsepower: 171 hp (128 kW)
Torque: 102.3 lb·ft (139 N·m)
Dry Motorcycle weight: 250.5 kg (552 lb)
Advertised performance in motorcycle trim:
1/4 mile (402 m): 9.75 seconds @ 149.7 mph (241 km/h)[citation needed]
0–60 mph: 2.60 seconds[citation needed] 0–180 mph: 15.9 seconds[citation needed]
Top speed: 186 mph (299 km/h)electronically restricted

I could live without reverse.
The Busa has good aftermarket support.
How light could an exocar with that engine be? What realistic weight before driver is acheivable?
Can you imagine a Rotrex supercharger on one of those puppies?

Somebody build one already. HERE... for a reasonable price.

cheapracer

11-19-2008, 06:23 PM

Immediately everybody shoots for the sports bike motors but theres a real world in which you also need lower speed torque and more sedate driving and in truth thats about 99% of the time for a road vehicle.

So for a non outright track car, I have 2 favorites and cheap.

Yamaha FJ1200. This engine had a lifespan of 20 years and is available everywhere for cheap as engine or whole bike. It has 140hp, is air cooled so no need for various plumbing, carbys so no need for ECU, very torquey and only needs 5 speed becuase of it's broad powerband shape. Absolutely bulletproof and because of these various reasons is used in Legends Car racing around the world. You can now buy the FJ 1300 engine as well at a higher price. Again, the air cooled part grabs me.

Again, Yamaha but the VMax 1200. Also a 20 year veteran and man are they tuff. Doesn't matter what you read everyone in the bike trade knows they can match any sports bike in a roll on drag and pump out over 160hp with non standard pipes. Awesome sound from the V4. Is water cooled but the biggest drawback is shaft drive depending on your application.

The big Jap touring engines and naked bikes are worth the look and the early series air cooled Suzuki GSX1100 engines have the most hot up potential thanks to its favour as a drag race engine due to it's unburstable bottom end - all the way up to 1500+cc and big HP - supercharging or turbo for this engine at a breeze because of the bottom end. they can be pricey because the drag boys want them so you tend to look for a cheap whole bike instead - you get all the wiring etc. so it's a bonus as I see it.

Again Suzuki, the early OIL cooled (not water) GSX1100 is also a tuff MF and is a very light engine and much easier to fit an oil cooler somewhere than a radiator. Easy 160+hp with pipes and jet kit. A loss of torque compared to a Hayabusa but still a great and cheap choice and again, bulletproof. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_GSX-R1100

Most Jap engines are bulletproof with an exception being the Kawasaki ZX10 which was reknown for breaking cranks. The later ZX11 thru ZX14 are fine though.

Theres just 2 other older engines I would mention for the sound, the air cooled Honda CBX 1000 6 cylinder and the water cooled Kawasaki Z1300 6 cylinder - I would use either of these 2 just for the incredible sound that they make (not short of power either).