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MGM orlando today

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JPSmit

JPSmit

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So, I was at MGM studios today and saw the opening of the new stunt show, "Lights, Motors, Action" It is a very cool car chase/ stunt show that purportedly takes place in France (The show comes from Disney in France.) They use really cool little Opels. Interestingly, the engines are mounted behind the driver and are 1300 cc motorcycle engines. Very cool sound and lots of zip. So, here is my question. Has anyone tried a motorcycle engine in a LBC? It seems like it would have lots of power for weight, fit easily and sound pretty interesting. Any thoughts?

JP
 
I thought about it quite a bit. The engine in my Vulcan 1600 is would have plenty of room under the hood. Plus can't you imagine an midget pulling up next to you with that big v-twin sound purring out a set of cobra pipes...lol. That was about as far as I got since it seemed like sacrilege and I felt the need to go out and apologize to rusty for thinking that. (Rusty is the name my daughter gave my midget)
JC
 
Mebabusa in a Caterhams...
 
I've thought about it alot also but the snag I always hit was that a bike engine didn't seem like it would have enough torque to get off the line. Bike engines are high-revving which is great when you're only moving around a couple hundred pounds but getting a solid steel LBC off the line at a stoplight seems like it would be no match for a bike engine. I think it lacks the displacement.

Here's some bonus info for those quizzical minds: Horsepower doens't really exist. There is no force called "Horsepower". What we call horsepower is really just a mathematical equation dependent on torque and time(as revolutions per minute hence RPM). Torque really does exist. Torque is the circular force around a point. Horsepower is just a mathematical equation of how quickly an engine can create the torque (HP=torque x RPM/5250. Note the constant 5250 which is why every HP chart will show the hp and torque curves crossing at 5250 RPM) That's why bench-racers always talk in hp and real men talk in foot-lbs. Just a little added fact to take into consideration when thinking about a bike engine in a LBC! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/square.gif

JACK
 
Speaking of Horsepower, wasn't it Enzo Ferarri who said something like..."Horsepower sells cars but Torque wins races"
I agree on the not enough torque with a MC engine to get a car moving. Although didn't Honda have a motorcycle engine in the 600 (jap Mini copy) of the late 60s/early 70s?
 
According to everything I can find my 76 came from the factory putting out about 73ftlbs of torque at 2500rpm. My Vulcan 1600 puts out 81.5ftlbs at the rear wheels. Of course the cost of the engine and transmission coupled with the engineering necessary to modify it to fit in a car would preclude any serious consideration but it would probably solve my cooling issues...lol. Just my 2 cents and I think that is probably overvalued...lol
JC
 
Actually, Power is the amount of work that can be done in a given time. So, it does have a real meaning. 1 HP equals 550 ft*lb/second. I agree that torque is key, especially at the engine speeds you drive the car at, but if a motor puts out a constant horsepower which is greater than some other constant horsepower motor, it will go faster. As to the ideas of putting a Hayabusa or other motorcycle engine in a car, it's highly do-able. Many companies are successfully installing motorcycle powerplants in C and D Sports Racers in SCCA club racing. Additionally, the FSAE project uses up to 610 cc motorcycle powerplants with a 20mm intake restrictor. Those cars generally weigh something like 450 lbs, at least from what I know from the RPI car. I don't know if that is with or without driver (I suspect it's without). However, they're significantly heavier than the bikes they were designed for. Even so, these cars make some 70+ hp and do 0-60 in times well below 3 seconds. It's all in the gearing, and they make sure the final drive is appropriate to get the right acceleration for an autocross competition (requiring a wide powerband). Using a 180 hp motor in an LBC would definitely work. I even, joking suggested it to my brother for his '80 MGB, but I was thinking more along the lines of a rear engine setup for a simpler, shorter, driveline setup. I'm reasonably sure it could fit, based on what I've seen of the 600 cc Honda motors (complete with trans in an amazingly light and small package).
 
Suzuki has manufactured a one-car division formula car with a Hyabusa motor. There was one sitting in our lobby here in CA for a couple of years but I don't think it ever took off.
(I'm waiting for the powers that be to forget about it in the warehouse and sell it in a fit of stupid accounting - my wife will be thrilled when I drive it home and park it next to the TR /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

From what I've heard it only really got any interest in club racing in Japan (or Malaysia ???).

Here's a big article with all the specs:

https://www.zukiworld.com/month_010102/departments_industrynews_formulahuyabusa.htm
 
What an excellent piece of work! I really love how they use a variety of commonly available parts from their inventory. Very clever, and it should produce an amazingly fast race car. The makers of the C&D Sports Racers here and in the UK (like Radical) of course don't have the benefit of all these parts, as they're small operations.
 
I'm trying to picture this. Figure out a way to mount the motor and tranny(Harley's have separate trannys while jap bikes are usually all in one). Ok, that's not too much trouble but how would I drive the rear wheels? Wrap the chain or belt around the rear end? lol.

Seriously though, I'm sure ya'll are talking about shaft drive bike engines. This is one of the things I love about this forum. No limits to creativity. Speaking of which, check out the creativity here.
WoodBike.jpg
 
Well, the setup I've seen several times is a chain drive to a rear sprocket, which is then incorporated into a typical independent rear end with a limited slip unit of some type. It's rather complicated, but the RPI team manufactures the differential housing in house and has used a variety of limit slips through the years, as I understand.
 
Really! That's pretty cool. It sounds like you get to play with some interesting stuff at school. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Heh, well ... there's a lot of boring work involved, and very little driving. I prefer the autocross club, where we actually drive cars /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I was amazed to find that a third year member had never driven one of the cars (but they were plagued by unreliability, whereas this year the car seems to be a lot better, even though it's of the same design). At any rate, they do some neat stuff there, but I don't have the time or the patience to never get to drive the car. It is good though, as I've learned a few tricks about race car design. Just wish I had the time to do everything!
 
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