there is one like that in australia,a nd it races in queensland. Its fast (eg will wheel stand off the line!!!!) and he races it around qld raceway!!!!!
ya gotta love the potential power/weight ratio of this combination!!!!! :o
kai
Cam ·
I know... It's almost 1hp for every kg. Sensational!!!
Dude, I'm totally obsessed with this thing now. Want to build one of my own. Maybe it needs a small turbo on it to get it over the 1hp per 1kg mark 😀:thumb
Kai.A. ·
or perhaps a 2-stroke motor, lots of power but far less weight :thumb
i've got to admit, if i had a spare kart, a bike engine and some beer i'd be pretty tempted to build one too 😉
kai
Cam ·
Yeah, it's getting the spare kart thats the hard bit.
2-stroke could be a go-er. But no real torque :jesus I think I need to do some searching what bike engines offer about 150HP NA:bounce
Kai.A. ·
i don't think the torque/2-stroke thing would be an isuue, when you consider how fast they propell bikes along, and a kart could well weigh in less than the bike the motor came out of......
plus, imagine how cool it'll be when the power-band kicks in!!! 😀
kai
Cam ·
true, true.... Might be worth looking into. There are some insane bike motors on e-bay 200HP mark :o But none ship outside of the US 🙁
The powerband in some two strokes is just nuts. If I was going for that feel I'd ring the neck out of a turbo on it tho. But the weight issue could bring me around. I do want 160+ tho which I doubt a 2stroke could give.
I have officially lost the plot on this one :vader
Kai.A. ·
i spose it depends on whether you want all out power, go nuts with a suzuki hyabusa 1300 motor, they don't come much more powerful than that, and very tuneable too if it ain't enough to start with.
or if you want the optimum power/weight ratio, which i think would probably be best achieved with a 2-stroke.....
there's so many possibilities....
kai
p.s. you sound like your really gonna build one.....are ya? and, can i have a go when it's done 😉
Cam ·
Yep, looked at the hyabusa motors on ebay. All US based. One is already tuned and has over 200HP.
As I said, I'll have to research the two stroke option. Never touched them before to be perfectly honest so am abit in the dark about it all.
Yeah, it sure sounds like it. My Girlfriend has forbidden it, so I'm doing it sneaky and all online 😀 So when it turns up in the carport I'll be exploring the phrase "it followed me home" to it's limitis 😀
yep, you started the madness, you sure can:thumb
Kai.A. ·
what more can i say other than: COOL 😀
i think i'll do some research myself, i love bikes and bike engines, so should be fun.... and besides, if you build one, you'll need someone to race against, so i might as well start planning mine 😉
kai
Cam ·
sweet man, it's on. Maybe valla 2005 we can run em head to head 😉
Kai.A. ·
sounds possible....
not much chance of it happening much sooner than that, it'll take a while before i have the kind of spare cash required for such a project.....
but, that aside; Bring it on! :thumb
kai
(off to bed now, gotta be up at 6 🙁)
Cam ·
ditto, we'll have to see how things go. Not making any promises, but I'll aim for it all the same😎
ja, ja... Sleep = good!
Kai.A. ·
i was thinking about this thing all day at work.... and i've just watched the video again.....
now to look into possible motors....
i was looking at the specs of the yamaha r1 motor, i dunno what it weighs (but i beleive it is very light) but it puts out about 150bhp....... should be more than enough 😉
i'm gonna try and find some specs for 2-strokes now.
kai
[Edited on 4-3-2004 by Kai.A.]
Cam ·
Yeah, I've been thinking about it all day too.
Apparently the BMW's (or some) use a north-south engine and trans with a driveshaft. So I was thinking about getting it and making a custom half frame only. Mount it Formula one style, so the engine and box makes the rear half of the chassis. Take out the driveshaft and make a custom axle/diff coming straight out of the box.
I've also watched the vid a couple of times again. And it seems like we'd have to sort a way to combat understeer as well. The thing drifts okay. But when he gets traction in a corner it sledges out. Like hipo poorly set-up bugs do.
Kai.A. ·
hhmmm... bmw.... as far as i'm concerned when it comes to bikes (or in this case, bike engines) it has to be japanese.....
i don't think a bmw engine would be wild enough for a crazy idea like this one :o
as far as understeer... i dunno, i just wanna drift it and go silly speeds on the straights 😉
having driven normal karts, and knowing how fast 30mph (50kmh ish?) feels when your butt is a couple of cm off the ground, it's just gotta be nuts having that kind of power!
there was a kart like this built in the uk too, it went up the stipr at santa pod.... no idea what kinda time it did tho....
kai
Cam ·
BMW are the standard setters in regard to bikes. But you're right not enough for outright power. The most they've ever put out is 120HP.
I would still run the same chassis design idea if I used an east/west set-up.
Perhaps run the radiator on the nose to get some bias.
Yeah, I've been in race karts capable of 100KPH. It's unreal fun! If we get a design sorted we should be able to create a pair of death machines:vader
yeah, I think it was running 11's from memory.
Kai.A. ·
looks like there are 500cc 2 stroke lumps which put out similar bhp figures.... 100-150 bhp seems available.
could save a lot of weight too....
but, the more i thin about something like an r1 motor, the more i think thats the way to go, mainly 'cos i just love the way those jap engines sound😀
aaargh... i want one now! can't get the idea out of my brain....:cussing
kai
(edited again due to really pitiful typing skills)
[Edited on 4-3-2004 by Kai.A.]
[Edited on 4-3-2004 by Kai.A.]
Cam ·
Yeah, they sound like F1's 😀
Hrrm... 2-Strokes are undesirable for the crotch rocket guys. So they could turn out a fair bit cheaper.
dunno about the cheapness of the 2 strokes, they are less common.....
there's plenty of trashed r1's, zx9r's and similar out there just beggin to donate their motors to such a cause....
kai
Cam ·
Heres my idea...
It's a dodgy diagram, I know. But the idea is to have the engine solidly mount to the front of the chassis and then have nothing behind it but a gearbox. And the gearbox will hold a solid mounted axle. Mounted to nothing but the 'box itself.
Cam ·
Try again.... 😀
Cam ·
Man, that Hyabusa is a monster :o
Begging to be blown tho. Big boost so it comes on with neck snapping post 200HP fury 😠
Kai.A. ·
the thing is, with such tiny wheels on a kart there muct be a maximum hp which is useable before you just gain more and more wheelspin....
like, a smaller motor could accelerate the kart quicker due to better traction....
just some thoughts.....
as for your design layout, i agree, for weight distrubution that is a good setup, i think the best way to get the power from the 'box to the wheels would be to simply run a chain to a sprocket on a solid axle, would be real easy to change the sprocket to adjust ratio then.... it'd be a pretty short chain tho!
and cooling, have you seen the twin radiators on the honda vtr something( i think), one just behind each shoulder above the motor would do the trick i reckon.
kai
Cam ·
Yeah, I know. Thats the advantage with NA. Because it's a smooth feed. Yet the motor also responds as soon as you just open it.
I was have'nt thought too much about the axle idea yet. I just know how I want it laid out and mounted.
A mate of mine welds alloy. Perhaps I could talk to him about if there would be any advantages to making up a motorbike style box alloy frame.
I like the dual radiator idea as well. But am still thinking of having it up front. Just above or in front of the pedals?
Perhaps, if the chassis rails are designed right you could run the coolant through them to the motor?
Oh and there would need to be wings. To get the supercar/open wheeler "hand of God" downforce feel😎
Kai.A. ·
i'm a little reluctant about having radiator/s on the front, in the event of a frontal collision (something which is highly likely to be fair 😉) you'd have a good chance of ending up with boiling coolant all over your legs..... i think here would be enough pain involved in driving/crashing a kart without scalding your legs too :o
i'm keen on the bare bones look, like the one in the video, but, having said that, a front wing could seriously improve the whole understeer situation tho.
kai
Kai.A. ·
oh, and, re: alloy boxframe chassis with coolant running in it.... um, how much you wanna spend on a kart???:o
kai
Cam ·
Yes... Good point 😀 Boiling coolant is'nt a good sensation.
Second preference to the front mount is the side. As you mentioned, next to the shoulders.
Yeah, true. I reckon it would cost abit just in materials. Ahh well, was thinking out loud :P
Yeah, bare bones is cool. I like it too. Just a simple black wing should do. Perhaps something for the rear to keep everything in contact with the road.
Kai.A. ·
at the moment i'm thinking along the lines of a second had chassis (trading post bargain), whatever engine seems to have the best combination of hp/$$ and hp/kg, and then a crapload of nifty fabricating......
i think with something like this the best bet is to simply get it working, and then once you've driven it start refining it. otherwise the planning process alone could take years.
kai
bugboymatt ·
I've just watched the vid 3 times how cool is that !!! I know what you guys are on about now. It'd be awesome to have something like that !!!
Cam ·
Yeah, good point dude.
One of the Sydney guys got in touch with me regarding a race kart roller he has for sale. He's going to e-mail me pics. It's probably closer to you if you want to grab it. $300 is the asking price.
Want me to forward pics onto you?
Kai.A. ·
yeh ya might as well.....
i ain't got any 'spare' cash for a while..... but these things can always be arranged😎
kai
Cam ·
I have no cash for awhile, period! LOL
Have e-mailed my mate who welds up alloys and so on to see what can be welded up from scratch and for what $$$
Mentioned the box frame idea too... Could'nt resist 😉
Kai.A. ·
ha ha.... could be interesting anyway.
i was just thinking, what do tyres cost for these things, 'cos it's blindingly obvious that it chews tyres in a matter of seconds....
kai
Cam ·
Dunno dude. I think they're pretty readily available tho.
However superkart tires are probably the way to go. Don't know the difference but assume it's some $$$
havn't found a better pic. yet, but this one should do...
i think it's quite obvious how much physically larger the hayabusa 'lump' is. i think that would be a real limiting factor in something as small as a kart, ya wanna keep it as compact as possible i think.
also, while surfin' i came across this piccy of a hayabusa powered concept car.... how cool? :thumb
kai
Kai.A. ·
here's my (extremely) crappy attempt at a basic design.....
blue is engine, the orangey bits are the radiators....
simple as that really:bounce
kai
Cam ·
Sweet dude!!! I like.
I saw an aircooled Yamaha today. I'm partial to engines that don't need coolant 😉 Might save some weight and solve the radiator issue. However prob won't make as much power.
Kai.A. ·
another advantage is the aircooled motor will be older, hence cheaper :thumb
you can get race cams and stuff like that for most bike engines, so if it ain't got enough power you can always tune it😎
kai
Cam ·
Yeah, I reckon.
Good point dude. Still thinkin turbo 😉
Did you get the e-mail I sent you?
Kai.A. ·
havn't recieved an e-mail 🙁 hotmail isn't working very well on my pooter at the moment.
kai
Kai.A. ·
ok, hotmail and my pooter seem to be a bit friendlier again......
if ya wanna try sending me that e-mail again😎