Cullen,
I don't think it is a globally bad idea. There are, however, some additional
difficulties and considerations in putting a modern bike engine in a car.
Most bike engines and transmissions (Harleys and some of the other cruisers
excepted) are designed for use as a unit, which means you either do without
reverse or create a system of your own. Honda Goldwings, for example, use
the starter motor to supply power to some sort of reverse gear arrangement.
I don't think the lack of a reverse would necessarily be a bad thing in a
race car, such as the Legends cars with motorcycle engines, but it could be
a problem for an everyday car.
Motorcycle engines (again with cruisers excepted) are also generally
designed as high revving, low torque engines, especially the inline fours.
Think 15-18,000 rpm for a street engine with max torque numbers less than
half of max horsepower numbers. Again, it might not be bad for race cars,
but lots of clutch slipping, shifting and thrashing for an everyday car.
Most bike engines also have a throttle body or carb for each cylinder which
complicates the tuning process a bit.
Overall, I think a Honda VTEC 1600cc engine, for example, is a better swap
than a 1300cc Hayabusa engine for a small car, but I would never discourage
anyone from making any kind of swap.
Don't get me wrong, I love motorcycles and ride about 10,000 miles a year.
But, if I were to build a small car, I would be more likely to put a lightly
stressed small block Ford in an old Geo Tracker that happens to be sitting
around my house. Oh, wait - that is what I'm working on!
A. C. Tynes
New Orleans
>
> Just asking, not really looking for a debate, I just honestly don't really
> know why its such a globally bad idea.
>
> Cullen
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