totally new to bike engined cars, just wonderig what is generally considered to be the "best" engines to use, pocket friendly also!! thanks

hmmm lots of choice- mines a 'blade- shall be trying it out soon hopefully!

howmuch is a blade and all anciliiaries?

what about any of the kawasakis?

there is a lot of debate about the best engine to use. Generally any large (900cc or above), inline 4 sports bike engine will do ranging from the zx9/12 or blade to the hayabusa if you want to spend lots of money. basically the choice is massive.

Check out some of the BEC owners websites and they normally have a list of engines including the pros and cons of each unit and there personal opinion/choice.

hope this helps, albeit a little vague.

I personally will be going for a zx9 or 12 - depending on how much they are going for at the time. I will be using this engine only because it is a tried and tested engine in BEC's and they perform well enough to scare the pants of me!

The most proven engine is the Honda Fireblade - commonly thought of as being virtually bomb proof, costing in the region of £1000 (from MK Engineering but these are becoming a bit scarce now as most BEC have them. The new kid on the block is now the Yamaha R1 apparently every bit if not more powerful than the blade (in a car!) and again pretty reliable so far. As Russ say's the 9's and 12's are also becoming more popular. You generally need 900+cc not so much because of the bhp/torque but also bear in mind the clutch size as this is very important for obvious reasons of the extra weight the engine will be pulling.
HTH

We are using a Honda Fireblade 893cc from pre-1995 as it doesn't need a Catalytic Convertor. Also, the R1 is a bit of a b*tch to wire up if you're DIY!

Have a look at our website if you need more information (HELLFIRE)

what would be really useful for us wannabe bec'ers would be a list of which are air/oil cooled, powers outputs etc. as it stands, i dont have a clue myself which is 'best' or even usable!!

Only choose an oil/air cooled bike if you are doing sprint/hillclimbing or something that means the engine won't be running for very long periods of time, as generally they overheat quickly. I am using a GSXR1100 oil/air cooled for my hillclimber as it is quite torquey, has a very strong clutch and it is easy to get parts for if they do go wrong. Also they are very tuneable, as they use these engines in dragster motorbikes and you can buy blocks tha take them out to 1500cc!! I don't think I will be doing this though. As standard they have 130 - 135 bhp (the later model) so that is plenty for a car that will way around 350kg. Air/oil cooled engines are generally lighter as well.

Adam

you generally wont get a locost bec down to 350 kg with out spending serious money. they more often weigh in at about 450 + (although someone will correct me). mine weighs 420kg (race spec,loads of light weight toys)

that idea i like........

If I was doing it on a budget again I would choose an R1, more money a Busa or ZX12. ZX9's and Blade are still spot on engines though.