I'm in the process of designing a mid-engined car that will be powered by a GSX1400 air/oil cooled engine.

I believe this engine is similar to the GSF1200 Bandit one.

It's transversely mounted and drives the rear wheels via a chain.

Questions:

Has anyone used either of these engines?
What precautions are necessary to prevent oil surge during cornering.(mostly road use)
Any commments on cooling? (I considered using a Micra radiator (full of oil) at the front, so that if anybody subsequently built a water-cooled one they could use the same setup)

Any comments/hints would be appreciated.

Ive got a GSXR1100 engine in bits sitting in the back of my office ready for my next project (if I ever finish this one),dont tell the missus for christs sake.
Cant tell you anything about it tho other than its chain drive, oil cooled.,but I would have thought a large oil cooler would do the trick.
Cheers,
Bob

Are you asking for info on the car or engine?

I'm re-vamping a sierra 4x4 rear diff to take the suzuki rear sprocket (removed from diff-casing) - fits quite nicely. If possible, I'll have it running in an oil bath for longevity.

I also think that with a good-sized oil cooler and fan setup, temperature wouldn't be a problem. I'll also have plenty of mesh panels above the engine for ventilation.

From reading the forum, a baffle plate across the top of the sump would be o.k. for most conditions to prevent oil surge.

I'm just a bit paranoid after reading about the Blackbird engines "going pop"!!

Just realised that my last post answered a question that wasn't even asked - oops!

Hi, Keith,
The 1400 is one of my favorite bike engines and if it wasn't for the cost of the things second hand I would have liked to have used one.
Although it may look similar the 1400 is a total redesign of the bandit with everything beefed up, ( try lifting one ! ).
They would be good in a car due to the massive torque the engine produces.
Also with the right exhaust system they make big smooth power as well.
You would need all the fuel injection software off the bike, sensors, relays, airbox etc, for it to run properly, but dynojet and Yoshimura do go faster bits for the software.
You would need a huge oil cooler, as the engines run very hot, but its got to be easier than running a water cooled engine, especialy mid mounted.
I remember seeing a Sylva Sriker with a 1400 engine last year, so someone somewhere has done it.
Good luck
Hope this helps
Cheers
Tim

Thanks guys,

I've got all the ancillaries for the engine Tim - Injection, wiring, fuel pump etc.

I'll use a big cooler/fan setup and put a baffle plate into the sump.

It's then just a case of keeping an eye on the oil pressure until I'm confident it isn't going to be an issue!

If the clutch slave cylinder is in the same place as it is on a gsxr 1100 (as I think they are pretty much the same thing except what tim said) Then you may need to convert it to a manual clutch (see my ealier posts). I was also thinking about the gsx1400 engine because of it's torque but then I was told it was very heavy, so left the idea.

Adam

I'm curious about the requirement for changing the clutch to cable instead of hydraulic.

It's too late tonight, but I'll certainly check this out tomorrow.

Is there a clash with the driveshaft if you keep the hydraulic setup?

If so, I'm hoping I'll be in the clear as I'm building mines with a rear-engined chain-drive setup - so nothing really changes from the bike arrangement. (I hope!)

Thanks for the warning!

Checked out the clearance around the clutch slave cylinder and confirmed that I'll have no problem as I'm going for chain-drive.

See what you mean when you're using shaft-drive though.

Could the clutch cylinder mounting not be relieved to make space for the drive flange?