Ferrino
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 04:13 PM |
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Which Blade?
Hi all,
I am considering dropping a Blade into my live-axled Seven at some point and was wondering which variant would be best to go for, considering:
a) I am on a 'Q' plate and therefore am not restricted by emissions
b) Would like to stick with carbs, to keep costs down
c) Want as cheap an engine as possible (!)
Many thanks!
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scoobyis2cool
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 04:22 PM |
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What do you mean by not restriced by emissions? I was under the impression that emissions regulations were based purely on engine age meaning car reg
wouldn't affect it?
Cheers
Pete
It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care...
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Jon Ison
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 04:26 PM |
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Q plate at mot time is "smoke" only, as i understand it, and since his car is allready on the road its an engine change only, your biggest
prob will be getting the DVLA to give you cheap tax, you will need proof the engine is in the chassis and running, letter from an mot station did it
for me when i swaped.
Go for as late as you can in your budget, all pretty easy to drop in and get running, infact most bike engines have found there way into cars now so
the knowladge is out there.....
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Ferrino
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 04:30 PM |
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Yep, visible smoke test only for my MOT. I thought this might give me a cheaper choice of Blade engines, which may not be accessible to those who have
to meet emissions testing.
How late do the carbed Blade engines go?
Cheers!
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 06:44 PM |
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99 RRX were the last of the carb'd engines
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alister667
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 07:27 PM |
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If your car is already thru SVA (as it seems to be) I'd go for as recent and fresh an engine as you could get (well - up to 99 if you want a
carb engine).
The newer engines (97-99) have a *little* more power and a slightly higher compression ratio, but it's not too much.
The engine is pretty solid but I like the idea of a young engine and and low milage transmission.
Also I'm led to believe that the pre 95 engines are up in price because of the SVA emmissions immunty of those engines.
That said, if someone offered you any year of a Blade cheaply and it was legit (engine no intact, good condition etc) I'd go for it.
They're all pretty good as far as I know.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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Stuart Walker
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 08:33 PM |
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So do pre-1995 bike engines still have to pass SVA emmissions tests, or do they get off those as well as the MOT ones?
[Edited on 11/8/04 by Stuart Walker]
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alister667
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 09:33 PM |
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No pre 95 engines are more sought after because they are SVA emmisions exempt. Post 95 (I'm pretty sure it's 95 but be careful -
I'm not sure which month) have to do a pretty strict SVA emmisions test.
All kit cars (Q plates) only have to do a visible smoke test at MOT regardless of engine age.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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Stuart Walker
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 10:09 PM |
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Excellent - I was beginning to worry about that...
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Ferrino
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| posted on 11/8/04 at 11:28 PM |
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Thanks - so what woud be the best way to source a late carbed Blade, such as the '99 RRX' and how much do they tend to go for, compared to
the pre-95 engines?
Could a late carbed Blade be sourced for less than a grand, do you think?
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Hellfire
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| posted on 12/8/04 at 11:15 AM |
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Most blade engines tend to go for around a grand. Depends on how much you want other than the engine ie, Looms, clocks etc. If you shop around you
should be able to pick an engine + all ancillaries up for around £ 800 ish.
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alister667
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| posted on 12/8/04 at 05:39 PM |
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I'd start loolking round locally for bike breakers or colibriman does bike engines - not sure if he has blades tho.
Keep yer eyes on ebay perhaps, although it's a bonus if you can hear it running before you hand over any wonga.
I'd say you'd be doing well to get one much below a grand, but have a shop around.
Good Luck,
Ali
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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Ferrino
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| posted on 12/8/04 at 07:11 PM |
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Thanks. BTW, which of the popular BEC engines have hydraulic and which hve cable operated clutches? My 7 is already setup for hydraulic.
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Jon Ison
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| posted on 12/8/04 at 07:52 PM |
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if its not hyd clutch a slave cyl is simple to set up, i put one on me blade, cost under £20 to convert so dont let that put you off.
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dern
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| posted on 13/8/04 at 01:38 PM |
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Just out of interest why would you want a carb'd engine over a FI engine?
I have a blade with an FI engine and it's a fantastic piece of kit. Loads of power, no mucking about with chokes on warm up, very reliable in a
bike with 17k miles on so far and relatively easy to service.
All the best,
Mark
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Ferrino
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| posted on 13/8/04 at 02:01 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by dern
Just out of interest why would you want a carb'd engine over a FI engine?
I have a blade with an FI engine and it's a fantastic piece of kit. Loads of power, no mucking about with chokes on warm up, very reliable in a
bike with 17k miles on so far and relatively easy to service.
All the best,
Mark
Purely for cost reasons - would need to mod my carb tank, add extra plumbing/pump etc....
Plus, do you use the stock ECU on EFI bike engines, or do you have to shell out for an aftermarket mappable unit?
Any other changes for going from a carbed CEC setup to an EFI BEC?
Cheers!
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dern
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| posted on 13/8/04 at 06:39 PM |
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quote:
Purely for cost reasons - would need to mod my carb tank, add extra plumbing/pump etc....
Fair point.
Don't know anything about whether the ECU would usable I'm afraid.
Have you considered the engine from the ZZR1100? More power than the old blade and probably more torque. I suspect it may be a bit cheaper too as
it's not the typical choice of car builders.
Regards,
Mark
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ChrisGamlin
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| posted on 14/8/04 at 03:57 PM |
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On the subject of being cheaper, all the carb blade bits you'll need can be taken off the shelf which usually makes them cheaper, whereas the FI
engine would likely need a custom made exhaust and engine mounts etc. You've also got more complicated wiring to consider and the probable need
to cough up for a Power Commander to get the fuelling right.
Chris
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