Just got hold of a copy of "How to Build your own Tiger Avon Sports Car" - excellent book better than Haynes Make one for £250!

Its got a section (very very brief) on using bike engines. Apparently Tiger have a couple of models that use twin bike engines that are incredibly fast... sounds slighly better than my X-flow - but how does this work - surely bike engines incorporate a gear box which is an easy installation for one engine, but what happens with two of these things?

Well, you need another gearbox (from the likes of Quaife) that combines the outputs of the two bike gearboxes and connects to a single propshaft. It might even offer a reverse mode if you're lucky. Last time I checked these boxes weren't much cheaper than one of the engines - dunno what's available now though. Then you need to make a linkage that changes gear on both bike boxes simultaneously.

Or if you're really adventurous you turn the front engine round and make it 4WD. As far as I know only Tiger have done this and broke some records with it too.

Liam

[Edited on 11/11/02 by Liam]

If you want super quick 0-60 then you simply have to do the 4wd version. Next question, is it worth it? Like most record attempts, if the record is your only goal then yes. If you also want a road-worthy car that won't require constant attention, continuous setting up, clever and expensive electronics etc etc then don't even think about twin bike engines

John

the twin bike engined 4WD tiger was on 5th gear ages ago, it did 0-60 in 2.8sec not much quicker than single bike engined 2WD cars.

[Edited on 11/12/02 by Cousin Cleotis]

All the twin bike engined sevens have been built by my good friend Chris Allanson who's business is called Z-Cars. He's based on the Yorkshire east coast. Chris was the developer of the twin engined cars used in Autograss since '95 and now so commonplace in that sport. His main area of business remains within that sport.

The first two sevens were actually converted Westfields, both using ZX9R engines and were rear wheel drive. The first of the Tiger cars he built was also RWD. They used a collector gearbox (two props in, one out, incorporating reverse made by another Autograss supplier GB Engineering, to Chris' design.

The current, and record breaking 4wd design uses two fuel injected ZX12 engines, one driving the front wheels and one driving the rears, both through Cossie diffs. The engines are bog standard. Reliability is excellent.

The cars incorporate, traction control, launch control and just about everything else. O to 60, yes a single bike engine is nearly, but not as quick but 0 to 160 no chance. These things do 0 to 100 and back to 0 in under 10 seconds!

By the way current price is £40,000. They are not aimed at the Locost market!

One of those twin jobbies is owned by my friend Simon Ranson who incidently did all the drawings in the Avon book. His twin is rear wheel drive only and doed 0-60 in 3.11 secs. He has promised me a ride when he gets it back on the road after a gearbox service.

Can't wait!!!!!

Andy