MY MOTORCYCLE PROJECT

[sporno]

Well to start off im rebuilding a motorcycle that my FIRST MENTOR GAVE ME . when i got this Bike it was once converted into an eletric bike ( it WAS A 1982 KAWASAKI KLX) and when i got it it was a frame , wheels and a seat the rear brake worked , but i had no clue ... a year goes by and nothing happens to it .. this past summer i finally got an engine , its a Briggs and Stratton Lawnmower engine that was a vertical shaft , but im con verting the engine to a horiziontal shaft .. turns out its all in the carburater .. the motor can be started witha turn key instead of pulling a cord . Turns out this motor is the exact same one used in Jr. Dragsters . so i get right to work on the bike , but run into many problems . 1. the carb. has to be flipped before i can start it . 2. fitting hte engine into the bike without the motor mounts and having no clutch . The motor fits int hebike now , but no mount and to line up the motor and rear sprocket the engine is sticking out one side ... heres my idea. to take the engine and mount it in the bike witht he clutch and chain sticking out nad attaching that to a 2 pillow blocks then another gear that attaches to the rear sprocket . the gear that attaches will have to be smaller than the rear sprocket so it sets up a higher torque gear ratio. the clutch is a centrifugal clutch so i only get one gear ratio out of it so im kinda skrewed. I need to get as much torque and power out of this that i can . the rear skrocket weights a ton so im gonna drill some lightening holes in it and also drop the rotational mass which means it will need less power to move the wheel .also the problems witht the bike and engine is that im loosing power to begin with because of the clutch and then im loosing more power from the gear to sprocket .. well not a loss , but changes the already changed gear ratio. Also the exhaust that came with it was crap and rusted to hell .. so i tried making one out of copper , but then realized it would melt do to the EGT's ( exhaust gas temperature). so now im on a mission to find lightish weight metal that can take the heat..... ohh back to the way to make up power.... NOS , nitrous oxide .. can be done safely without blowing the motor.. with an 8 or up HP motor it can probly take a 4-5 shot of NOS ... thats alot if you think of it ....any ideas or help would be cool

[sporno]

anyone... come on people

[Andy Baker]

Originally Posted by sporno

anyone... come on people

Please clarify your question. Your initial post is quite confusing.

AB

[sporno]

im just stating what ive done and asking if what people think or if they had any ideas

[Greg Perkins]

Originally Posted by sporno

Well to start off im rebuilding a motorcycle that my FIRST MENTOR GAVE ME . when i got this Bike it was once converted into an eletric bike ( it WAS A 1982 KAWASAKI KLX) and when i got it it was a frame , wheels and a seat the rear brake worked , but i had no clue ... a year goes by and nothing happens to it .. this past summer i finally got an engine , its a Briggs and Stratton Lawnmower engine that was a vertical shaft , but im con verting the engine to a horiziontal shaft .. turns out its all in the carburater .. the motor can be started witha turn key instead of pulling a cord . Turns out this motor is the exact same one used in Jr. Dragsters . so i get right to work on the bike , but run into many problems . 1. the carb. has to be flipped before i can start it . 2. fitting hte engine into the bike without the motor mounts and having no clutch . The motor fits int hebike now , but no mount and to line up the motor and rear sprocket the engine is sticking out one side ... heres my idea. to take the engine and mount it in the bike witht he clutch and chain sticking out nad attaching that to a 2 pillow blocks then another gear that attaches to the rear sprocket . the gear that attaches will have to be smaller than the rear sprocket so it sets up a higher torque gear ratio. the clutch is a centrifugal clutch so i only get one gear ratio out of it so im kinda skrewed. I need to get as much torque and power out of this that i can . the rear skrocket weights a ton so im gonna drill some lightening holes in it and also drop the rotational mass which means it will need less power to move the wheel .also the problems witht the bike and engine is that im loosing power to begin with because of the clutch and then im loosing more power from the gear to sprocket .. well not a loss , but changes the already changed gear ratio. Also the exhaust that came with it was crap and rusted to hell .. so i tried making one out of copper , but then realized it would melt do to the EGT's ( exhaust gas temperature). so now im on a mission to find lightish weight metal that can take the heat..... ohh back to the way to make up power.... NOS , nitrous oxide .. can be done safely without blowing the motor.. with an 8 or up HP motor it can probly take a 4-5 shot of NOS ... thats alot if you think of it ....any ideas or help would be cool

Ooook, so lemme get this straight...you wanna take a 1982 kawasaki frame that's allready been modified, and modify it some more? Seems like the modifications you'd like to make to it will only weaken the allready modified frame even more. If I were you, I would take some measurements, and make a new frame, hell make it a chopper, because we all know choppers are cool. When I'm designing something, I *usually* find it easier to create a new part instead of out of another part. Any local welding shop (or unless you're able to bend and weld yourself) should be able to whip a mini-chopper frame up.

You should be able to get a clutch kit online that most gokarts use, and if you've allready got a working brake system now you should be in good shape. Personally, I would ditch the horizontal/vertical conversion, as trying to find a a carbuerator that is sufficient will be tricky, and you might be able to get a horizontal shaft motor thats like 5 or 6 hp really cheap (look for old snowblower motors). Remember if you do decided to do a chopper, give it one realy big and wide back tire, like the tires used on golfcarts.

Hope this helps, I don't mean to tear apart your idea, but I'm just offering some constructive criticism. For more info, check out here

~Greg

[sporno]

no offence to anyone , but i hate choppers ... they are cool if they are hand made , but harley dudes... im a japanese sport bike kinda guy. but the frame once had a metal plate on it for the eletric motor , but i cut that off, right it has no modifications to it right now. and yes it is easier to make another part instead of modifying another , but i dont have the cash or resources to make a frame .

[Andy A.]

Originally Posted by sporno

m a japanese sport bike kinda guy.

So, why put a lawn mower engine into a Japanese sport bike?

I don't understand your goal exactly. Why not modify it back to it's original form and simply put an original engine in? Engines for japanese bikes are easy enough to find, and you could even have a selection of displacements that would fit this bike.

Is your goal to have something that is ridable and practical or just a lawn mower powered bike for the fun of it? I can't imagine a heavy sport bike being much fun if you can never get it up to a speed where it stabilizes.

-Andy A.

[sporno]

ok 1. finding the origional engine for a 1982 Kawasaki KLX is nearly impossible .. i found one on ebay , but it was in the UK .. so no

2. if you knew motorcycles u'd know the KLX is a dirtbike ..

3.my goal is to make it run ... if i was able to get another engine trust me i would , but im using what i got .. im not gonna spend tons of cash on somehting that may never run ...

4. what you people got against sport bikes?

5. I got the bike and engine for free.. y complain .. ya its not a Hayabusa

MY GOAL IS TO MAKE IT RUN ...


.

[Andy A.]

Originally Posted by sporno

3.my goal is to make it run ... if i was able to get another engine trust me i would , but im using what i got .. im not gonna spend tons of cash on somehting that may never run ...
MY GOAL IS TO MAKE IT RUN ...

You'll have to accept right now that making it run will require money. More then you might suspect. Everything from reorienting the carburetor to devising and crafting a new driveline will require a level of expertise and capabilities I don't know that you have. Parts, machining, and time will all cost you. There is no free lunch.

You've set out on a fairly ambitious project. What is your budget? Include things like time and space. What are your capabilities? Do you have any prior experience working on 24 year old bikes? Realistically, what kind of machining can you accomplish on your own? Welding? Experience with small engines and Nitrous injection?

I encourage you not to get in over your head with this. I suggest you go to a junk yard, and look for a similar bike. Most bikes from that era shared commonality in parts and engines. I'll bet Dollars to Pesos that many 1980's era Kawasaki 250cc 4 stroke engines will be a perfect fit. Based on what I know of your project, and your goal of getting it to run, I believe that finding a Kawasaki motor that fits is the cheapest, most reliable and most fun route to go.

For the record, and my own vanity, I do 'know' bikes. I've owned them. I ride them. I've worked on and rebuilt them (want a 450cc Suzuki motor? some assembly required...). Assuming that every gearnut knows what every model of Kawasaki from 1982 might be is rather silly.

[sporno]

well the KLX u can sorta figure out by the name that its a dirt bike .. ZX-14 .. or CBR1000RR sounds like a sport bike ... vulcan sounds like a harley kinda bike .. i guess thats just me . I dont really have i budjet , most weekends its like 7 bucks here 10 here kinda thing .... ive had zero luck finding an engine for less than 100 without a cracked block. and the nitrous can be done fro cheap really . the bottle is nothing more than a fire extinguisher bottle .. polish it and ur good to go and u can get those for free.. the only custom amchinging i see coming is the carb and gears im gonna need and i got a man that hooks me up at a machine shop. And as for time im in no rush to get it done .. I had it for a year before i touched it. as for space i got a HUGE walk in crawlspace so space isnt a problem. and no experience with NOS , but the motor is like the a mini version of the forn flat head V8 .. its a very simple engine. my current problem is exhaust stuff .. name a metal that can take that dosent melt witht he high EGT's and isnt heavy as hell. Im also not gonna be riding this bike very muh .. mmy cousin was in a motorcycle accident and got caought under the car and dragged 100 feet . sooo im amazed my mom let me keep the bike.