Quote:
Originally Posted by nimblemotors
There is another bike engine I ran across that looked promising, 650cc V2-cyl water cooled, shaft drive, here it is,
Honda CX series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
saw one for sale for $100 a while back, but was sold before I can get there with my trailer. |
I can vouch for this engine. I had a Honda CX650C, and it's a great motor (674cc). Built-in 5-speed/clutch, with a splined shaft output. Lots of power from a reasonable rpm, water cooling for flexibility, good power (65hp IIRC), good economy, at least in the bike (50-60 mpg basically rodding the piss out of it with 200+ pounds of knucklehead on the seat, and no fairings).
For a small front-engine/rear drive, I'd think it'd be perfect. Get a driveshaft from a motorcycle, cut off the u-joint, and have a shop weld it onto your existing driveshaft, and you're in business! Hook up a set of paddle shifters (1/2 travel to lighten the clutch, 1/2 travel to switch gears) for sequential shifting and you're off to the races! Rear engine/rear drive, I'm not sure how the drivetrain would work, but still an excellent, tough, tractable motor. Probably small enough to set up as a mid-engine/rear drive motor.
Charging system works (a little bit of a weak spot, but fixable), and has thermoswitch-controlled radiator fan, and water temp sender and oil pressure switch for instrumentation.
If you don't need quite that much power, the same basic engine was built in huge numbers as a ~500cc, and they're much easier to find.