Author Topic: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material  (Read 15964 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline wobblywalrus

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5503
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #30 on: July 18, 2010, 01:38:14 AM »
The H1 500cc Kawasaki was impressive in its day, but they were expensive and labor intensive to run and not very powerful by today's standards.  I know this from personal experience.  One of the modern water cooled 600 four cylinder motors would be a better choice. 

Offline SlyOneJr

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 60
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #31 on: July 18, 2010, 02:32:02 PM »
I'm up for ideas about a 500cc motor, remember, this is going into a K/GL to be run here on the East Coast, and if I can afford it, I might try to make a trip to Texas. Anyone ever destroke a 600cc to make 500cc's? How did that work? Any two strokes out there that are 500cc that would work in a Lakester?

Jeff
New Guy building a L/Gas Lakester
Ninja 250 powered Lakester for ECTA meets

Offline racer x

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 578
  • Dark Horse Racing 10-B
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #32 on: July 18, 2010, 03:07:39 PM »
You are into an interesting category.500cc two strokes are all gone to ATV type arrangements. The old Suzuki gamma engines are rare.You can look at them in museums. I have seen 350s Yamaha engines bored and stroked to 610 cc making 120 hp. A good Four stroke four cylinder inline four can do that all day.

Under 500 cc it is the dirt bike engines that are on top and both four and two stroke seem to have good power.

I thought you where going for a 15 cu in engine?
Thank you to all the volunteers

Offline SlyOneJr

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 60
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #33 on: July 18, 2010, 03:14:35 PM »
I am, but I'm wanting to step up later on and go from L/GL to K/GL. Shoot, I might even break bad and move all the way up to J/GL, but that is going to be a few years down the road. Right now, going to stick with the Ninja 250 4 stroke and a Suzuki GT250 2 stoke engines, especially since I have 2 of the Ninja motors and one of the GT motors. Now if I could figure out what engine they are running in the Poison Arrow K/GL that allowed them to run 174.466 then I would try to get one of those. Anyone know what engine Jack is running in the Lakester?

Jeff
New Guy building a L/Gas Lakester
Ninja 250 powered Lakester for ECTA meets

Offline 116ciHemi

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 200
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #34 on: July 18, 2010, 03:30:29 PM »
What about a snowmobile engine? Those are commonly available from about 200 all the way up to 1200. I have gone 110 on frozen lakes on a stock 550, and I have been 130+ on a 680 race engine. I would think that those have a heck of a lot more "rolling" resistance and wind resistance than a lakester would.

Offline SlyOneJr

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 60
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #35 on: July 18, 2010, 03:35:16 PM »
Only problem with the snowmobile engine is the lack of a transmission. Not really a big fan of the torque converters that they have after working with several people on Jr. Dragsters and Jr. Comp cars running the Yamaha R1 snowmobile engine. Get a lot of slip, and when you hit a bump, there goes your gearing.

Jeff
New Guy building a L/Gas Lakester
Ninja 250 powered Lakester for ECTA meets

Offline racer x

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 578
  • Dark Horse Racing 10-B
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #36 on: July 18, 2010, 08:54:13 PM »
how about both those 250 engines? Chain them together .That would be 60 hp and 500 cc. And the sound would be very cool.  :-D
Thank you to all the volunteers

Offline 55chevr

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2446
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #37 on: July 18, 2010, 10:15:00 PM »
H1 or H2 Kawi are not a good choice for a bike that has to run a mile or more. I drag raced an H2 and if it wasnt for duct tape after every 1/4 mile run we would have run out of parts. Just about had to sweep the track after every run to retrieve what fell off.

Offline SlyOneJr

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 60
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #38 on: July 18, 2010, 11:07:22 PM »
Ya know, that is an idea since I do have two 250 motors sitting out in the storage building, wonder if it would be legal for a four wheeled Lakester though, know it would be legal for a two wheeled streamliner... Might have to get in touch with either Keith T. or Joe T. on this.

Joe:  Was planning on putting the H1 motor in a Lakester, my fat rear end doesn't fit real good on a bike, looks like I'm trying to pass a two wheeled turd and the leathers make me sweat more that I normally do, and I sweat a lot, but I know what you mean about the duct tape. A buddy of mine has an old Paul Gast Pro Stock H2 motor on an old Margay enduro kart that he drag races exhibition with, and EVERY run we have to go through the kart and re-tighten all the nuts and bolts that the vibration has shaken loose. Blue Loctite works to a degree, but the best thing we found was to safety wire everything, and then put a dab of silicone sealer on them after they have been safety wired.
New Guy building a L/Gas Lakester
Ninja 250 powered Lakester for ECTA meets

Offline racer x

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 578
  • Dark Horse Racing 10-B
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #39 on: July 19, 2010, 07:05:58 AM »
 A couple things that turned me off about the H1 (I learned to ride a motorcycle with an H1) Is it is an air cooled engine .That makes ducting a balance of drag vs cooling. The other is the press fit crank I guess you would have it welded but that is a thing to do .Where can you get parts when that one has us doing the kitty litter shuffle? You would have to buy a whole bike with a couple blown engines thrown in .( they all come that way used for some reason?) Even they are getting rare.

« Last Edit: July 19, 2010, 07:17:01 AM by racer x »
Thank you to all the volunteers

Offline blackslax

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 329
    • Loring Timing Association
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #40 on: July 19, 2010, 08:38:10 AM »
On Bending PVC  Pipe:
We use a PVC Heat Blanket for bending.  They heat very evenly and can be used for 1/2"-3" pipe.  They are not cheap (presently about $175 in McMaster) but any commercial or industrial electrician should have one.  They are generally not used often so it might be a good idea to call in a favor. 
Tim Kelly
Race Director - LTA
www.loringtiming.com
People dont see the world the way things are, They see the world the way they are.

Offline Cajun Kid

  • Rajun Cajun Racing E/CGALT 5690
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3189
  • Venable Rod's & Racing #805 Studebaker, #806 Ford
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #41 on: July 19, 2010, 10:32:13 AM »
H2's  have a slight less buzz than the H1's... but at 9,000 plus RPM's it ain't much differant.

One thing they both have in common,,, they smooth out for a second,, just before they blow up. !!!  Been there done that.

Even so, I still love the old   2 Smoke triple Kawi's

Charles
ECTA Record Holder Maxton
E/CBFALT, E/CBGALT, E/CGALT, E/CFALT, A/CGALT, C/CGALT, D/CGALT, C/CBGALT, B/CBGALT, C/CFALT
OHIO
B/CGALT, C/CGALT

LTA Record Holder and 200 Club Member
A/CBFALT, B/CBFALT, C/CBFALT, C/CFALT, C/CGALT,   E/CGALT, E/CFALT

Fastest Standing Mile at Ohio  203.343mph
Fastest Standing Mile at Maxton 196.967mph
Fastest Standing 1.5 Mile at Loring 213.624mph
Fastest Standing Mile at Loring 204.109mph

http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii43/cajunkid5690/

Blog    www.venablerodsandracing.com
email   venableracing@gmail.com

Offline wfojohn

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 148
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #42 on: July 19, 2010, 12:34:44 PM »
Slyonejr, If you want some H2 cranks and cases cheap or even a whole running H2 dragbike let me know, I am getting rid of mine.

Offline Dan Stokes

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 491
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #43 on: July 19, 2010, 12:54:36 PM »
Don't dis my beloved H1s!  I had two back in the day  - but I left them stock and rode them on the road.  Other than cleaning plugs on the '70 (the '71 seemed to hold up better) I never had an issue.  I rode 'em hard on the street but I'm sure I never stressed them like a racer would.  The '70 was red & white, the '71 was light/dark blue.  If I found a NICE red and white '70 I might have to hold up a liquor store or something.

Dan
Wilmington, NC - by the sea

ECTA idiot, Bonneville volunteer

Offline 116ciHemi

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 200
Re: The Advantage of PVC tubing as a chassis material
« Reply #44 on: July 19, 2010, 02:03:23 PM »
Only problem with the snowmobile engine is the lack of a transmission. Not really a big fan of the torque converters that they have after working with several people on Jr. Dragsters and Jr. Comp cars running the Yamaha R1 snowmobile engine. Get a lot of slip, and when you hit a bump, there goes your gearing.

Jeff

Most of the sleds I have seen use a centrifugal clutch, and don't seem to have any issues with bumps.