j0rd4n

(copied and pasted from my new user post)



as for what im looking for, actually, right now im more interested in the engine itself than any specific model (though a rx7/8's are VERY attractive ;D)



right now im a junior at college, so my budget is very small, as is the area that i can work on this stuff when im at home (no room here, really, plus my friend's step dad does race engines, so i figure he can help me w/some tools if i need something). while im here i plan to get a scale rotary engine (1/5 model available on amazon something im looking at), but honestly i think my best bang for the buck for learning about rotary engines would be to get a small motorcycle and fit a rotary engine to it



i've looked at the norton and a few other bikes, but they're a little too oudated, in design, for me. but, unfortunately, i can't find any place that will sell smaller-scale rotaries. the only idea that i've come up with (with the help of my friend) is to try and stuff 1 rotor off of his 12a under there. any comments on this idea?



also, i have almost no experience outside of a drawing board, so this may not even be feasible smile.gif

89 Rag

Air cooled and rotary seem to be a hard combination to make work for very long, the "case" would have to undergo a massive overhaul and even then it could be too much dough for not enough go, imo.

j0rd4n

you don't think oil-cooling could be set up on it?

crackheadmel

How much power do you want to make?



How about a 303cc single rotor carby thats air cooled.



just browse ebay and look for a sachs rotary snowmobile, relativly cheap, make 23 or 27hp stock



I was just messing with one a few days ago with friends and have a video if you would like to see it.

j0rd4n

I think that'd actually be quite cool. Couldn't I just bolt 2 rotors together for the combined 46-54 hp? I'm not looking for much. My plan would be to find a cheap motorcycle frame that has a bad piston motor and start the swap from there. Plus those little babies would fit a lot better than one rotor from the 12a ;D

j0rd4n

Does anyone know the general weight of a snowmobile rotary engine? I'm asking if a guy can sell me only the motor, but he was curious of the weight.

Bstrickler

No you couldn't just bolt 2 rotors together. It'll screw with all the balancing, and you wont be able to get it all figured out. You'd also have to make a custom eccentric shaft, housing, plates, the whole 9 yards. I found a place a while back that had rotary engines for lots of applications, but i just have to find it again, since i forgot the website.

rfreeman27

short answer...



buy a piston bike and enjoy riding it.



Not trying to crush your idea, but the logistics of this project just dont pan out.



getting a transmission system to work would be a pain, adapting the engine to the bike's frame, with no time/money isnt going to be worth it in the long run.

j0rd4n

yeah, that's what i'm hearing from everyone else i ask.



i want to get into the rotary scene, but i don't have the room to store an entire car, whereas i can easily keep the bike in my sheltered porch outside the house. also, im currently at a university, and my resources for things like space and time are a bit more limited.



the next response would probably be "well just wait till you get out of college." that's true, but i'm already 23, and i already feel very behind on things like this that i want to get involved in, so i want to get in as much experience as possible. perhaps someone could recommend some good books to pick up?

j0rd4n

oh, also, i'd like to have a bike, but i wouldn't do the project just to have a bike...if i wanted a bike, i'd get a deal on a new one from my dad who works at Yamaha i want the experience that auto shops won't offer to part time kids (again, 23, not quite a kid, but a kid at heart) who want to learn the trade as a hobby