[jackbird]

How about hot rod airplanes?

Since you left the land for first snow then sea, might you not try the sky?

I had a little 2-seat Glasair taildragger airplane with a 300 hp engine once. Unlimited Reno air racers have ten times that. The sky is a good place to open up hot rods and see how fast they scoot along. For one thing, it's legal.

I'd love for Honda to get into making airplane engines, or whole airplanes. More power to them.

 

[Lincoln]

Re: How about hot rod airplanes?

actually, i've always had a thing for ultra-light aircraft. however, Honda would probably have to use a 2 stroke for this application!!

 

[minime]

Re: How about hot rod airplanes?

Let me just go on record as saying I'd hope they stay away from placing a VTX1800 engine in it. Sort of goes against the whole "ultralight" concept...

A CR450F engine though, I'd be into that.

 

[jackbird]

Ultra-lights not a market to ignore

If they can make a 4-stroke weedwacker they could make a 4-stroke ultralight aircraft engine. I wish they would. Even a Honda 2-stroke would be nice, but I'd rather they put their development yen into something less old fashioned, like a piston engine as far beyond the Harley-like Lycomings and Continentals we fly behind as their motorcycle engines are beyond Harleys.

 

[Lincoln]

180hp Turbo

that's a good number for a 4stroke! however, i'm confounded by the fact that Kawasaki's Ultra 150 is a 1200cc 2stroke triple only putting out 150hp.

Hell, Triumph's 955cc 4stroke triple is putting out 150hp. By all rights the Ultra should be putting out well over 200hp, if not 250hp. what's up?

 

[jackbird]

Long history of flying motorcycle engines

The inline 4's with balance shafts would run much smoother and they weigh less for the power produced than presently popular horizontally opposed piston propeller powerplants for planes.

Maybe the other way, current aircraft engine to motorcycle, would be more promising. Gas turbine engines for airplanes are small, light, and available with as little as 500 horsepower.

Maybe Honda could make a 300 pound 500 horsepower both-wheel-drive sportbike. Tires and fuel tank would look large to our eyes.

 

[mxjunky]

they sould let every one have them

i think that honda sould give ever state with good boat sells a couple of them so we know what they will look like so the dealers know what to expect when a owner breings it to a differnt state

 

[borgNSR]

Room to grow

No doubt Kawasaki have left themselves with a cheap way to improve that line year after year, as market conditions demand. If 180 is doable in 1000cc parallel twins in snowmobiles, 200 plus from a 1200 triple should be just a matter of deciding to do it. These are all crank numbers right? They don't use some sort of water dyno to measure the HP out the back of the boat, do they? How much HP does the impeller eat up? But I'm in over my head now, blub blub.

Crikey this just makes me sick that they won't do up a nice modern port 500 V-twin for some other app...I'd be wedging one into a bike tomorrow.

 

[Shadowspawn]

Turbine motorcycle

It already exists. go check out-

www.marineturbine.com/y2kinnov.htm

They clain 460lbs, 300hp and 425 ft/lbs torque. Granted, it is $150,000 to buy one, but a 9.8 second 1/4 mile is pretty interesting...

 

[Lincoln]

HUH?

beebledeebeebledeebeebledeebeebledee

 

[jackbird]

250 top end! Better hold on real good.

Autobahns are smooth enough to maybe try seeing how fast that will go.

Myself, I would have used Pratt & Whitney's PT-6 or its Czechoslovakian LOM copy (only $50k!) as they're about the same size as the Allison but make 700 to 1200 horsepower.

Their 1/4 mile time, 9.8 seconds, is within mere Hayabusa capability.

Thanks for the very interesting link. When I get a spare $150k I'll get one. YeeeeeHaaaaaaW!

 

[deanmass]

Re: How about hot rod airplanes?

Funny...I read these replies, and I realize what a wonderful bunch of speed freaks and motor heads are here.

I have often wondered why more motorcycle engines don't find there way to planes, but I think longevity and vibration are the big factors.

It has always seemed to me that a slimmed down goldwing motor would be an awesome aviation power plant...

 

[jamesohoh7]

Re: Room to grow

Ab-O-lubey! ... 'cept do some actual testing and development, unlike the Bimota V-Due (V-don't!).

'strokers rule! (yeah, yeah.. they're dirty, but since when is something that much fun not just a little bit dirty, eh? )

 

[jamesohoh7]

Re: 180hp Turbo

The Kawi may just be in a mild state of tune... small/short port timing.. ignition-limiting mess.. who knows. My TZR250 has a goofy ignition limiting CDI that pretty much caps the power output to something less than 'optimal' by playing with the timing curve in the upper R's. The Kawi is probably doing the same thing.

-James

 

[302]

Get real!... How about hot rod airplanes?

If you think ultralights are what he's talking about, have a deeper look at the world of experimental aircraft. Carbon fiber replicas of P51 Mustangs with custom V12s that are pushing 400 MPH at Reno are the top end. But inline 4 cyl Honda Prelude engines, Subaru 2.5 boxers are very competitive in the two seat 150 - 200 MPH arena. Some of the ultralights have 80HP twin engines that make the BMW twins look very good.

Check out:

http://members.aol.com/aeroauto/aeroauto.htm

&

http://www.landings.com/

for a glimpse of it.

Me?, Give me an engine that will RELIABLY crank out 200 HP for 30 minutes at a pass that I can put in an RV8

http://www.vansaircraft.com/

or a hotter version:

http://www.vansaircraft.com/

 

[302]

Get real!... How about hot rod airplanes?

If you think ultralights are what he's talking about, have a deeper look at the world of experimental aircraft. Carbon fiber replicas of P51 Mustangs with custom V12s that are pushing 400 MPH at Reno are the top end. But inline 4 cyl Honda Prelude engines, Subaru 2.5 boxers are very competitive in the two seat 150 - 200 MPH arena. Some of the ultralights have 80HP twin engines that make the BMW twins look very good.

Check out:

http://members.aol.com/aeroauto/aeroauto.htm

&

http://www.landings.com/

for a glimpse of it.

Me?, Give me an engine that will RELIABLY crank out 200 HP for 30 minutes at a pass that I can put in an RV8

http://www.vansaircraft.com/

or a hotter version:

http://www.usi.edu/science/chemistry/vfrazier/page1.html