splitter motor?

[Richmac]

Anyone use a motorcycle motor? Crashed bikes go for cheap, have plenty of power and rpm's.

 

[greendohn]

how bout an old CB 750-four with a Kerker 4 into one. pull the baffle and run 'er to the redline!!!

 

[Walt41]

I think cooling would be an issue, I've seen what happens to air cooled bike engines in parade duty, liquid cooling might be an option but would put you miles beyond the cost of a new HF engine that was new with a warranty. RPM range on a splitter is about 2000-2,600...well below what a bike motor is designed to run at.

 

[4seasons]

Motorcycle engines have the transmission built into them so you would have to run it thru the tranny too. Couldn't use a regular pump or love-joy setup. I'm sure it could be done, but from a cheap standpoint why not just get a junk lawnmower engine. A lawnmower engine has all the mounts to make it work with off the shelf parts so no big headaches trying to fab up the pump mounts. And a lawnmower with a blown transmission, rusted out deck and 4 flat tires would be way cheaper than a totaled bike.

Again, not saying it can't be done, and if you want to make it work so yours can be different more power to you. Just saying a cheap wrecked bike can seem like a good deal until you add up the cost of making everything else fit your cheap powerplant.

 

[Richmac]

Motorcycle engines have the transmission built into them so you would have to run it thru the tranny too. Couldn't use a regular pump or love-joy setup. I'm sure it could be done, but from a cheap standpoint why not just get a junk lawnmower engine. A lawnmower engine has all the mounts to make it work with off the shelf parts so no big headaches trying to fab up the pump mounts. And a lawnmower with a blown transmission, rusted out deck and 4 flat tires would be way cheaper than a totaled bike.

Again, not saying it can't be done, and if you want to make it work so yours can be different more power to you. Just saying a cheap wrecked bike can seem like a good deal until you add up the cost of making everything else fit your cheap powerplant.

Good point getting a motorcycle motor for 100 dollars. Put in the cost of attaching it to the splitter

 

[oneoldbanjo]

One other issue that would take time to correct is the governor issue. The engines used on yard equipment and splitters have a built in speed control/governor. When you attach the cable you are pulling on a spring that speeds up the engine - and the built in governor controls the throttle setting to hold that speed. The governer adds throttle when the load increases and then takes it away when the load is removed.

The governor issue can be addressed and there are add-on governors that can be adapted. I had toyed with the idea of using a small car engine or bike engine for a generator - but I finally decided that it would be too involved for the rare occasion that I lose power for any length of time. The store-bought generators work just fine for that occasional use - even though a BMW or Harley motor would sound so much better!

 

[zogger]

One other issue that would take time to correct is the governor issue. The engines used on yard equipment and splitters have a built in speed control/governor. When you attach the cable you are pulling on a spring that speeds up the engine - and the built in governor controls the throttle setting to hold that speed. The governer adds throttle when the load increases and then takes it away when the load is removed.

The governor issue can be addressed and there are add-on governors that can be adapted. I had toyed with the idea of using a small car engine or bike engine for a generator - but I finally decided that it would be too involved for the rare occasion that I lose power for any length of time. The store-bought generators work just fine for that occasional use - even though a BMW or Harley motor would sound so much better!

Nissan industrial engines, either gas or diesel, are medium common for generator use. One poultry farm I worked at had the gas version, adapted to run from his big propane tank. And I know a rich guy who has one for his big house. Very reliable. I have the diesel version in my little truck, again, very reliable and just sips diesel. Def need glow plugs and plug in the block heater in the winter though.

They are also used for the nissan forklifts, to give you an idea of how well they are built (and where to get parts, etc).

I also know a lot of big ISPs and data centers use them for backup power.

They will run a mambo generator (hi tech engineering term there)