http://www.meteoreisengummioxid.de/index.shtml

thanks for all the advice/tips/links. i've been looking around for parts and not having too much luck to be honest. does anyone know any good sites/people to go to to find what we're looking for? (decided on a more off roading type thing, like this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... TL&videos=DeT2opx3Lak)

also, does anyone know any good magazines (with classifieds) for this type of vehicle. i looked in smiths with no luck (although farm machinery enthusiasts were well catered for :irked

Make it simpler, stronger and less powerful (and therefore a LOT cheaper) and build two, so that you can race them against each other. 40hp is plenty (20hp would be enough). Make sure that the roll structure is strong enough.

ok, so what size/make/model of bike engine should i be looking for?

also, i don't think making 2 is going to be practical, as its just a summer project.

Anything between 600 and 900cc made within a decade should be great. Preferable to be widely available and renowned for reliability so I presume any of the mainstream Japanese companies's bikes are good .

Actually, I think you might also want to look at snowmobiles. They are more or less equipped with the same engines that are on their motorcycle counterparts but the CVT transmission is a better base then tweaking with a motorbike chain transmission or an expensive sequential gearbox from Holinger or Quaife.

thanks, we're gonna ask the guy now. not sure where we'd get a snowmobile engine in england though

anyone got an idea where/what we can get shocks, brakes etc. from?

pickup trucks?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v ... TL&videos=44ZBQ_Ltkp4 sorry to keep reposting this but its sorta what we're basing our design on. would a pickup have suspension/brakes etc like this?

maybe not as high-performance, but in terms of length and size, yeah. car shocks aren't long enough and thus don't have enough travel... either pickup trucks, or those truck/van hybrids like the jimmy/blazer/bronco.

(i'm not sure if they made any of those over in the UK)

A pickup will definitely not have that kind of setup. Your best choice for something similar is either an off road shop or to try to find a professional off-roader at a junkyard and salvage its suspension.

While you're at the junkyard, you could also get the brakes from a Ford or a Vauxhall. Should be both cheap and sufficient for a build as light as yours.

ok. how much would you say is a reasonable amount to spend on an engine given our budget? (found a few possible engines online, and want to know if they're too pricey (or suspiciously cheap)

Quote from BAMBO :

A pickup will definitely not have that kind of setup.

you must be looking at the wrong kind of pickup trucks then... a mazda b2000 is not a pickup truck. it's a "light truck".

Quote from oli17 :

ok. how much would you say is a reasonable amount to spend on an engine given our budget? (found a few possible engines online, and want to know if they're too pricey (or suspiciously cheap)

Not sure on engines alone but if you're planning on getting a motorcycle, I'd say around 1500-2000 euros.

Quote from bunder9999 :

you must be looking at the wrong kind of pickup trucks then... a mazda b2000 is not a pickup truck. it's a "light truck".

Not my fault that you North Americans consider this a proper pickup truck

ok, so does 100-200 quid for a gsxr/fireblade engine sound reasonable then?

Offcourse.

I honestly have no idea so I won't comment.

Quote from G!NhO :

Offcourse.

so is there any way of checking if the engine will actually work (when all you have is the engine by itself)?

Quote from oli17 :

so is there any way of checking if the engine will actually work (when all you have is the engine by itself)?

hook it up to a battery and some gas, and run it?

Quote from oli17 :

so is there any way of checking if the engine will actually work (when all you have is the engine by itself)?

If you have a battery and a bit of gas, you could test it Bangladesh-y style

What's your budget?

I'd say: buy this and a motorbike. Mount the engine on the go-kart and you're done .

Quote from hrtburnout :

What's your budget?

about 1000 quid tops

Quote from BAMBO :

If you have a battery and a bit of gas, you could test it Bangladesh-y style

indeed

Quote from oli17 :

about 1000 quid tops

If you want something like the buggy in that video, then I reckon you'll have to spend around 6000-7000 pounds if not more.

I think alot more.

surely we can get everything except shocks/engine from a scrapyard?