Hey guys it's looking like I'm going to finally end up getting that Aprillia SXV rolling chassis that I've been eyeing up for a while now. So I'm starting to think about what engine I should put in it.
I'm not going to put the stock engine in it as I want something reliable that I can ride on the street or highway without having to do maintenance every other week. Sadly there's no race track anywhere near me so this will be an almost exclusive street machine. There's a possibility of it seeing some dirt, meaning I'll be tearing around our fields and down gravel roads with it.
I know going with a more reliable engine is going to make the bike heavier and possibly have less power which I'm ok with. Cost/availability could be a bit of a factor as I'm in southern Alberta which has one of the worst used bike markets ever. Vancouver is only 12 hours away however.
Anyway I'm looking for some recommendations of engines that I should be researching to swap into this thing.
For reference the stock engine is a V twin, weighs 75lbs (It's a dry sump tho so the oil pan is separate), makes 61hp at the wheel (claim 70 at the crank), only 35 ft/lbs of torque, it's also quite compact.
I didn't realize how little torque it made till now.
Here's what I've thought of and read so far.
The 650 ninja engine would work. There's a dude on youtube riding around with one in his bike. It makes almost the same HP as the stock engine, should be super reliable, are easy to get but weighs 60 lbs more (135 lbs).
Smoker's custom motard build is using a RZ350 engine which would be awesome but I want to go with a 4 stroke. Easier to use on the street and I don't know anything about 2 strokes.
I just started looking at KTM engines. An LC4 690 weighs only 88ish lbs, only 13 over the SXV, puts out 60 - 70ish HP?, would be expensive to get and I'm also not sure about the maintenance/reliability. But I think it'd be a good fit. And it's a thumper. ALSO has 60 - 70 ft/lbs of torque.
Now an LC8 is about 50 lbs more but makes 80 - 90 hp. I'd wonder about it fitting in the frame tho.
So what other engines should I think about?
I'd like to have something comparable to the stock engine that's not too much heavier. I could go for a smaller displacement engine as long as it has decent service intervals and is the same weight or lighter and somewhat inexpensive.
I think reliability and light weight are really what I'm after. The less power it has the less trouble I'd get in right?
I'm not going to put the stock engine in it as I want something reliable that I can ride on the street or highway without having to do maintenance every other week. Sadly there's no race track anywhere near me so this will be an almost exclusive street machine. There's a possibility of it seeing some dirt, meaning I'll be tearing around our fields and down gravel roads with it.
I know going with a more reliable engine is going to make the bike heavier and possibly have less power which I'm ok with. Cost/availability could be a bit of a factor as I'm in southern Alberta which has one of the worst used bike markets ever. Vancouver is only 12 hours away however.
Anyway I'm looking for some recommendations of engines that I should be researching to swap into this thing.
For reference the stock engine is a V twin, weighs 75lbs (It's a dry sump tho so the oil pan is separate), makes 61hp at the wheel (claim 70 at the crank), only 35 ft/lbs of torque, it's also quite compact.
I didn't realize how little torque it made till now.
Here's what I've thought of and read so far.
The 650 ninja engine would work. There's a dude on youtube riding around with one in his bike. It makes almost the same HP as the stock engine, should be super reliable, are easy to get but weighs 60 lbs more (135 lbs).
Smoker's custom motard build is using a RZ350 engine which would be awesome but I want to go with a 4 stroke. Easier to use on the street and I don't know anything about 2 strokes.
I just started looking at KTM engines. An LC4 690 weighs only 88ish lbs, only 13 over the SXV, puts out 60 - 70ish HP?, would be expensive to get and I'm also not sure about the maintenance/reliability. But I think it'd be a good fit. And it's a thumper. ALSO has 60 - 70 ft/lbs of torque.
Now an LC8 is about 50 lbs more but makes 80 - 90 hp. I'd wonder about it fitting in the frame tho.
So what other engines should I think about?
I'd like to have something comparable to the stock engine that's not too much heavier. I could go for a smaller displacement engine as long as it has decent service intervals and is the same weight or lighter and somewhat inexpensive.
I think reliability and light weight are really what I'm after. The less power it has the less trouble I'd get in right?
