I don't know whose shifter karts you have been in or which motors they were or who put them together, but if your not making over 50 hp out of your unit your not fast nationally, and 34 kw works out to about 45 hp, so these things although torquey will be a good bit slower than any full blow shifter (125cc moto engine or ICC style engine).

Scorke

 

ive seen a 3 rotor cosmo, deffinitely a unique sounding engine

 

thats coool it is from the 787... where you found that pic did they have any with the intake manifold on? i have been wanting to see that manifold and how it worked, more so if it was anything special!

 

I was out on the track with many shifter karts and pulled all of them down the straights (and several guys were very competitive and well prepped). I forgot to mention it weighs 22lbs less than a shifter kart combo and the one I rode had 52hp loads of torque from a giant powerband which made it much more drivable than peaky tuned shifter engine oh and did I mention it goes 200hrs between rebuilds (lets see... how many hours you get out of a competitive 125?)

Don't get me wrong I love shifter karts but this thing is quicker and way more reliable but the engine does cost 5k

go ride one you'll see what I'm raving about

 

200 hours between rebuild????!?!?!?!? haha wow, if those get popular over here in the states companies like Woljter and Swedetech are out of buisness. We used to rebuild our top end's (ring/piston) every 125-150 laps, 200 hours is unheard of. I retract my previous statements, and now have a burning desire to put together a kart again hahaha.

Paul, where were you racing, obviously out west, and who do you know over here that imports them?

I'm gunna have to start calling up old karting buddies to see if anybody has one haha.

Scorke

 

If the wankel development had the same tender loving care as the Chevy 350 aka "small block" it'd be a whole different world. I don't think most get the idea of how small and light a rotary is per power output until ya get the chance to step up to one.

These guys have obviously less rotational mass, rotational mass that doesn't stop and go like a reciprocating piston motor, and no direct valvetrain. Mazda actually did the world a service by keeping them alive in a production vehicle for so long.

So Paul, in this shifter cart, was this a newly developed motor? Was it a single rotor setup? This wasn't for instance one of those 500cc Norton motorcycle motors, was it?

Cheers,

~j.

 

Mechanically advanced variable length runners. It is pretty cool to look at, but technology has come to the point where you could make more torque with other means.

 

Everyone seems to forget that the rotary engine produces about the same power as a cylinder engine with a much smaller displacement. It also does it with an engine that weighs significantly less than a conventional cylinder engine. Although the reliability/longevity of the engine can be disputed, I think it is a wonderful engine regardless.