2/18/09

I did a little math and if I can keep the weight down in the N600, 55 horsepower will put the car just ahead of a stock Versa’s power to weight ratio. The N600 would carry 21.82 pounds per horsepower whereas the Versa carries 22.07 pounds per horsepower. I'd guess the modifications I've done to Ms. Clio make up for that deficit. So, a 55 horsepower N600 would probably accelerate about like my current daily driver. I can live with that. Also, a 55 horsepower motorcycle engine isn't going to put out a butt-load of torque so the $100.00 differential thingy from Northern might just survive. Of course if I just gave in and went with John’s idea of a Jap bike V-twin mounted sideways using an automotive differential unit, I could safely make considerably more power. Thing is, a 600cc four-cylinder bike engine will sound like an F1 car whereas a V-twin won’t. Oh, I had another idea concerning the electrical system. I'm not 100% sure a bike’s charging system will keep up with the demand of an automotive installation. So I'm thinking, why not attach a GM style, one-wire alternator to run off of the differential? It wouldn’t charge when sitting still but it would when driving. If the bike’s alternator and car’s battery can support the idle load, the “on the fly” alternator can make up the deficit once rolling along. I'd want to use a “deep cycle” battery though, just in case. Ok, so I was just on the phone with Gregg. I told him about the N600 and the engine options. We were both thinking about small car differentials for the sideways V-twin option when it hit me: the 4WD Ford Escape or Toyota RAV-4 had a cute little differential hanging out there in the back. If I could find one of those, I'd be golden. Then I had another epiphany, I could put Jaguar style inboard brakes on the thing and really be able to do stoppies with it! So, I guess I might be talked into a V-twin after all. There is just one stipulation, there is no way in hell I will ever even consider thinking about the merest possibility of using a Hardly Dumb-Assed-One engine. No way, no how. Forget it. Not going to happen. Only a split-crank, even fire V-twin will be considered. I'd prefer to stay air-cooled as well, but that’s not a deal breaker. We’ll see. Ok, I think I'm going to go search the internot for some information about V-twin motorcycle engines. I may be back later. As usual, that was a waste of time. I couldn’t find anything except piles of crap about those piles of crap Hardly Dumb-Assed-Ones. Get this, they have an engine called a “twin cam” but instead of being an overhead cam design, it is still a fucking pushrod engine! Two cams in the block, one for each cylinder, but it is still a pushrod overhead valve engine! Hey Hardly, see that smokestack disappearing over the horizon? That’s technology and progress sailing away from your dumb ass. I just thought I hated those idiots before. What a bunch of fucking morons, and the fuck-brained idiots who keep buying them… I'm left speechless. I have got to move on. So, there is a three-way fuck-you deal in the works right about now. John has a neighbor with a GMC pickup. It has a straight six and a granny gear four-speed. Kevin wants that truck. The owner of the truck wants a van. Mr. Wiggly is so totally superfluous that I really ought to let him go to a loving home where he’ll get the exercise he deserves. So, if Kevin likes the GMC enough when he goes to look at it this evening, I'll trade the dude Mr. Wiggly for it and then sell it to Kevin. Of course if Kevin doesn’t want to buy it, I think I've already agreed to the swap, so I might be “stuck” with a GMC truck. We’ll see. There are worse things to be stuck with, I suppose, a Hardly Dumb-Assed-One for instance. Wow, that story didn’t take nearly as long to tell as I anticipated. Ok, I've totally run out of stuff to say to y'all. I think I'll just call it a rant for the day.