Best engine for a Ducati based supermono (but not a Ducati Supermono engine!)
 

I'm really interested in racing Supermonos (in a year or two) and it would be nice to use a Ducati engine - obviously Ducati made a supermono, but I don't have £100,000 to buy one and race it!!

I know some supermono guys use 916 generic engines and blank the top cylinder off (I'm sure a bit more is involved).

Does anyone have experience/ideas on this, and which engine would be the one to go for? 996? 998?

Will you get enough BHP out of half a 996/998? Would need around 70bhp I would think, as it would be a bit heavier than a 450 crosser engine (which make 60+ per 450cc).

Or is this a completely stupid idea, and is it just more sensible to stick with a purpose built jap single?

It's a stupid idea. Get one of these instead. A MuZ Skorpion Replica..if you can find one.

Why would anyone buy one of those? :barfy:

:lol:

I think the smart move is to buy a Honda RS125 pre-95 and stick a 450 crosser engine in it. Then if things work out, I can get a Tigcraft minimono chassis and all the RS bits will transfer over.

...or get a TZ250 chassis and stick a 650-800 motor in.

Hrmmm!

A 998 Testastretta
JHP does a kit to convert them to a mono

Thanks Kev

Because with 70-80bhp and very little weight they won a world Supermono championship or came close to it. 160mph apparently.

had a long chat with John Hackett at Cadwell on wednesday about just this,how about an FO6 lump,converted to mono,550 cc ,90bhp+ !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Butch

Ooh Supermono's!Proper racing bikes,I love 'em.
Raced two of 'em in the early '90's.First one had a 500cc Rotax motor.Great bike to get me started,..untill a big 'ol hiside at Mallory broke it in half!:o Rebuilt the bike,then the gearbox fell to bits at Snetterton and wrecked the engine.Sold the rolling chassis and bought a 640 Rotax from Gary Cotterell(GRC).Had a good season on it,then a crash at Cadwell ruined it.:( (Bit of a pattern forming here!:rolleyes: )
Eventually rebuilt the bike and loaned it to Sandra Barnett who finished 10th at the TT in 1995.
Still hang my nose over them when I see them.

twpd is right,..those MuZ Skorpions are not to be sniffed at.The racing version was a lovely bike.(I think Tigcraft designed the chassis.)I seem to remember the German girl Katia Poensengen doing very well on them.

Thanks KeefyB. Good to see I am not surrounded by ignorants! ;)

Keep ypur eyec peeled at the DSC 2 dayer for a proper supermono!
Butch

Doh!Me and my shocking memory,it was'nt Katia that rode the MuZ it was Elli Bindrum.I think she finished third in the European Champs,....anyway,here's a pic,
http://www.highsider.com/textlager/g...drum_96_02.htm

This one looks kinda fun too,...

I'll see if I can find a foto of the real works bikes - they were things of extreme beauty and tbh made the Ducati Supermono look like a shed.

Don't forget tha Mike the Spike Edwards rode an MZ Supermono in the european championships too.

Glyns wall at work is littered with pics of his Supermono days, he's had about 4!

He knows the DR800 based ones inside out, I'm sure if you have any questions he won't mind answering them

Some good photo's and info on competitors bikes here..

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/scott_r...mono_bikes.htm

I know Adam was wittering on about the 916 conversion too, how the top conrod is converted into a balancer shaft or something, it's a lot of work apparently, and I'd imagine it'd be heavier than a purpose built single?

Kye it may be heavier but with the balancing it can rev without the vibrations getting to everything which is the problem with the big CC Supermonos, which is one of the reasons why racers like Mike Edwards are now using 450cc Minimonos

Did Bimota do a model with a ducati supermono, or similar, single?

Those supermono specs are incredible - 125kg dry weight !! standing quarter 11.4 from 62 RWHP.

The BB1 was what I was thinking of - bit low on power though.

None taken :lol:

I know the MuZ was very succesful, they just look like a pig thats all ;)

:D

They have to add balast to the minimonos now to bring them up to 95kg!!!! They make over 60bhp too.

They are bloody super fast little bikes. Mike Edwards was about 6-7 seconds faster on his 450 at Castle Combe, than I was on a 748SPS (bastid - and I was 5th in SoT!!) :o

:lol:

There was one of them floating round the JHP workshop a little while ago, what a bike. :o