fuzzybabybunny Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 I've been kind of wondering about this. Is there any kind of mechanical / technical difference between a two-stroke used with PPG, one used for motorcycles, one used as an outboard motor, etc? I reckon that it would be pretty cool to carry around a lightweight 200cc two-stroke and be able to throw it into multiple different machines - kind of like a do-everything motor. I figure that as long as it has the right housing and the right transmission (if applicable) a single motor could do any number of different jobs, right? It couldn't compare to a motor that's purpose-buil for a specific application, but it wouldn't be that horrible, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
admin (Simon W) Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 All of the polini engines are also in motorbikes / scooters i guess it would just be a case of getting the Change over nice and slick so it's not a pain in the arse to do. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodders Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 But I imagine that the state of tune is very different. Not many scooter owners would put up with the 10/50/100 hour checks and service parts. I seriously think that for the majority of pilots electric is the future. Once we get a 20kg unit with a 60 minute cruise time on a single charge I'm sold. You could even add more battery cells for longer duration, just like we add more fuel now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptwizz Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 I think you'd soon find that the mechanisms needed to adapt the motor to each application would be so heavy and bulky that any advantage would be lost. At the very least, you would need a quick release engine mount, a quick release power connection, an electrical connection and a fuel connection. That assumes that the exhaust system stays attached to the engine and can be accommodated in all applications. I can imagine how a specially designed engine module could be arranged to 'plug in' to a concentric mount with a splined crankshaft connection and fuel / electrical connections built into the mount, but the mount mechanisms would be more complex than the simple 2 stroke engine. The engines are already cheaply mass produced and it would be difficult to produce a mount / adapter mechanism that would be cheaper than the motor. The state of tune of these small 2 strokes is probably similar for the above mentioned applications. Paramotors, scooters and small outboards are all operated at or near full throttle for long periods. The more regular checks on paramotor engines have more to do with the problems associated with an engine failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calcifer Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) basically the difference between a motorcycle and a paramotor 2 stroke is in the grade of reliability, much higher in the paramotor engine. I can be sure about this fact, since I'm currently working for a company which is a supplier of one of the main italian paramotor (and motorcycle) engine manufacturers. Each component of a paramotor engine is deeply stress-tested (even more than the motorcycle engines components) in order to grant the highest possible grade of reliability. Another difference comes from the need to reduce as much as possible the weight of the engine, using alloy instead of steel parts, where possible. Adapt a paramotor engine on a motorcycle ? No. too many problems you shall omologate the engine for street use. Apart from this, here in Italy (or shall I say Europe, now ? ) the environmental pollution rules are trying to eliminate the 2 stroke from the road use. They're too polluting engines, and where the weight is not a main issue a heavier but less polluting 4 stroke engine is preferable. Edited June 29, 2016 by calcifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzybabybunny Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 Man, I would love to have a unifying engine. Get an inflatable raft and mount the paramotor to the back and make it into an airboat / swamp runner. Then get it off the boat, deflate everything, and go flying. After flying collapse the frame and chuck the motor into a motorbike and ride back home. That kinda thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigo198 Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 dont forget mowing the lawn, edging, and leaf blowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notch Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 The reason PPG engines are expensive and unreliable is because they are manufactured by very small companies, who produce very small volumes. These companies don't have a spare 5M+ to put into engine development and testing. Famous last words, but can't see electric PPG's being viable by the average joe until we have batteries that have 2-3x the current energy density. There is always some story about a new "revolutionary" battery technology, problem is, it never seems to materialize . Another bugger is that Lithium Ion batteries are classified as dangerous goods, making them hard to ship anywhere at all, i.e. even harder than an internal combustion engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerlord Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 500 feet extension cable is all you need ! But yup, motors are great these days - 25-30hp incredibly efficient brushless motors available. But lipos are only about twice as energy dense as they were when they were invented 20 years ago. Every year, as you say, we can count on the press running the latest story about orders of magnitude better energy density, but nowt every comes through. If/when it does it would revolutionise lots of things including our sport. It's already good enough for things like electric bikes to be pretty amazing. I've got 3 of em - build about 5 in the last 10 years. My current 'off road only' one does 35 miles an hour, about 30 miles to a charge of my 4kg battery pack, and all up weighs only 20kg. So for electric bikes, the technology (that doubling of lipo density combined with modern highly efficient brushless motors) has already imho made electric bikes a real solution - only held back in the UK for stupid laws (on road use 15.5mph - and EU law say you need to pedal too)... In more forward thinking countries (germany and holland, france this year), 'super pedelec' class is allowed which can do 25mph.. but you still have to pedal which is downright dumb if surely what you want is more folk to get on bikes, clearing the roads, and creating a greener world. stu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dariuszk24 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 that's simply answer. difference is gearbox, in ppg you have no gearbox. many people up today try to construct something new from motorbike units Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted March 13, 2017 Share Posted March 13, 2017 On 23/06/2016 at 10:44, Hodders said: But I imagine that the state of tune is very different. Not many scooter owners would put up with the 10/50/100 hour checks and service parts. I seriously think that for the majority of pilots electric is the future. Once we get a 20kg unit with a 60 minute cruise time on a single charge I'm sold. You could even add more battery cells for longer duration, just like we add more fuel now. My 35kg half scale RC plane has a 14kw elec motor. Even with 12kg of batteries it will only give 10 to 12 mins on medium power and 7 mins on high power (aerobatics). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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