Fireblade engine

[media116]

I'm thinking seriously about buying a Megablade, but the only slight, nagging doubt I have concerns the gearing. I gather that these engines are geared to run at about 1,000rpm per 10mph in 6th, so that 60mph equates to 6,000rpm. Is this constant across all Megablades, or does it vary according to build spec?

Also, is 6,000rpm intolerably high and 'tiring' at cruising speeds. I fully appreciate that these cars aren't designed for sedate, refined motoring, but I do intend using mine for some commuting work...

It would be great to get some feedback from existing owners who use their cars as something more than track-day screamers...if any exist!

Regards,

Chris

[carpetstu]

I have spent the day on normal roads, as a passenger, in a Blade car and can only say my feelings from a personal level. It wasn't a day I would want to repeat. It was noisy and the gear change was bumpy.

I am not convinced that bike engines are suited to kit cars but there are lots that will disagree.

The Blade has proven not to be the most reliable of BEC', with oil problems. pistons through the side of blocks etc etc

Bets bet though is to find a local member who has one and ask if he would be kind enough to take you for a blat?.

[media116]

Well, yes, that sort of matches my fears, although I think that things always seem much worse from the passenger seat. I had a ride in a friend's Ariel Atom the other day and, although blisteringly fast, the was terribly harsh. Without the distraction of driving, there's precious little to take your attention off the lack of creature comforts!

However, I am certainly very attracted by the bike-engined approach, so if there's a kindly, Megablade-owning member in the Eastbourne area of East Sussex, then I'd be very interested in a closer look!

[media116]

Surely somebody has some further thoughts on the 'daily use' potential of the Megablade...!

[Kevin Jones]

Personally, unless you are going to track it a fair bit as well then I wouldn't unless you mean fairly light commuting, but road use is a very personal thing with lots of individual preferences. Go along to your local club meet to get some first hand experiences. Also consider if you are going to use a helmet for road use, a hassle but makes a big difference to noise/comfort.

The blade is regarded as solid for BECs but they don't typically do loads of miles, a Blackbird might be a better choice because of the extra torque at not much more $. You won't find better gearing options very easily, the sierra diff ratios are not really available for cruising use, but a 3.1 (fairly rare) would be better than the more common 3.3 or 3.6 ratios.

[media116]

Thanks for that, Kevin.

I'm certainly not considering everyday commuting use. I'm self-employed and work from home anyway, but would hope to use the car every now and then on fine days for work trips. I'd definitely be using a crash helmet too.

All I'm trying to establish is that the Megablade isn't too 'hard core' for a bit of normal road driving now and then.

The car really appeals to me as something refreshingly different; quick, nimble, great to drive, cheap to run and relatively cheap to buy. Fantastic bang for your buck! My everyday car is an '08 Mercedes-Benz S320 CDi, so I've got all the comfort I need when I want it.

A Megablade would be a complete contrast; something at the opposite end of the motoring spectrum!

[Mark Williamson]

When cruising in my old Megablade, it wasn't the engine buzzin at 6K (70mph), but the reverse gearbox, that made the most noise on light throttle!

As Kevin said the Blade engine is a strong engine, the gear change is as smooth as the drivers ability

A light clutch combined with the low torque output of the engine, does not make a great town car, but a wicked track tool!

Mark

[andyfiggy2002]

its not designed to be a tourer, more a sprinter so your right regarding rpm/mph, however my 893cc is easy around town, trackdays & open roads are a delight & such fun especially on early sunday morning blats  

if you dont want a fully tuned 130 bhp bullet proof engine with sequential box giving 0-60mph in 4 secs & coupled to an F1 soundtrack get yourself something else, otherwise invest in a BEC & earplugs

[media116]

How long have you owned your Megablade Andy? Has it given you any problems?

[moochofun]

To jump in before Andy responds...

I had a fireblade lump in my car previously. The engine was originally installed from a bike and had about 18-20k miles IIRC. The same engine then did about 6k miles in the westie between the previous owner (builder) and myself. The majority of those were track days miles to say the least so I would guesstimate that it got abused 80% of its life in the westfield.

Travelling home one time from a track day I got a grumbling noise in both 4th & 6th gears. It turned out cheaper to get a replacement engine from Andy Bates at AB Racing (bike engine guru) than to strip and replace the gears - bare engine was around £700 IIRC. Easy job to swap in/out.

The next engine was in the car for another 2k miles before being sold for a hayabusa conversion. Again it was mostly used for trackdays but nothing went wrong with it at all.

So from my experience, the gearbox seemed to be the weak link with the blade engine. This was sustained after a lot of track abuse though so it may well last longer with general road use.

The only other issue I had was the voltage regulator/rectifier. On the bike this stands out in the airflow so is getting a continuous flow of cold air over it. In my car it was underneath the scuttle so overheated in the end. It wasn't immediately obvious to me it was that though - the poblems started with blowing the 30amp starter relay/ignition fuse then killing a battery. After some help on here it was traced ot that. I bought another standard one and relocated it to the engine bay and installed a PC fan and heat sink to it to help keep it cool. I never had any more issues.

The only things that my fireblade motors had over a normal lump was a baffled sump and uprated clutch springs. I used Millers ZFS fully synthetic oil - always have done in my bikes and same for my Hayabusa motor now. Both blade motors used oil, usually half a litre or so over a trackday.

Hope this helps

[media116]

Thanks Moocho, that all sounds very reassuring. Do you think that the voltage regulator/rectifyer was a problem unique to your car, or is it more of a widespread issue that you heard other owners complain about? Does its location vary from build to build?

[stewart pickles]

i run an 893 blade engine for 4 years (speed series & on the road). In that time i blew 1 engine to bits but it was more than likely my fault .(oil surge due to not checking oil level between runs)

all they need is a simple baffle plate between the sump and block and keep an eye on the level    

As for the reg/rec i also blew the standard honda unit but i got an uprated aftermarket one and never had any problems with it after that

The only reason for getting rid of the blade was all the bec lads in the speed series going for more modern/powerful bike engines. The 893/919 engines are well out of date now compared with the more modern engines, 130 bhp at crank in 893 v 175 bhp at crank for 1000rr blade and bmw do an engine that's over 200 bhp now that also 1000 cc where will it end  

As for driving on the road there fine.get out and test drive/passenger ride in as many as you can bec and cec.I have a duratec car at the moment but would go back to a bec  

[media116]

So what's your thinking on the blade v busa debate? I presume the Busa engine offers more torque, so is it generally better for road use? Is there much difference in insurance cost between the two?

I also sense a little bit of a 'them and us' situation between the CEC and BEC owners on this forum!

[stewart pickles]

a busa is the better of the 2 no question its got alot more power/torque unless you are thinking about the 1000 rr blade engine.i doubt there would be much difference in insurance,i have had a few engines in my westie and never paid more than 200 quid to insure.the busa will be more expensive to buy and needs a dry sump where the blade only needs a baffle plate and the blade engines are cheaper to replace if you pop one.blade cars seem to come in between 8 to 10 k, at 10k for a blade though it needs to have all the toys on it .the busa's start at 10k +

as for them and us you need to make your own mind up,i have had vx, blade and duratec and have no preference (having said that i haven't had the chance to let the duratec av-it yet     )

[andyfiggy2002]

around town earplugs are not required but if driving enthuiastically they're certainly recommended due to high revs, I dont use helmet (i can feel the H & S brigade sighing in disgust) just sunglass,s but as i have mudflaps stones flicking up from front tyres are limited. Built mine in 2004 with no problems so far, gearbox is fine linked to paddleshift & even RGB is still going strong. My 1993 893cc has 128bhp at wheels which is ample for 420kg but if u go for a newer version its harder to get through IVA as emmission limits are tougher requiring a CAT to be fitted. A048's or R888 on 13" rims are a must & only problem i had was reg/rec which burns out so you have to upgrade to uprated version (why WF tell you to locate reg/ rec under scuttle with no airflow is beyond me) I went the megablade route as was much, much cheaper than megabusa & from 0-60 its on par with busa but after that the extra power tells