Noob Thinking About Megabusa

[Superleggera]

I have recently sold my track day car and am thinking of replacing it with a Westfield Megabusa.

As Im not a full member yet the seach function isnt helpful and was wanting to know the downsides of the Megabusa - it seems most people go for the Duratec engine so was wondering why.

Also for those that track their Westfield often, are you trailering it to the track or are your driving to the track in the Westfield ? This brings to question overall reliability.

Finally whats the best way to see what a Megabusa is like ? I see some Essex meets so gather that is the best way to meet some owners and possible get a ride in one ?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Superleggera

[XTR2Turbo]

you'll open up lots of BEC vs CEC debates but if track only the bike engined cars are great on track.

Busa is a bit more powerful but don't overlook the other bike engines. They can be a fair bit cheaper and simpler (no dry sump) and not a lot slower.

Best get along to a local meet although unfortunately at this time of year not many will be in the Westfield.

[Johnson]

I cant see any downsides personally. Rode bikes for a number of years and loved it. Seemed a logical step to me.

If you want to have a nose round mine you are more than welcome to have a look.

I am just on the London/Surrey border.

Drop me an email if you want

stevejlawson at hotmail dot com

[Superleggera]

Much appreciated - will take you up on that offer. Will drop you an email.

[matt nossiter]

Have used mine on the road for the first three years and on the track for the last year and a half , IMHO you can use them on the road but once you get them on the track they really come into their own , and if you anything like me , driving them on the road dosnt hold the same appeal .

I've always trailered mine to track days , its alot easier if your taking a spare set of wheels and tyres plus other odds and sods like fuel , tools etc to tow the westfield and fill the boot on the tow car , and if anything does happen during the day you dont have to worry bout driving it home , and why put mileage on the car getting to the track when you could do that going round the track

If you can get yourself to Bedford on the 18th feb and you can put up with my driving I'll happily take you round the track

[dern]

Busa is a bit more powerful but don't overlook the other bike engines. They can be a fair bit cheaper and simpler (no dry sump) and not a lot slower.

I am half looking for a westfield (can't commit until I sell my elise) and was looking at the megablades and they do look good value. However, as they are 60bhp down compared to a megabusa why are the megabusa's not a lot slower? Is it simply because the megabusa's are geared to have a higher top speed and therefore the acceleration up to whatever the megablade's top speed is is comparable to to the megablade?

Mark

[cosmick]

I also have a Megabusa and live in sunny Sussex. If you would like a look at mine and an experience in the passenger seat I will gladly take you. You can contact me at mike.hayman@tiscali.co.uk

kind regards, cosmick

[XTR2Turbo]

I was mainly saying that as well as busa consider cars with blade, bird, yamaha and the Kawazaki engines.

The speed series guys seem to be using the CBR engine.

The one advantage of the blade is the way that it revs compared to the busa so you can have lower gearing and a torque multiplier effect. The power difference in real world is probably about 45 bhp

Also the engines are much cheaper and seem to supply just with a baffled sump and a slight overfill.

If new to these cars I would seriously consider a megablade at the prices they are up for, run for a year and then sell and get a busa if you really want more power. Doubt you would lose much money if anything at resale.

[Kevin Jones]

Gearing is sometimes a factor but worth remembering the busa is a heavier engine and is often seen in cars with more creature comforts (aka weight). At low speeds tyres are often what limit progress, so time difference can depend on how twisty or straight a run you are on.

The newer 1000cc bikes engines (CBR, R1, ZX10 etc) are very good, powerful, cheapish and easy to install, but they are not supported by Westfield so not many of these about.

On reliability the clutches need more attention than with car engines although replacement is very easy and gearboxes can wear out if abused which is more serious.

[dern]

Apologies to the OP if I'm crashing the thread but I guess it's all relevant...

What constitutes abuse of a gearbox? I've had several bikes and the kawasakis not withstanding the gearboxes seem to be able to take lots of abuse with the weight of a bike but I guess the weight of the car is going to be a significant factor. Are clutchless changes up ok for example?

If you break one then I guess the worst case is you have to chuck a new engine in and a fireblade engine will only cost £500 quid but realistically how long would you expect a gearbox to last if you're treating it with respect but still not hanging around?

Do the engines sit in a removable cradle or are the engine mounts welded in place? In order to move from a fireblade engine to an R1 engine (for example as I have one sitting in the garage) you presumably need to fabricate a new cradle, get an appropriate set of downpipes (also have one of those for my R1 engine), modify the gear linkage (shouldn't be hard), get an appropriate prop adaptor and then wire it all in (less trivial I imagine). Is that a fair summary of the process?

Thanks,

Mark

[Kevin Jones]

From what I understand "quick & clean" is best with bike engines, so no problem with clutchless as long as you don't miss time. Quite a lot install shift cut devices to make this even easier/quicker. Don't think there is any way to predict how long a gearbox will last, my first blade lasted 4 years of mainly track work before it would jump out of gears, but then it had 10 years in a bike before I got it. My current busa had fairly serious wear on a couple of dogs after 3 years of use, maybe would not have caused a problem for a bit longer but wise to fix while other work was going on.

All the cradles I have seen are removable, so process is about right. Typically I think people end up spending £1k-£2k on top of the new engine costs to upgrade for new exhaust, different sump (if needed), power commander, tuning etc. Each engine is a bit different in what it needs so costing gets quite complex.

[Superleggera]

I also have a Megabusa and live in sunny Sussex. If you would like a look at mine and an experience in the passenger seat I will gladly take you. You can contact me at mike.hayman@tiscali.co.uk

kind regards, cosmick

Thanks for the offer. Steve is slightly closer to me i think so will see how that goes first.

[Superleggera]

So it seems there are loads of options out there for these cars - live rear axle or independant, wide track suspension, windscreen, reverse, some have sequential shifter, ive seen some on u-tube with flappy padle shift.

Any thoughts on must haves ?

[Superleggera]

If you can get yourself to Bedford on the 18th feb and you can put up with my driving I'll happily take you round the track

Thanks for the offer - I may very well take you up on it.

Are you having to use an exhaust silencer to meet Bedford noise restrictions ? The driveby limit is fairly low.

[Johnson]

If it has a live axle then its not a true Mega car, as far as the other bits are concerned thats all down to user decisions/customisations thats what kit cars are all about