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One problem is that they tend to have very poor torque levels, at very high rpm, compared with car engines.
This is why the flagship Caterhams, like the R500 and R600 use the (modified) Rover 1800cc/2000cc (R600) engine, not a bike one, the factory is quoted as saying.Torque doesn’t really matter that much. A car with more torque is less likely to be caught in an unsuitable gear, but a BEC with it’s very closely stacked gears (and a 6 speed box rather than 5) will not be in that situation either.
There is also a more techy argument to do with torque at the wheels which further disproves the “BEC’s have no torque and are therefore useless” theory! [:p]Agree on the six speed box issue, but are they really torquey enough to pull half a ton plus of car as well as car engines do, after all they were designed for lightweight frames.
I’ve donated to the forum, have you?Yes they are. [
]Even if I switch one of my engines off so am running with iro 70lb/ft torque at the flywheel, it’ll drag my approx 600kilo car along reasonably briskly. With both engines on and 140-150odd lb/ft it will keep up with an R500 with ease. Draw your own conclusions.
Bear in mind that most single engine BECs are iro 400-450kg. Work out the all up weight of a bike, rider, pillion passenger and touring luggage. Then think about the fact that the bike will do 160mph+ (guess) and the single small (blade R1 etc) engine cars are only generally geared for iro 120mph..
I’ll dig around for the techy explanation of this, but it basically boils down to gearing and torque AT THE WHEELS….
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