What minibikes had angled engine mounting plates?

[creia]

I know that some Rupp, Fox, and Speedway bikes had engines mounted at an angle. Were there any other brands that did this?
Michael

 

[KB2ROCKET]

My Rupp sprint is like that

 

[cheezy1]

Powerdyne

 

[diggers]

Cat endura

 

[Phil1958]

didn't some of the powells tilt the engine to engage the belt drive???

 

[1971_MB1A]

Pony Bike

 

[KB2ROCKET]

Do you think they did that to solve clearance issues or were they mimicking the cylinder layout of motorcycles after all most kids really wanted a motorcycle but they weren't old enough to have one. I know they sure sold a lot of bicycles my making them look more like motorcycles

 

[creia]

Do you think they did that to solve clearance issues or were they mimicking the cylinder layout of motorcycles after all most kids really wanted a motorcycle but they weren't old enough to have one. I know they sure sold a lot of bicycles my making them look more like motorcycles

Great question! ^^^^^^
Michael

 

[1971_MB1A]

I prefer the flat level engine plate design...better oiling and no slanted intake etc. Just my opinion.

 

[brown boonie]

Dont forget the "ugly" mtd.

 

[Hent]

Do you think they did that to solve clearance issues or were they mimicking the cylinder layout of motorcycles after all most kids really wanted a motorcycle but they weren't old enough to have one. I know they sure sold a lot of bicycles my making them look more like motorcycles

I'd imagine hill climbing and the float remaining flat to resolve fuel cutout issues.

 

[capguncowboy]

I think Fox was the first to tilt their engines in 1969, Rupp started doing it, along with a few others, the following year. Someone told me that they had a conversation with Mickey Rupp about it, and he said that Rupp started tilting their engines to compete with two stroke dirt and trail bikes. The more it looked like a motorcycle, the better it sold. I can't confirm this statement, but it makes sense.

I don't think there really are any performance advantages for slanting the engine. If the advantage was for hill climbing, I can't see the point of a slanted intake. In fact, the first year that Rupp slanted the engines, they used a diaphragm carb (and they were finicky) at best, and the performance was probably hindered. They switched back to the bowl carb with the use of a slanted intake in 1971.

 

[markus]

I think Fox was the first to tilt their engines in 1969, Rupp started doing it, along with a few others, the following year. Someone told me that they had a conversation with Mickey Rupp about it, and he said that Rupp started tilting their engines to compete with two stroke dirt and trail bikes. The more it looked like a motorcycle, the better it sold. I can't confirm this statement, but it makes sense.

I don't think there really are any performance advantages for slanting the engine. If the advantage was for hill climbing, I can't see the point of a slanted intake. In fact, the first year that Rupp slanted the engines, they used a diaphragm carb (and they were finicky) at best, and the performance was probably hindered. They switched back to the bowl carb with the use of a slanted intake in 1971.

I was looking at a Fox brochure introducing the spoke wheel bikes (tramps/scamps etc.) the other day doing some research for someone and they called it "tilt power plant". To make it extra special they put an asterisk next to that phrase everywhere they wrote it with showing that it was patent pending under all the descriptions :laugh:

 

[barmstro]

My Sears Puddle Jumper has an angled motor plate as well.

 

[KB2ROCKET]

With the new ohv design it seems it's best function is to make clearance for a CVT jackshaft

 

[creia]

Many thanks to all the replied- very educational!
Michael

 

[SAS289]

With the new ohv design it seems it's best function is to make clearance for a CVT jackshaft

Yep. The people with those one inch spacers under the engine on their Coleman's would agree. If the engine plate was 1/2" or maybe even as little as 3/8 higher in the back you may not even need to shim up the engine to clear the frame.

 

[FordGalaxy]

Why do folks think the bigger trail flites are ugly, They pretty much look like the rest of the mini cycles, except for the trailing link front.

 

[Ding Ding]

Why do folks think the bigger trail flites are ugly, They pretty much look like the rest of the mini cycles, except for the trailing link front.

I think it's because the extra bulk of the sebac shocks and the lines of the trailing link just don't look clean. The drive guard is also fairly large. I personally like the bikes, buy they just don't have a very nimble appearance.

Gemini Scrambler B-4 is also a slanted engine bike.
Scat Cat also made several slanted engine model bikes.

 

[capguncowboy]

Why do folks think the bigger trail flites are ugly, They pretty much look like the rest of the mini cycles, except for the trailing link front.

I actually like the bigger MTD bikes. It's the smaller bikes that I think are ugly as hell. But, even as ugly as the smaller MTD bikes are, they ride like a down pillow on a cloud of memory foam.