Hey all, wanting input from you mad builders out there. I have the opportunity to put together a hurricane 1000cc motor into a ds650. I love the ds and am not getting rid of the 05 I have, or hacking it up, I am going to get a rolling chassis. I was looking at a hayabusa 1300, and was talking to my local shop and he recommended the hurricane as it was a carbed bike, not to mention that he happens to have a nice motor and all of the electronics for it. What is everyones oppinion? This will definetly be an easier trasplant due to not having to go fuel injected. I am also not doing this for drags, this is going to be a bike I take to the dunes and maybe a little open trail riding, or track (not competitive).

thanks

 

IT seems like the guys that do the conversion DS's prefer the GSXR1000 motors. And I'm sure you can get plenty of help from any one of them. Good luck man, sounds fun!

 

While you may save some initial money on a cheaper engine., I believe searching for a more modern powerplant will pay off in the long term. The Hurricane motor is stout and with proper jetting and exhaust makes around 140hp, it comes from an older design and is heavy compared to modern engines.
Gsxr, R1, CBR, anything in the 1000 class on up has been through a design war in the last decade to one up each other for weight and power. I followed the R1s lineage for awhile and Yamaha was COMPLETELY re-designing their bike including engine EVERY year. Imagine that cost!
That being said, A friend and I converted a Hurricane into a quad using some some DS650 and LT500 parts (check out my pictures). If you go that route and build your quad, although weighing 600lbs or so, It will RIP. Just rev it and dump the clutch. One thing you will have is a whole lot more rotating engine mass than other engines, that extra weight isn't in the cases you know.

PS, the carbs are tuned along with the airbox and any restriction or airflow change might affect the CV opening.

 

Here is a low quality video of my 750 conversion I recently bought from Supersonic ZX7R conversion

I can tell you just by looking at this thing it is a lot of work if you want to do it right. THere is a lot more involved than just pulling the Rotax fabbing up the frame and putting the streetbike motor in. Gregg built a custom aluminum gas tank and custom aluminum air intake for the motor.

 

If I do it I will have my local shop do most of the assembly and I will just fabricate the parts needed. I love my ds, just want some more power for when i go to the dunes. I have access to a motor and a rolling frame. So I am going to decide pretty quickly, since I am not going to race it the extra weight is not a major concern, 120 horse should move it fine and satisfy my need for the time being. If I get comfortable enough on that who knows maybe then it will be time to transplant the hayabusa into it.

 

It sounds to me that you are choosing this engine on based on cheap price and availability. I've made decisions like this most of my adult life. Waiting for a better engine and paying somewhat more will become minor details in the grand scope of your project. Been there, done that, in fact have a shop full of that!
You are asking for advice but really just want approval. There is quite alot to your project, far more cost, in time and money than you might realize. DSengineer can possibly relate that even putting in a 750 could be considered a poor choice when the goal is hp/weight + reliability + cost. How much do $$$ do guys spend for a couple of HP when 250CCs and 40+ hp is a couple of hundred bucks more with a stouter clutch and bottom end.
The hurricane was introduced 20 years ago. How are you going to spin that when it comes time to sell it? The resale on most conversions is dreadfull.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: mystereid

DSengineer can possibly relate that even putting in a 750 could be considered a poor choice when the goal is hp/weight + reliability + cost.</end quote></div>

Poor choice?? Absolutely not. This was a fresh motor with only 2500mi on it. I bought this for a dune bike and it fits the bill perfectly. Its only a few pounds heavier than a stock DS and 120HP is nothing to sneeze at. 2X the HP of my stage 2.5 HPR stock bore on pump gas. I couldn't be happier with this thing....Mine was built by Supersonic so it was done right

 

If you are happy with your bike then that's great. I liked your video by the way, I have a similar vid on youtube shot from the same location. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y7KOkjWDLY

I don't mean to knock anyone's bikes or choices, just to offer some sound advice.

What is the goal? Most power, lightest weight, highest reliability, lowest cost.

First, where do these motors come from, very new bikes wrecked by guys who are not used to the power they produce. The majority are from California and Florida. Some states like Florida are very strict about letting damaged bikes back on the street and will have very minor damage. Search eBay under key words motor car kit. You can sign up for local auctions through various auction houses for a couple hundred bucks and can see alot of wrecked bikes the general public can't bid on. Parting an entire bike could recoup most of your initial motor cost. Look for a bike with the front end intact. Everybody needs front end parts on sportbikes, I wonder why?

An extra 30 to 50hp can be had just by avoiding 750s and going with 1000ccs. What was the point in putting a streetbike motor in a DS to begin with? I wouldn't worry about the extra power causing problems. It's the law of diminishing returns. Adding 30hp doesn't have nearly the same effect on a 120hp bike as it does on a 40 hp bike.

Sportbike racing developed high hp light weight 600cc class bikes first, then came the 750cc and lastly the 1000cc class. I'm reffering to the last 15 or so years. There were a huge amount of changes in each highly competitive class. I'd stay away from the 600cc class engines. They need to be revved hard and are peaky. If you ride double you will be sorely unimpressed. I also question the reliability although you could just pick up a new motor for the cost of cams and shim unders for a stock DS.

I don't have figures on engine weights here but my best guess is a 1000 will be around 15lbs heavier than a 750. That's where the upgraded output shaft, clutch and bottom end mechanicals come it to play. It's 15lbs of added security. If you rev a bike and dump the clutch, a small shock load hits as you break the tire loose. Add 40 lbs of axle and paddle tire weight plus the weight of the sand the paddles will scoop and think of the drastic increase of shock load you will suddenly produce. Repeatedly. Not many sportbikes see alot of high rpm clutch dumping.

This brings us to cost. Paying even up to $1000 dollars extra to get a stronger built, longer lasting, more powerful motor with higher resale potential seems like a no brainer to me.

 

My gsxr 1000 conversions come in around 495lbs dry, the busas comes in almost 50 lbs heavier and for that reason alone my personal bike is a gsxr 1000, it dunes so much better without an extra 50lbs in the front, the gsxr will out run the busas on the hill as long as the hill is at least 300 ft long, the busas have an awesome bottom end but they don't rev out like the gsxrs.
My 05 (2700 mi) gsxr 1000 was $1800 to my door, I replaced the stator cover that had a little more rash than I liked and it runs strong! -the 05-06 year gsxrs are my favorite, the motor + headers + wiring harness weigh around 145lbs, the DS motor + header+ wiring harness weighs around 130lbs. If the FI intimidates you - don't let it, you'll learn a lot and will be really glad in the long run when you don't have to fart around from one dune complex to the next with jetting and synchronizing 4 carbs. It's really not that tough to understand and if you use a motor that we are familiar with we can help you through the wiring harness mods.
It's up to you but for resale down the road put something in that will help it sell down the road/ newer technology is better!

 

I have not made up up my mind and just looking for approval. Cost is a big issue, this is for pure pleasure only. My problem is that the dunes are no where near me (live in MO) so I only get to ride there a couple times a year. Although I am going to try to start taking some trips in the future to CA, and other areas it is never going to be somethng I can do very often as I don't have the time for the travel, and the wife doesn't ride, so it is not a family event.