killer_siller wrote:
I haven't yet seen pricing on the Motus engine. When I was researching the Motus vs H2, I also saw the H2 as being lighter, and designed to bolt up to regular transmissions.
The Motus has a transmission mounting face, just as with the H2, which will allow a bellhousing mate it to a 'regular' transmission. In fact it was engineered from the beginning for use in automotive applications in addition to motorcycles, unlike the Hartley which at it's heart is a motorcycle engine adapted for automotive use. I won't argue however that the Hartley is already available, is likely to make more peak hp at least in standard form, and may weigh less too.
killer_siller wrote:
ANY newer engine designed specifically for racing, not production, RACING! will cost north of $10k. Honestly, I'd expected the H2 to cost MUCH more than that...
Yes a complete engine designed from the ground up specifically for racing will cost multiples of $10k. But I think you give the H2 too much credit. Remember that the H2 is not designed specifically for racing (automotive or motorcycle) either. It's a Frankenstein engine, essentially being a glorified stock production Hayabusa engine, with a number of custom components like a "billet" crank case and dry sump. I've seen no real information on exactly how much engineering
actually went into the design/development of the H2 components. If I were a betting man, I'd guess they just measured and copied to the best of their ability as much of the standard Hayabusa crankcase as possible, only changing it where necessary to eliminate the built in transmission and accommodate a more traditional bellhousing and flywheel. Maybe they got the actual files with exact critical dimensions and tolerances directly from Suzuki...Or maybe they just took their "best engineering estimate" as to what it could be based on measurements from a few production units. It's anybody's guess.
Not to say that the H2 is necessarily an under-engineered product, or is not more or less reasonably priced for what it is...Especially considering the amount of machining that goes into milling "cast" parts out of billet. But one thing about the Motus engine being designed for production vehicles
with a warranty, is that if it ever does make go into prodution the KMV4 will have been rigorously tested for reliability and durability before ever being sold to the public.