what tri z engine swap

[iwallace]

hi all....i wonder if any 1 can oint me in the right direction please.

im picking up my 86 tri this saturday and im already looking for another engine to go in it, can any 1 tell me which engine will go into the frame without to much work?? yz 465? or the 500. any info would be a great help thanks ...(what years and so on )

for got to say im makeing it road legal aswell , got to speak to some 1 tonight about makeing me a back axel with a diff..
thanks in advance ian ( all the way from the uk)

[iwallace]

just in case .its a 250cc 1986 model

[Rm250RF900R]

Personally, I'd keep the engine thats in it (If it has one). These Tri-Z's are getting harder and harder to find. Plus with it being a 1986 model. It has the 6 speed transmission which means it will be faster and more desirable than the 5 speed 1985 model. Unless it doesn't have a motor, then I'd drop something else in. Possibly a YZ426 motor or something of that nature. I have no idea how much work it would take though. Good luck.

[iwallace]

thanks for the reply mate ........the tri has a complete good running lump in her , i just know i will be l;ooking for another BIGGER lump.
this is my first tri so i dont even know how fast they are but i do know i willl want to do the swap at some point.......
every vehicle ive owned ...ive always changed the engine for a bigger 1..
anyway thanks again ian

[LonesomeTriZ]

That Z will be fine for street use. There is really no point in swapping in another engine. The six speed tranny on there will make it more streetable. To be honest, you will ruin it if you swap it out. if that is truly what you desire, get a rolling chassis. Then you will have a fresh start and half the work will already be done.

[Rm250RF900R]

I bet they will do 75mph. I don't know what that is in km/h. What I would do is keep the original motor. But, put some money into that motor. Bore it out, get a good port and polish, good reeds, a nice pipe. Maybe put a power valve unit on it. I know its possible to get real good horse power out of these engines. There are a lot of Tri-Z junkies on this site. I'm sure they could help you out with all the performance mods you need. Oh yeah, Welcome to the site :welcome:

[iwallace]

cheers mate ........and i didnt think they would be that fast ??that could be fast enough on 3 wheels ..............or 2 if ive got the balls

[Rm250RF900R]

Yup, these 2 stroke trikes are really fast. The Tri-Z is liquid cooled. Probably making around 35 horsepower stock.

[slothminx]

Iwallace, Is this the Z that was on ebay last week? the one with the kicker that had been welded. You should leave it as it is, the Z will have tons of power for road use and keep that baby original, the 86's in the UK are rare

[MTS]

if you go bigbore, go for an 1981-2 IT 465...five speed great bottem end motor air cool'd but they vibrate alot and i dont think you would want it for the road...i would just leave the Z motor in it and port it, pipe and a carb....check out the artical on www.quadpit.com

[CHAINSAW]

cheers mate ........and i didnt think they would be that fast ??that could be fast enough on 3 wheels ..............or 2 if ive got the balls
The rear sprocket is the same as the Blasters, so there are a bunch of choices for gearing. You can gear it to the moon, so you can get up to 100 probably, but getting it going from a dead stop would be the hard part.. :)

[Derrick Adams]

That Z will be fine for street use. There is really no point in swapping in another engine. The six speed tranny on there will make it more streetable. To be honest, you will ruin it if you swap it out. if that is truly what you desire, get a rolling chassis. Then you will have a fresh start and half the work will already be done.


I don't know if I agree with this. While the Tri-Z may be capable of a top speed of around 70mph, you certainly wouldn't want to ride it that way very long. When someone says street legal, I assume driving it down back roads or highways at safe traffic speeds. In a 250 2-stroke going 55mph for any length of time will most certainly shorten engine life. Even if you geared it to do that mph for long distances it would be a dog from take off, slipping the clutch everywhere in the city. A larger displacement 4 stroke would be my first option, however with the, pretty much, direct "bolt in" 490 2-stroke available, simpilicity might win out.

[LonesomeTriZ]

I agree a two stroke is not the most ideal for street use. I just meant the stock engine is better than a bigger two stroke for what he is doing. plus I have been over there, the driving is completely different. I am sure he meant for running around town and not down the highway. For that, the stock Z engine is fine.

[firefirefire90]

driving isnt two different. Or maybe it is different where he lives. Christchurch (bornemouth actually) is not really ALL to different in driving ways except that the roads are usually really crowded.

[iwallace]

what i would be after is an engine more for the rd but still have some go in her of rd....
i was thinking IT 500....but these are like rocking horse sh@t.
but there has to be something like this out there

[staceyl200]

Hi
Welcome to the board !! , I would see how the Z goes before thinking about swapping motors , they are massive fun in 250 form , Whereabouts are you from ? Stacey

[iwallace]

hi stacey.............im only digging for info at the moment , but i know i will want to go the bigger engine way ??
and im from portsmouth .uk

[monster 84r]

i advise you to ride the trike for a few days, then decide what to do. i think you'l be surprised how much power the 250 two strokes made. and the tri-z still has alot of potential stock.

if you do the swap, it would be insane. ive ridden an it490 and it scared me.lol