LT500 motor in 3-wheeler?

[DixiePlowboy]

Has anyone mocked it up....or eyeballed setting a Quadzilla engine in a liquid R, a Z, or a second generation Tecate chassis?

The Suzuki motor looks to be large(or at least long) for a swap of this nature, but I've been daydreaming about this since acquiring my Zilla. Off the top of my head, I would like it in a Tri-Z more than the others.....but who knows..

[code200k]

go for it i would to see it in a Z...never seen it done before

[Bryan Raffa]

your 13yr old would be pissed.... but hey,,, he'll get over it ...

[Orangecnty250r]

Man I never thought of that build...When did suzuki kill the rm 500?

[DixiePlowboy]

your 13yr old would be pissed.... but hey,,, he'll get over it ...

LOL! He actually loves the idea, but either on another Z or else he gets to keep it if I turn his into a Tri-Zilla.

Seriously though, his (and his brother's) are in Michigan and the boys are down here with me till Sunday, so I can't set them side-by-side and size them up until summer. Aside from the obvious cost of having a custom pipe fabbed up, I don't know just how much frame modding would be necessary....I'm guessing quite a bit. My friend and neighbor has a full shop and custom builds rail buggies from straight tubing and plate steel, so I don't consider this an impossibility.

.....just don't know how practical it would be. Sounds cool, though.

OC250r,

I'm only finding info on RM500's in 1983 and 1984.....both air cooled motors.

[3Razors]

Not really worth it imo. The LT500 is the best 500 motor for a quad because it has a counterbalancer BUT it has some factory flaws that need some attention to be a reliable runner. The CR500, KX500, YZ490 have much more power in stock form, are built stronger, and vibration isnt much of an issue in a 3 wheeler.

[cr480r]

3razors hit that one right on the head... I would go with a cr500... its simple, more compact, more powerful, and bulletproof....even after the custom engine cradle the zilla engine would probably rub on the front tire, and would require a funky custom pipe and intake.. I always thought building a quadzilla trike from scratch using quadracer parts would be cool, but I woudn't swap a suzuki engine into somethin else

[brapp]

if your gonan go trougth that much work just start with a cr or kx motor thier far more reliable

[DixiePlowboy]

I'm thinking that you(cr480r) and 3razors are both right in your respective arguments.

I really don't want to cobble something together of likely bad geometry, nor try to stretch the frame cradle of another machine to shoehorn the LT engine in.

I guess I'm just having a hard time adjusting to having a quad in the carport. I am starting to worry, 3razors, about all the talk (between here and QRHQ )of reliability issues with the LT500 engine. Is this engine worth fixing for someone that is counting nickles and dimes? Is it going to grenade every year or every other ride if I can't spend big bucks Rx-ing and Q-ing it?

[brapp]

well the 87's were a lil worse than the later zillas but they can be made fairly reliable but i still dont beat on my zilla too much cause when the do scatter parts are expensive and a few are hard to find.

[fabiodriven]

I am starting to worry, 3razors, about all the talk (between here and QRHQ )of reliability issues with the LT500 engine. Is this engine worth fixing for someone that is counting nickles and dimes? Is it going to grenade every year or every other ride if I can't spend big bucks Rx-ing and Q-ing it?

I have never been a fan of anything Suzuki, except for some of their street bikes. Pretty much anything they make for off road use is a pile of junk. I grew up with friends who had LT250's and they would break down every day we went out. I had a Quadrunner 230 at one time and although it was mint, it was a heap of crap. Their snowmobile engines are a friggin abortion, that much I know. With that being said, I ride with two guys from this site (SBLT500R and 4Q2) who both have LT500's and they are both beautiful machines. They run great and move the f#$k out. Whether that is just a testament to their mechanical abilities or not I don't know.

My personal opinion, Suzuki= thumbs down.

[DixiePlowboy]

Not being a quad fan, I'm not normally giving Suzuki the time of day, but....I had a brand new '85 Quadsport, an '88 Quadracer, and a brand new '86 RM 250 that were all super reliable and fun machines relative to what I had to compare them to at their respective times. So, I don't think Suzuki is necessarily bad.....just worried specifically about the 500 engine on my budget.

I'll leave this on 4 wheels, fix it, ride it(hopefully....lol), and just snag a couple more 3-wheelers to balance my arsenal out(i.e: hide the quad behind).

Thanks for the opinions and input, ya'll.

[cr480r]

i really enjoyed my quadracer but none of my friends have had much luck with theirs... Mine lasted through some extreme abuse, but there is no denying that they are not build as well as the other makes...once you've had them all apart the difference is clear.. thats why my quadracer is getting a kawi powerplant... I will say the newer RM's are great bikes and are built much better than the old suzuki stuff...

[Racerguy381]

I know one weak point on the LT500 is the cylinder... The tend to crack or get warped an leek at the base of the cylinder below the reed cage. www.duncanracing.com still makes alot of go fast parts for them and there is another guy http://quadracerhq.com/catalog.htm Supposedly he makes the best pipes for them. Looks like a CPI to me without the stamp, still a CPI is an awsome pipe. If you do decide to go with the LT motor you should address some of the weak points. Have the cylinder gusseted behind the rear mounting studs. Also check the mounting surface of both cylinder and case for warpage. Last make sure the crank has good main seals I have seen a few that sucked a seal and cooked the top end from running lean. Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

[p500r]

chop the front! that would be sweet!