How difficult is it to build an engine from scratch?

Hey, Are you still interested in building an engine? I am doing just that, and everything that people have mentioned to learn, I know. So I am well prepared. I am well into the CAD design stage and want some partners. So far it’s a hobby but I would like it to be a business....

I am located in the central coast of california...

See this article here for some cool insight.
http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/06/08/ask-kevin-why-arent-there-more-diesel-engine-motorcycles/

Also if you want to email me, feel free. See picture.

 

Ya know whats a lot simpler from a design perspective? An electric motor...

 

Yea but my engine is pretty simple and I am designing it for a motorcycle. The electric stuff needs better ranges for me to consider it for a motorcycle.

ICE engines will reign supreme for a long time to come over electric in my opinion, but I do agree electric is the future.

My engine will extend the range because of high MPG, electric still suffers in high range (more than 150+) and atrocious charge times.

 

Don't they already have diesel motorcycle engines? I thought that's what Harley uses in their bikes...?

 

They sure don't. That would be really awesome if they did.
Harley is all v-twin gas engines. They fire at an odd degree apart that’s why the sound funny.

There are only a few diesel bikes ever besides DIY builds. And all the production ones are lacking in my opinion.

I have considered building replacement cylinder heads with the necessary fuel system to swap onto gas bikes that would make them capable of running diesel fuel, would Harleys would be a target for, also the KLR650 engine.
Here is a link:
http://gearpatrol.com/2014/08/04/smoke-and-mirrors-5-best-diesel-motorcycles/
also a really good article I am also watching is here on "Why aren’t there more diesel bikes?": (read the comments)

http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/06/08/ask-kevin-why-arent-there-more-diesel-engine-motorcycles/

 

I applaud you as designing and building an engine, especially one that lasts, from scratch is extremely, extremely difficult. Hopefully you are using a lot of off the shelf parts like bearings, valves, valve springs, etc.

 

Thanks! and I sure am! The only thing in front of cost on my priority list is durability.

The basic concept of mine is that I am "re-creating" a diesel combustion chamber from another engine to ensure my success at getting it to work and run.

So I am using existing the piston, rings, rod, valves, valve springs, keepers, hats, seats, valve seals, fuel pump, injector nozzles.....basically everything I can. I am not trying to re-invent the wheel, just make it more motorcycle specific.

 

My question is why didn't he build a life sized one that he could drive? He made every part, so he could have just made them bigger.

 

Yeah, can be done, but there will be a plethora of problems you will encounter that you had not counted on. When you correct that there will be something else that pops up that you had not counted on. But yes, it can be done.
I owned two small 9 HP fuel injected diesel engines and had grand idea's of putting one in a motorcycle frame but it never happened. Much easier to just buy a little motorcycle that has all the engineering already done!
Funny story:
When I got one of them (an Acme) it was in the middle of winter. The engine was brand new and had been sitting on a shelf for three years with fuel in it after the trash pump it was on failed on it's 'first start' use.
I put the engine in my detached garage, checked the oil, then proceeded to pull it through to see if it had compression. It started.....
I had not looked at it so had no idea how to stop the now hopping around 'speed governed' diesel engine that was spewing out smoke (cold) as it ran cheerfully away, bouncing all over...
Finally (after a few seconds getting my feet on two corner's of the block mounts) figured out how to stop it and opened all the doors, laughing hysterically while diesel smoke poured out of the garage. Really cool little engines even if they were heavy.
Ended up selling both as the logistics of putting a gearbox or a snowmobile clutch on it would have been a fair amount of work to figure out and execute. Not to mention the extra vibrations that a diesel has that will crack out parts.
That would have been child's play compared to what you are talking about.
Best of luck!

 

Go for Wankel!