I have posted below a conversation via email I had with a customer about the BMW engine. I have been getting many calls of questions and concerns about this engine. I hope this will help bring you up to speed with where I am with the testing of this engine, and answer many of your questions and concerns. As always, constructive comments about this topic are always welcome!
Bobby Michnowicz
Hi, I don't want to get into a debate since I am lacking in knowledge in the mini sprint division. But, how does a BMW help mini sprint racing ? My first thought is that this raises the level of the cost of our sport dramatically, and will drive people out of minis and into dwarf cars. I'm sure you have thought it out and heard many people say the same thing. LIke I said, I don't have a clue, but my first thought is time to get out of minis... ??? First thing I think of is Toyota in midget racing. I'm just another dumb mini sprint racer wondering out loud here... thx
Rick Hench
Hi Bobby, I won't debate for or against the BMW being good for mini sprint racing. My debate is to why anyone would outlaw any manufacturer out of fear of the unknown! That is a very slippery slope in my opinion. No one has the BMW running at full potential yet. As far as I know I am the closest. I'm doing it out of interest, curiosity, and feasibility. The bike has very sophisticated electronics with many safety's built in for rider protection. The Computer monitors many things in milliseconds and anytime it sees an issue it goes into a safe mode. Safe mode is 50% maximum throttle butterfly opening with 100% input to the throttle by wire sensor. At 50% throttle the engine produces a max of 138 HP and 14,000 RPM. Nothing out of ordinary for any of the 1000 cc engines I've tested. Actually down a bit from the ZX10. I have diagnosed what the computer is looking for and I've found a company to work with to re-program "flash" the ECU in an effort to eliminate those faults. This is also not uncommon as we do that now for the new generation R1's and the other manufactures are close behind. This is a very reasonably priced modification and will most likely be required to do to all bike engines in the near future. As a matter of fact the new Honda has "traction control" wheelie prevention also. You may be faced with that when you get yours running? This is accomplished with the manufacturer putting wheel speed sensors on the front and rear wheels of the bike. The ECU monitors any speed differential in the 2 sensors and backs the throttle off to 50% if needed. It is intended to save the rider in the event of a wheelie or spinning the rear tire on a wet road or acceleration. This is when most accidents occur. That feature is in no way intended to be an unfair advantage for the mini sprint racer that puts one of these engines in a car. The positives of the BMW is that you will have to run the stock air box saving money, and the injectors can run gas or methanol with no conversion. Again saving money. Add a PC5, flash and go... I hope to know if this flash is going to work in the next few weeks. I will be posting my findings then. If anyone is worried about "traction control" in the true sense of the word, then outlaw wheel speed sensors and not a manufacturer or the term. If we do that then in a few years all bike engines will be outlawed because they will all be using it, again as a rider safety device. For more sake of argument, wheel speed sensors will never be practical or feasible on a dirt car because we change the differential of the rear tire circumference too much. Every tire combination would require a different calibration. The BMW S1000RR is getting much more plentiful and the price has dropped considerably. I'm finding these engines now at lower prices than the new GSXR's. I hope this makes you better prepared to make your own decision about the BMW and other bike engines.
Rick Hench
