EFI, baby!

[hydromike]

Well, it took this dumb old gearhead a few weeks, but I finally figured out the EFI system on my 26 horse Kohler twin that I put in my new Chief project. Joe H. had the engine in one of his machines and it ran great for him. I thought I clearly labeled everything as I was destructing his machine and constructing mine, but there was a lot of very careful voltage testing along the way to assure that I didn't fry the ECU module while hookin' the pig back up. I finally got it right, and it starts up and purrs like, well, a kitten.

The goal is to have it done by the Ledges ride, and I just need to complete things like chains/lights/ O2 sensor/ filter...little stuff, generally. I need to take pics. It's weird hearing the thing idle away (quietly). It makes me want to go mow lawn.

We're off to the Copper Ridge ride tomorrow AM, so I'll try to get as many pics and videos as I can for those who miss out. We'll see if we can't flog the RIM a bit to see what it can do!

~m

[Mike]

Awesome man! I'm sure it is pretty different not hearing a screaming banshee behind you.

Have fun at Copper Ridge and I can't wait to see pics and video.

[Beeman]

That must be a great feeling! I just couldn't stand the 503 rotax screeming away behind me, another reason I installed the suzuki engine in the prairie bobcat. Plus, you'll have less carb issues now (and that translates into a lot more then just tuning!)

[liflod]

So did you take the EFI on the CR trip? How'd it go?

[jpswift1]

Mike, I remember seeing that engine in your machine back when we were working on my racer, but I cant recall how tall the engine was. I have that flat twin 694cc Briggs in my Hustler 980 (which I will have pics of soon) and I was wondering if you might know off hand how much taller the Kohler is compared to a flat twin motor. I dont want to cut my engine cover, so this might not work if its too big. It was just a crazy idea that I thought up.......I sure have enough of those.

[hydromike]

I've been out of town for the last few days, so I didn't have the chance to reply yet.

Copper Ridge was a great time, even if there weren't many people there. Joe and I did more riding this year than either of us had in the past. Joe brought his awesome GREEN ABS Wild Wolf powered by a flawless 292 (295?) JLO. I brought the recently completed RIM, which performed almost as flawlessly. Just a couple heat issues around the engine cover which I'll need to address. Maybe a leaky plunger seal? This was a first real shakedown test for both Joe's and my machine, and we were joined by Matt Oxender in his tank of an Argo (bigfoot) on the trails for most of the time. I was really happy with how the RIM performed. I tried to break it, but it wouldn't break. With my Dad as copilot, we went up/around/through just about everything the close-to-camp trails had to offer. It's a tank! I shouldn't talk it up too much, since Joe's 295 did all the same stuff, and was much quieter....

I know Matt has some great videos of us in the pond, and a few pics of us on the trail. Bear with me as I try to get some pics posted in a Copper Ridge folder in the gallery. Busy day, but I'll try to get my priorities straight.

The EFI wasn't done in time, but I did take it for a short maiden voyage last night to make sure it wouldn't fall apart. It runs well, but there's an issue with the o2 sensor (I think ?), and I need to get a lot of odds/ends done before it's ready for Ledges. One of the main things is getting the secondary clutch tuned for a 4-stroke Kohler vs. a 484 Chaparral. Top speed is...uh..... well it's a 4-stroke. We'll see if we can't change that pronto...

Look for pics soon...
~m