For £1000 for a senior rotax set up you should get a complete assembly, engine, exhaust, loom, battery carrier, airbox, pump, carb, coil, switches, engine mount, starter, clutch.
Some of those bits don't normally go with an engine unless you ask as part of the deal so don't forget to ask for everything, check out what you need against what ancillaries are listed for a new engine.
You need to look for a post 09 or later barrel, bottom end not as important. There is no way of checking the hours it has run but aim for an engine which has had a full rebuild - preferably bottom end as well as top end. Many when advertised as having recent rebuild have only had a top end done. Check the bottom end rebuild has included a conrod - the most expensive bit and the bit that 'lifes' the bottom end on a Rotax, they can fail after about 50 - 70 hours depending on what you rev to. (minimax last much longer). Apparently the new evo engine comes with a conrod that has double the life of the current one?? Many engines come with everything apart from the carb as many people keep their best carbs are use them from engine to engine. Pre 2004 carbs tend to be stronger than post 04, but there are some good post 04 carbs, on senior you are more likely to need a 12.5 ventury - take the top off the carb, look inside and you will see either 8.5 or 12.5. If you race on a tight twisty track with not many high speed section an 8.5 could be better. It goes without saying you should expect a sealed engine with log book. Even if you are not MSA racing to makes the set up more saleable make sure you have the latest shape airbox, with rotax marked on all the parts inc. the trumpets and carb to airbox tube. The rad should at least be a silver one and the latest one with a flap would be a bonus. The coil can have the green connector or the black one. Green ones are later and have an in built rev limiter at 14250, but black ones are fine and give you the opportunity to rev higher. Most important at that price, make sure you have the latest clutch - closed type drum, steel block, these should come with steel balance gears to go in the gear casing on the other side of the engine, if you want to double check that drain the oil out, whip the cover off - only a few screws - the gears you see should be steel and not plastic. The exhaust can be early or late, the later one have springs over the top of the muffler and the muffler is not welded to the expansion chamber. The later one are less prone to cracking - but still crack. Don't worry too much about dents or repair in the exhaust, but check the ball joint is not worn really thin inside as difficult to repair.
If you are patient, you might even pick up a full set up 2013 onwards, they have later crankcases (identified by a black label for crankcase number rather than a stamped number) and the barrels tend to be reasonably strong.
Finally don't believe any sh*t about team engines, championship winning engines, high BHP dyno figures (different dyno's give different figures on dofferent days), if you want something with a pedigree, go to the track where they race, note down the engine number and carb ID etc etc, they use in the final if that's the engine they are selling, if they do well - check the engine number as they come off the track - parc ferme, do a deal on that engine. Or dyno the engine yourself at a known engine builder where they can compare it to others. Or test it against others.
But for £1000 for the whole set up if it has had a recent full rebuild and has all the later stuff on is asking a bit much to do the above.
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Buying my first rotax engine. by 'basssound' (21 Dec 2014 @ 19:42)
