Fat Cat with a Lifan 200cc FML-163

wildfire · 02-02-2017, 08:42 PM

Got the Lifan from FedEx today... it doesnt fit in the fatcat at all.

Bruce's · 02-05-2017, 08:21 PM

What's wrong ? Can you take a picture or two ?

BlackBike · 02-05-2017, 08:42 PM

Ohh... come on we will strap it on somewhere and make if front wheel drive if we have to. Pics please!

wildfire · 02-05-2017, 09:28 PM

I stuck the engine in my 3 wheeler... which is being turned into a 2-wheeler (sort of a fatter cat)

the drive sprocket on the lifan is 1.75" away from being lined up with the wheel sprocket - needs to move that far out from the center of the bike. And none of the engine mounts line up.

I can deal with the engine mounts, but I really dont want to mod the fat cat frame with a jackshaft. I'll hold out until I get a Honda engine that will work.

BlackBike · 02-05-2017, 09:46 PM

One more time, NOW every body at the same time...1..2..3... PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

inspired by Michelob Ultra

wildfire · 02-05-2017, 10:03 PM

1.75". Otherwise it looks good in the fat cat.

The aluminum bar running from top to bottom is on top of the wheel sprocket. You can see where the drive shaft is. Too far to span without some fancy machining.

Bruce's · 02-05-2017, 10:47 PM

Could you possibly mount the engine a little to the left in the fat cat ?

wildfire · 02-05-2017, 10:59 PM

Thought about that. But the exhaust wouldnt fit, the carb wouldnt fit, the kickstarter wouldnt work... etc.

i thought about fabricating an shaft extension with an outboard bearing for support, but I really want to get riding so the other frame is better for now.

What I envision to extend the shaft...

Weld a 20mm id tube to the stock sprocket
Weld a 20mm x 16mm spline shaft inside the tube to drive a 520 sprocket.
Fabricate an outboard bearing support (20mm id bearing) - possibly weld to the frame, but that alignment is tricky. Maybe support it off the engine somehow, but that might not be possible.

Or, find a fat cat engine, buy a complete fat cat, or find an engine that swaps into the fatcat - it used a new engine in 86/87 from what I gather. Common with the 3 wheelers of the day, maybe the 4 wheelers too. Just have to research to find a donor.

Bruce's · 02-06-2017, 02:14 PM

Fat cats were only made in '86 and '87 .I have a black engine one ,I think it's a '86 ,the other year has a silver engine .The engine is the same as one of the 3 wheelers ,I forget which one ,but it has a kick starter and pretty sure the three wheeler has a rope start .Beatrice cycle has a small section on their website for fat cat parts ,in that section they tell you what atv model is pretty much the same ,and sell a gasket kit for the atv that can mostly be used on the fat cat .I don't know if the 3 wheeler engine has the extended output shaft or not ,it probably doesn't need it so my guess is it doesn't have it .
Another engine that might swap in fairly painlessly ,would be a Junkaha Tw ,or one of its brothers with a tw output shaft in place .
I wonder if a fat cat output shaft might work in a Chinese engine ,would take some messing around to figure it out ,but it might make things easy in the end .Finding a fat cat engine is going to be a little tough ,there just isn't many around and as complete bikes they command a premium .I am unsure if I am going to restore mine ,or make it an awesome rider with a 250-350-450-500 cc engine in it .

wildfire · 02-06-2017, 06:19 PM

Learned this at lunch today... 200x three wheeler engine from the same year is a bolt in, per a facebook group I joined.

The 86-87 engines were orphans though. They might be similar to the 200 trx engines of the same era, not sure. Need pics and measurements to be sure.

culcune · 02-06-2017, 07:25 PM

You might want to try Hooper Imports. I remember he had spacers somewhere on his site for engine swaps. http://www.hooperimports.com/

Oh, crap! looks like he closed his shop for good! (scroll down) Try emailing him or looking on his ebay site as he recommended to see if he has the spacer(s) you might need?

Bruce's · 02-06-2017, 09:29 PM

Having a quick look at the hooper site ,they have an offset sprocket to put the Chinese engines into Honda crf's ,I know that some guys running wider tires on sport bikes have used offset sprockets so it might be possible one of these from another bike might work .

wildfire · 02-09-2017, 01:47 PM

The more I think about the outboard bearing support, the more do-able I think it is.

There are three bolts that hold the sprocket cover on. Using those, I could machine and mount a 1/2" aluminum plate to the engine. Then machine another plate to carry the bearing. Then use bolts and spacers to set it out just the right amount. Might be able to mod the stock sprocket cover to bolt on over it.

The sprocket shaft extension would be fabricated as previously described.

Just thinking out loud... Going to get the other bike running first.

02-02-2017, 08:42 PM	#1
wildfire Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 20	lifan doesnt fit in a fat cat Got the Lifan from FedEx today... it doesnt fit in the fatcat at all. Last edited by wildfire; 02-05-2017 at 08:18 PM.
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02-05-2017, 08:42 PM	#3
BlackBike Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: George West, Texas Posts: 4,097	Ohh... come on we will strap it on somewhere and make if front wheel drive if we have to. Pics please! __________________ ***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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02-05-2017, 09:46 PM	#5
BlackBike Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: George West, Texas Posts: 4,097	One more time, NOW every body at the same time...1..2..3... PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN. inspired by Michelob Ultra __________________ ***************************************** 2015 Bashan"Blaze" BS250GY-31 (DB-07K-250) GONE 2017 Suzuki V Strom 650 XT "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ~Benjamin Franklin~
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02-05-2017, 10:59 PM	#8
wildfire Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 20	Thought about that. But the exhaust wouldnt fit, the carb wouldnt fit, the kickstarter wouldnt work... etc. i thought about fabricating an shaft extension with an outboard bearing for support, but I really want to get riding so the other frame is better for now. What I envision to extend the shaft... Weld a 20mm id tube to the stock sprocket Weld a 20mm x 16mm spline shaft inside the tube to drive a 520 sprocket. Fabricate an outboard bearing support (20mm id bearing) - possibly weld to the frame, but that alignment is tricky. Maybe support it off the engine somehow, but that might not be possible. Or, find a fat cat engine, buy a complete fat cat, or find an engine that swaps into the fatcat - it used a new engine in 86/87 from what I gather. Common with the 3 wheelers of the day, maybe the 4 wheelers too. Just have to research to find a donor. Last edited by wildfire; 02-06-2017 at 08:00 AM.
	0

02-06-2017, 07:25 PM	#11
culcune Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yuma, Arizona Posts: 9,035	You might want to try Hooper Imports. I remember he had spacers somewhere on his site for engine swaps. http://www.hooperimports.com/ Oh, crap! looks like he closed his shop for good! (scroll down) Try emailing him or looking on his ebay site as he recommended to see if he has the spacer(s) you might need? __________________ "They say that life's a carousel, spinning fast you got to ride it well..." TGB Delivery Scooter 150 TMEC 200 Enduro--carcass is sadly rotting in the backyard
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02-05-2017, 08:21 PM	#2
Bruce's Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Sudbury ,Ontario Posts: 855	What's wrong ? Can you take a picture or two ?
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02-05-2017, 09:28 PM	#4
wildfire Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 20	I stuck the engine in my 3 wheeler... which is being turned into a 2-wheeler (sort of a fatter cat) the drive sprocket on the lifan is 1.75" away from being lined up with the wheel sprocket - needs to move that far out from the center of the bike. And none of the engine mounts line up. I can deal with the engine mounts, but I really dont want to mod the fat cat frame with a jackshaft. I'll hold out until I get a Honda engine that will work.
	0

02-05-2017, 10:47 PM	#7
Bruce's Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Sudbury ,Ontario Posts: 855	Could you possibly mount the engine a little to the left in the fat cat ?
	0

02-06-2017, 02:14 PM	#9
Bruce's Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Sudbury ,Ontario Posts: 855	Fat cats were only made in '86 and '87 .I have a black engine one ,I think it's a '86 ,the other year has a silver engine .The engine is the same as one of the 3 wheelers ,I forget which one ,but it has a kick starter and pretty sure the three wheeler has a rope start .Beatrice cycle has a small section on their website for fat cat parts ,in that section they tell you what atv model is pretty much the same ,and sell a gasket kit for the atv that can mostly be used on the fat cat .I don't know if the 3 wheeler engine has the extended output shaft or not ,it probably doesn't need it so my guess is it doesn't have it . Another engine that might swap in fairly painlessly ,would be a Junkaha Tw ,or one of its brothers with a tw output shaft in place . I wonder if a fat cat output shaft might work in a Chinese engine ,would take some messing around to figure it out ,but it might make things easy in the end .Finding a fat cat engine is going to be a little tough ,there just isn't many around and as complete bikes they command a premium .I am unsure if I am going to restore mine ,or make it an awesome rider with a 250-350-450-500 cc engine in it .
	0

02-06-2017, 06:19 PM	#10
wildfire Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 20	Learned this at lunch today... 200x three wheeler engine from the same year is a bolt in, per a facebook group I joined. The 86-87 engines were orphans though. They might be similar to the 200 trx engines of the same era, not sure. Need pics and measurements to be sure.
	0

02-06-2017, 09:29 PM	#12
Bruce's Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Sudbury ,Ontario Posts: 855	Having a quick look at the hooper site ,they have an offset sprocket to put the Chinese engines into Honda crf's ,I know that some guys running wider tires on sport bikes have used offset sprockets so it might be possible one of these from another bike might work .
	0

02-09-2017, 01:47 PM	#13
wildfire Join Date: Jan 2017 Posts: 20	The more I think about the outboard bearing support, the more do-able I think it is. There are three bolts that hold the sprocket cover on. Using those, I could machine and mount a 1/2" aluminum plate to the engine. Then machine another plate to carry the bearing. Then use bolts and spacers to set it out just the right amount. Might be able to mod the stock sprocket cover to bolt on over it. The sprocket shaft extension would be fabricated as previously described. Just thinking out loud... Going to get the other bike running first.
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