Who has tried ATV diesels?

[Karmadog]

So my question comes from the availability of a diesel engine out of a John deer ATV .
The engine it's self is made by Kawasaki and is liquid cooled with a fairly small radiator.
It seems like it is fairly compact and would be reasonable to shoe horn into a bike frame.
Has anyone tried this? If so what are the pit falls I should look out for?
The ATV was rolled but the internals and the electronics seem fine and it will start and run .
I looked at the motor mounts and they are large rubber affairs that I presume are to quell vibration from the V twin if this is the case will it vibrate to much for a bike frame?
I would be curious to hear advice about going with shaft drive with this set up as the CVT is already set up to drive the shafts going to the axles on the ATV.
CVT transmissions are new territory for me so any advice on how to set them up would also be greatly appreciated .
for instance dos the belt length matter?
Width would seem to be a important factor to my novice eye but I have no idea about how much slack is needed and how length plays a part if any.
I thought about going with a gear box as this would to me seem simpler to set up (again I am a novice) but the best way to operate a diesel in my experience is at a steady rmp in it's sweet spot , CVT's appear to be made for that.

The ATV would at 1500lbs move along at 30 mph with big fat tiers on it so would think that with skinny little moter cycle tiers and a under 500 lbs wight that 50-60 mph would be within reason but again i'm a novice at small diesel set ups.
I own and maintain a diesel pickup but that's with a turbo and a more power than any reasonable person can realistically use so have dismissed it as any kind of use full bench mark.

[IgorVigor]

Should be a good engine...

is the atv chain drive final?

so you have the engine, then the CVT to a halfshaft/jackshaft, and then chain to the rear axle?

if so then it should be a case of fit it into the bike frame, work out a mounting for the halfshaft/jackshaft, and then chain drive to the rear wheel...

[Karmadog]

Sorry I wasn't clear ,the ATV is four wheel drive , so it goes engine ,CVT , transfer case then shafts from there to the front and rear axles.

[coachgeo]

I believe the Kawasaki diesels are made by Diahatsu, least some of them are. these engines are also sold under the brand name Briggs and Stratt in USA

[albertaphil]

Generally, the diesels in small Deere equipment are Yanmar. Actually, I don't know of any small Deere diesel that isn't a yanmar of at least 3 cylinders. Moreover, if it is a V-twin made by Kawasaki, then it may be a gasoline. Not to question your ability, Karmadog, but are you sure that this Gator is indeed a diesel? All the info I can find says that the large Gators either have a Kawasaki 2 cyl gas, or a Yanmar 3 cyl diesel.

In any case, a yanmar diesel from a Gator would be a good fit for a larger bike project...good horsepower and reliable, if a little heavy.

Phil

[Karmadog]

LOL ok I will double check but here is what I know for a FACT.
With the dump bed in a uprite position I see a V twin engien with Kawasaki in raised letters on the case .
When this ATV was in use it was fueled by my self with diesel on a regular basis and ran just fine.
It has a glow plug indicator on the dash.

[coachgeo]

Wonder if a Previous Owner (PO) swapped engines at some point?

[Karmadog]

Coach you nailed it ,the moter was indeed swapped last winter and the roll over was a result of enthusiastic testing of the new motors ability's.
So that leaves me with the stocker sitting on a pallet ready to be done with what ever I please.
So back to the original question has anyone tried this and will a six speed tranny work or should i start looking at info on CVT's ?
somebody said heavy but it dosn,t look or feel to bad to move around.
The end goal for me a semi off road adventure typ bike .
I don't expect to be ably to run around a moto cross track but would like to be able to explore some of those dirt roads that lead to no where .

Has anyone tried forced induction on these engines?

[smokyjoe]

Hey Karmadog-
Sounds like you've got a good find! Does the stocker on a pallet have the CVT assembly? Or do you have the CVT on the wrecked machine?

I've done a bit of work with the V-twin gas Gator a few years ago as the farm I worked at had one, it was used to haul horse manure in the dump bed and prior to my coming on the scene had zero maintenance and was in poor shape. The frame and most of the steel was rotted out by the manure, and the radiator leaked like a sieve due to overheating from being plugged up with manure (no airflow). The CVT on these machines seems like a variation of the Comet 94c, at least the one I worked on. This machine was severely beat upon by the kids who worked at the barn, and in 3 years had never needed a belt replacement or any CVT repairs. That sold me on the CVT along with my having one on my 'scoot. Once you get used to the "twist and go" aspect it is very enjoyable. The CVT will shift more accurately for optimum power transfer than you ever will, and once the final ratio is right, it will be a joy.

Measure the distance between the centers of the drive unit (on engine) and the driven unit (should be on transfer case) and use the same for your build from engine to jackshaft. It will help to have your CVT on one side of the bike and the final drive on the other so you can get a reasonable placement of the engine's center of gravity.

I am not a big fan of a "sideways engine" on a bike as to me it makes a bike too wide, but if you're making an "on/offroad" machine ground clearance and width shouldn't be a big problem. I have a one-lunger Diesel Suzuki project in the works (I'm slow getting it together) and a Kubota 3 cyl Honda shaft drive project in storage. I am using a Comet CVT on the Suzuki and probably will use a CVT with Rube Goldberg intermediate chain on the shafty unless I can come up with a better solution that will get the engine inline in the middle and the drive to line up within reasonable proximity of the shaft.

Maybe if I can get mine done and you have your bike running we can show up at the Bike Night every Thursday doings in Springfield, MA and have the first two Diesels there!

[Karmadog]

The CVT is still in the wreck and i'm not 100% sure that it will go with the engine as now i'm hearing noises about a dune buggy project using the frame from the rolled ATV.
The diesel will be mine thou so at least i have that much and from what i'm hearing that's the hard part if you are not ready to spend $$$ .

I haven't been up to bike week yet so that could be fun , i will keep the project progress posted as i juggle kids work and everything esl that comes along.

[Byrdman]

I'm confused. Is the current engine in fact a Kawasaki V-Twin DIESEL?

I've never heard or seen one if it is.

[smokyjoe]

Too bad if you can't scoff up that CVT, it would save you about $300! But the engine isn't one to pass up, and if you want a CVT they can be found on eBay cheap if you look long enough.

A friend has a Kubota 4wd utility vehicle, it has the same engine I have for my "second project", a Kubota D950 3 cyl Diesel. My engine came from a cheap hydraulic drive tractor that used the Kubota engine, but they are identical.

Have fun

[Karmadog]

Just a quick update :
I do indeed have the moter and the cvt now it's just a matter of time and persistence .
I have started vocational training so time is going to be limited but I think I can squeeze a hour or two in here and there.
looks like every thing is in good shape so now its going to be a matter of getting a frame put together and figuring out how to get that much engine and transmission stuffed between to axles without having the wheel base of a city bus wish me luck .