Engine list of Max ????

[Marc]

Hi all together.
Does anyone have a list which engines were used in old vintage Max atvs?
I want to buy two max from someone. One is with the usual 18 hp Briggs & Stratton but the other has a two zylinder two stroke Kawasaki engine. The owner told me that this would be the original engine but no one could tell me how many horsepower this engine has. Even in old brochures there is no hint about the hp or at least the engine at all.
Maybe there is someone out there who could help me?

[jpswift1]

Marc, The old Kawasaki 440 that came in the Max was rated at 38 horsepower in the old factory brochures. Here is a list of engines used in the Max machines over the years:

-JLO/Rockwell single and twin cylinders 295cc up to 440cc I believe
-Kawasaki 440cc twin
-Chapparell G50B twin 484cc
-Tecumseh Over Head Valve 16 and 18HP single cylinder engines
-Briggs V Twin Vanguard engines
-Kohler flat twin Magnum engines
-Kohler Command V twin engines.
-Onan flat twin engines (only a very short run of these were used)
-Kawasaki Liquid cooled V twin engines.

I think I covered them all, but if I missed any please let us know. I hope this helps.

[Marc]

Thank you very much !
Wow 38 hp thats more than i expected, do you know in which year they produced them?
Sadly my oldest brochure is from the end of the 80´s

[jpswift1]

Marc, I believe that Maxes came with Kawasaki engines in the early to mid 1980's.

[argohunter]

Marc,

That old Kawasaki should have an engine number plate. It would consist of eight or nine letters/digits. This is an example of what the number would look like: T1D440A2A

The last digit or letter should be stamped in the plate. The preceeding letter/digits should be printed on the plate. Can you get the number and let us know what it is?

[45js45]

Were there any reliability issues with this motor?Anyone ever driven 1 with this,it would seem to be overkill considering the 4 stroke motors thay come with today.Was this a upgrade motor?

[Marc]

It seems to be the original engine, but i only had driven a few meters untill now.
I was to busy the last weeks so i dont had the time to try anything. The preowner told me that it should be dangerous to drive this monster.
I have to replace the fueltubes and then i will try it. I also will try to make a video of my first real ride like i did with all my other aatvs.

[jpswift1]

Marc, the guys that build the Maxes up at the factory (Recreatives Industries) told me that the Max II with the Kawasaki 440 could pull wheelies. I think the machines also weighed less back in the 1980's when the Kawasaki 440cc engines came in them.

[Marc]

I´m not sure if i should try a wheelie.
I want to get old one day
No seriously, i dont know if the chains and sprockets are build for wheelies.
But maybe.... a little try here and there... and if im out of hospital i will report (i thought this smily is the best for this situation even it means something different)

[liflod]

My Max II has a 440 Rotax in it. I have not tried wheelies yet, but I managed to get 42 MPH out of it before I had to let off for a turn. It had a lot more left when I let off. I may try the wheelie thing but I know something is going to break! When you hit the gas from a rolling start (10 MPH) it will throw you back in the seat and keep you there until you let off the throttle.

[Roger S]

"throw you back in the seat and keep you there until you let off the throttle."

That's what I'm talkin' about. My 8 wheeler's a little heavy to get that effect. They make lightweight safety flywheels for the vanguards. About 7 lbs compared to 17 stock. Let's it rev quick. No magnets for a charging system, though. I think one would have made a wheelie machine out of Whipper's Attex before the springer conversion, without slipping the bands to launch it.

[whipper-ag]

When I bought my first Big Max in 1972 ( the 11th one off the assembly line), it had a 400JLO and it was one wheelie machine. I got in the car with the salesman, and he pulled a monster wheelie with both of us in it. I got out and said I'll take it.Back then RI used to have a 3 point roll cage that went around the back of the car and tied into the trailer hitch. That actually stopped me from rolling over backwards many times. I never broke a chain or a T-20 from doing a wheelie. Ahhh, the good old days.
I say, if you got the horsepower, a roll cage and are strapped in, GO FOR IT!!
And then post some videos. Try it you'll love it.
Now let's talk rollovers, anyone got any good stories?
I rolled my first Max without a roll cage and got pinned underneath,thanks to some friends they lifted it off me.Let that be a lesson to all that ride without a cage.
Whipper

[Marc]

Thats exactly the rollcage i also have, i thought it was custom made and i could not understand for what it should be. Normaly the usual rollcage should do it i thought.

[chrisivins]

The max i just bought the guy said it had a rotax in it also. he said it came from the factory. He said i could get parts from an airplane store because they use that engine in hang gliders..

[jpswift1]

Recreatives never used a Rotax engine, although depending on the model of engine, he is right on the the use of Rotax engines in ultra light aircraft. The 503 Rotax is an especially popular engine for this application. It is a great motor, and very powerful. Hydromike has one in his Attex 503/R and that thing flies!!!