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Powersports Engines Not Just ATVs and Snowmobiles

You could be missing a good portion of the powersports market if you only think about ATVs and snowmobiles. The powersports market includes two wheels and four wheels as well as sleds and personal watercraft.

By Brendan Baker

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While consumers often distinguish the powersports market by its individual products, it is all under the same umbrella for manufacturers and dealers of this equipment.

Engine builders doing work in this market will find that they can often make more working on less. The engines are small, but depending on the machine, the parts may not have a small price tag. We talked to some experts in the market and found out what challenges they face.

Holeshot Engineering’s Denny Laidig does a little of everything as an Orange Certified Technician, which is KTM’s master technician level. “In 2002 KTM introduced the LC8, which is their V-Twin, and in order to qualify to service them they had a number of requirements that we had to agree to, including a three day service class. I had no problem with that – I'm a firm believe that if you can't fix it, you're not worth anything as a dealer.”

Laidig, who has been a KTM dealer since 1976, says he goes back to re-certify every year. “I really only have to go back every three years to re-certify but my thought is if I can't get a new idea then I'm not coming back. They laugh at me, and ask if I want to teach this class. No thanks – I’ll just go up there and try to find the two smartest guys in class and hang with them.”

Laidig says that he does engine work for customers wanting restorations as well as for KTM factory recalls. In 2000 KTM introduced its evolution engine, which became a game changer in motocross. “They were cutting-edge four-stroke engines with hydraulic clutch and so on,” Laidig explained. “That motor lasted until 2008. They did some little refinements, but all the gaskets from 2000-’08 fit that engine. They did cam changes and rod lengths for specific models, but everything else was the same.”

KTM’s four-stroke dirt bike engine (evolution) used one quart of oil to lubricate everything. “We had no problems with wear or anything else,” says Laidig. “But it was a big idea, if you started to have problems in the transmission the damage could carry over to your engine. Honda had separate reservoirs for its engine and transmission. But KTM used two oil filters and two pre-screens that kept everything separated in its own compartments, and it really worked.

Laidig says that all of KTM’s engines have traditionally been sand cast, but this year they went to investment casting, which is a new material. The alloy that KTM is using is actually flexible to a certain extent so if it is hit, it will deflect and go back into shape.

Bruce Blake says his company, which specializes in powersports, is actually three separate divisions. “We have Michigan Engineering, Inc., MEI Machine, and then I have MX Farms. MX Farms is kind of unique: it’s a race shop that I moved out to a rural area about six miles outside of the city,” he says.

“We have 120 acres of land and a test track for motocross and a half-mile dirt track oval for motorcycles as well,” Blake notes. “The MEI machine program does all of the motocross, supercross, road racing and dirt track engines. At the same time we build engines for sidecar racers and mini-sprints. I build a lot of 600, 750 and 1,000cc engines. In certain areas of the country I build Yamaha XS650 engines for Legends cars.”

According to Blake, his two-stroke work has dropped off about 75 percent in the last 5 years. “It’s a political thing in motocross, because I have some regional pros who will race their 250cc two-strokes on the off weekends and literally they lap the field with them,” Blake explains.

“They’ve changed most of the courses now to suit the four-stroke engines,” says Blake. “You couldn’t walk up and down the jumps 5 years ago, they were so steep. Today, you can take a bicycle up and down them. The tracks are setup now to be competitive for the four-stroke bikes.”