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Massimo 500 engine swap

16K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  bullydoginit1 
#1 ·
I have 700 hrs on this thing and have already rebuilt engine once. Now it has a blown head gasket. $850 for new head and jug.
Does anyone know if there is a different engine that would swap in relatively easy?

I know it is a yamaha clone but does have quite a few differences. The engine looks very similar.
A carbureted engine would probably be easiest and cheapest due to having to buy all the electronics not normally coming with an engine.

I thought about a snowmobile engine or shaft driven ATV but am unsure how to go about the drive system. Probably a differential with machined shaft to get a chain to shaft drive.

Would be a ton of work unless someone knows of readily available parts.
I suppose 700 hrs really isn't too bad
 
#4 ·
Rhino Rotax swaps are what we use to do back in the days. If it is close to a Rhino in the engine compartment area, that would be an option. It is a fairly complex swap if you have to fab your own motor mounts, exhaust, EFI gas tank / fuel cell, etc. We had 2 suppliers of boltin kits for it.

One think of importance is to verify drive train rotational directions....it will determine if engine is mounted facing forward or backwards (Rotax goes backwards into Rhinos, forward into Rueschs).

You have a lot of smiles on your entire machine no doubt.

(IF IT WAS ME), I would sell my WELL used up roller for a few bucks to let someone else tie their time up with it, and get myself a 10.0 - 11.5K Christmas present...[emoji4]

Good luck on which ever avenue you take.
 
#5 ·
It belongs to my work, but yes alot of us have had fun with it. I am impressed for a $7000 machine. If the guys didn't run it out of oil, it probably wouldn't have been rebuilt. If they would've noticed the coolant leak, it probably wouldn't have overheated and blown the head gasket.

My boss is tired of me working on it when the operators dont respect it. No low oil light is a killer.
Anyway, I might buy it and just slap a gasket in it, prob have machine shop check for warped head. New cylinder is only about $200.
I'm just worried with 700 hrs something catastrophic might fail in the bottom end or transmission. Then it's not worth fixing and worth thinking about an engine swap.

I'm not a huge fan of side by side. I can do the same stuff with a quad and much more reliably.

For something bigger, a compact SUV is more attractive.
We have lots of trails and making a sxs street legal is a real pain. They get the same fuel mileage as a v8 pickup.
I've been drooling over that yamaha shifter sxs......
 
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