The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Suzuki VX800 Gets a Snowmobile Power Transplant

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Brent Soper's Suzuki VX800 with 900cc snowmobile power
Brent Soper's Suzuki VX800 with 900cc snowmobile power

Every now and then, someone starts thinking a motorcycle and a snowmobile should get together, you know, big 2 stroke power stuffed into a motorcycle frame, just because it's the right thing to do. Of course, if you're a fabricator and machinist by trade, you can do a lot more than think about it, you can just do it.

Brent Soper's Suzuki VX800 with 900cc snowmobile power
Brent Soper's Suzuki VX800 with 900cc snowmobile power

Brent Soper had a Suzuki VX800 and his wife, Tammy, had an Arctic Cat ThunderCat 900 snowmobile capable of running low 10 second quarter miles. As any good fabricator knows, you can't look at a motorcycle for long without imagining how you could "improve" it, next thing you know Brent starts asking a lot of "What if..." questions and you end up with a build like this one. Tammy's sled no longer has an engine, but Brent's bike is really quick!

According to Brent, the 900cc engine is around 180 horsepower and uses the CVT belt drive from the sled. What you have here is basically a 180 horsepower scooter, no shifting, just go. Uh huh.

Brent Soper's Suzuki VX800 with 900cc snowmobile power
Aluminum swingarm looks good, though a bit long for the twisties

The aluminum swingarm is his own custom creation and it looks gorgeous and is probably a good indication of the quality of the work. It looks like a very clean and professional build throughout.

While some guys like to keep it more compact, one glance at this wheelbase and it's obvious we don't have any corner carver here, but I bet the straights are a lot of fun. As I often say on builds like this, I like the way Brent thinks.

The bike's for sale on eBay. Check it out.

Comments

  1. This is incredibly cool. (No pun) Seriously, whats the word on acceleration? Top Speed? This is very sweet. I bet its a rocketship. Why sell I wonder.

    • Only selling to pursue other projects….like the YUGO in the background. It will have a Thundercat 900 triple in it also.
      Its geared for 140-150 mph (by my math) and yes its a rocket ship for real! Thanks for the positive comments.

  2. Wait….is that a running YUGO? I thought those were extinct. No, really. As in 10 years since I’ve even seen one around here. I should know, I bought TWO of them. They made great end tables…..

    • haha, end tables. I had a teacher in highschool (11 years ago) who had a handful of them. He actually raced them. I think autocross. He had one that was supercharged with a small roots blower and one with itb’s. He did all the fab work himself. Wish I could remember his name. Cool guy. They were rediculous though.

    • End tables???? I bought this one 4 months ago for $100.00. It was sitting in a guys driveway for 10+ years. Rebuilt carb, new gas, and oil change and it fired right up. And people thought these were complete junk…think agian!
      My goal is to take “the worst car ever built” (not my words) and make it bad ass! A Thundercat 900 triple is going into this car also. My wife knows what I can do and she’s worried. I guess I think too much! –Brent

  3. yes that is a running Yugo he dropped it a couple of inches all around and put the wheels on it. Brent drives it to work and it is his next project vehicle.

  4. Great looking bike with fantastic attention to detail. I bet you had a few issues on the clutching, going from a track to a tire and if that is a cat in the photo it has to be the biggest I have ever seen!

    • Thats my pitbull Roxy.
      The whole build was challenging but worked out very nice in the end. Thanks, Brent

  5. Very cool! That thing must rip arms off!

    Anyone else seeing skewed and stretched pictures on this new website design? My pictures are all out of wack.

    • skewed and stretched pictures on this new website design

      I’m guessing you’re using an old browser, specifically IE8, that does have an issue with this design. Time permitting, I’ll get that sorted out.

    • I get the same thing on the browsers at work (IE8). But if you click on the photo it’ll load it and it looks fine. Or right-click and open in a new window/tab.

  7. Don’t remember any two stroke triples that were larger than 750cc. Remember a couple of them and what they had in common was ridiculous and almost uncontrollable power. I imagine the CVT does good stuff with that.

    I don’t much like the stretched look but I sure do like everything else. Lock up the women and children.

    • Arctic cat makes 800, 900, and 1000cc triples. And your right power on demand! The great thing about the CVT on a bike is no matter what speed you punch the throttle it pulls like a motherf*cker! I can get it hook up better if I take some spring pressure out of the secondary clutch…but don’t that look cool spinning a 310mm tire with no problem? Thanks,Brent

      • After riding a Rokon RT340 enduro through the woods, I love the function of a CVT in a bike. Nowhere near as powerful as your bike but a blast none the less! Only did I realize after the fact is when the CVT took on water that the bike lost forward momentum and like anybody out there would do I gunned it, the CVT instantly dried out, and then I was flying through the woods! Of course, I went though the next waterhole on purpose.

  8. THE SUZUKI 2 STROKE TRIPLE LIVES AGAIN!!!! Doesn’t matter what trans it has it is still an awesome motorcycle!

  9. Seriously cool! Looks like he’d have a bit better acceleration on public roads with a shorter rear arm, but on-demand burnouts are cool to! Makes me want to see what a BRP E-tec would look like in a motorcycle.

  10. The Suzuki VX800 isn’t a bad bike, but a bit boring and bland, which is why it wasn’t a big seller here in Europe. This one is anything but boring following its conversion. The build quality looks good too.

    I’d be curious whether he’d want to build a version with a normal wheelbase for street riding. I do like two strokes as fun bikes myself and have an old Suzuki twin for that purpose, alongside the more practical four stroke I use for commuting. I’m sure there are some riders in North America who would want a two stroke special like this, but for the road.

  11. I love the priorities here. “Let’s see, I could fit a more restrictive exhaust and it would make slightly less power OR I could chop and rake the front end out to clear THESE pipes. Where’d I put my sawzall?” Can’t wait to see the Yugo!

  12. Very cool build but Please do your friends a favor and wear a helmet. I’m building a car with a 2.7 liter Suzuki V-6 EFI 2-stroke outboard motor in the passanger seat. Oh what fun…

    • No offense, but here in Ohio thats my right not to wear a helmet. I don’t feel I get that stupid. Make sure you post pics of your build….sounds interesting!

  13. Very interesting bike!! How much clutching did you have to do for back shifting? I would guess there is little to no engine breaking, hu? Again, interesting bike and a GREAT build!!

    JB

    • Thanks, Clutching wasn’t too hard to figure out…just got to remember your spinning less weight. It brakes alittle but not like the sled did, even when it was set up for asphalt. Now I have to figure out how to clutch my cat motor in my YUGO???

  14. I remember reading years ago about NHRA outlawing a similar rig because it was kicking everyone’s butt. NHRA NO Hot Rods Allowed.