Rotax Engines

[Doug Welch]

Just a word of caution. When purchasing a Rotax FR-125 engine, make sure there is a valid passport with it. While some Tag series do not require one, your engine is worth far less without one. All engines are serialized. Only those engines that come through approved sources are legal and will have a valid passport. The passport should have the SSC stamp on it on the front cover.

The fact that the engine is sealed is not enough to ensure compliance. The passport details the history of the engine, who worked on it and when. As a buyer, it also gives you the ability to contact the service center to determine what work was done. A word of advice, if a Rotax engine does not have a passport, I would steer clear of it.

[Anonymous]

I have to disagree with what Mr. Doug Welch has to say concerning sealed and unsealed Rotax engines. First of all, Seth and I have a unsealed Rotax FR125 engine that is unsealed because our engine was torn down in the CSC series and I didn’t see the need to have it resealed as we were going to the Nations Cup, where if we won or placed in the top 3 I knew our engine would be torn down again. I figured since they broke our seal which was a seal put on by SSC, the Rotax Importer, then why should I pay the additional money to have it resealed when Superkarts USA doesn’t honor the seal anyway. Second, I personally keep all my receipts for parts as well as any labor I’ve had done to our Rotax’s so there is a very good paper trail on what has been done to our motors. I also keep very accurate records of the number of hours on our engines, as well as the number of hours on our clutch’s and pipes. I also keep track of when I replaced the packing in the exhausts and when I’ve replaced the clutch. I feel that if a person does this religiously, then there is no danger in purchasing a unsealed Rotax FR125 engine. I certainly haven’t seen it decrease the value of our engines.

Third, Here at S.A.C. Motorsports we sell unsealed Rotax Tag engines that are brand new and have all the same documentation that any other Rotax FR125 comes with including the Passport. The only thing that they don’t have is the “Seal”. Personally, I think there are some advantages to not having a sealed motor. (1) You can work on it yourself if you feel comfortable and are somewhat knowledgeable about 2 stroke motors. (2) On Bombardiers website you can download a repair manual that has all the specs that the motor has to fall within, and it even tells you in great details of what specs. the piston clearance has to fall within as well as the end gap on the ring. The manual also gives you the different size pistons that are available for certain size cylinders. Everything is included in this manual. There are some specialty tools that are needed if your gonna go further than the top end. Most motorcycle shops around town would press or pull you cases apart if you were wanting to get into the bottom end of the motor, which I personally would’t recommend.

Anyway, the point to all I have said is that just because you don’t have a seal makes your motor worth less money I think is ludicrous. If you keep good records and receipts I don’t think it makes a darn bit of difference what your engine is worth. Granted, those buying the unsealed TAG Rotax FR125 motors from us can’t race in any R/Max Challenge event, but they can certainly race them in any TAG Series across America without the fear of having there sealed Rotax engine being torn down and then having to pay the additional expense of having it resealed.

I’m personally a big fan of the R/Max Challenge Series and understand the need for the “Seal”, but it is certainly not necessary if your only racing in the TAG Series that are all over the United States. It’s not required in W.K.A., Superkarts U.S.A. or I.K.F., the seal is not honored as proof of your engine being legal in any of the aformentioned series.

Sincerely,
Tim George
S.A.C. Motorsports, LLC
HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY ONE AND ALL FROM MIKE, TIM AND SETH

[Tom Dennin]

Don’t want to disagree but you do get less on resale value if the seal is removed, no matter what records are kept. If anything else, you have to pay the money to get it re-sealed if you want to run RMC. Also, I personally would not buy an un-sealed Rotax engine and I assume I am in the majority rather than in the minority when it comes to that. When I purchased my spare Rotax engine I had it sent directly to an authorized service ctr and inspected. This motor was already sealed. Once I got the thumbs up from the service ctr then I purchased the motor. I grant you I paid to have it shipped there and then to me, but a seller always has a motivation to sell. Meaning, one could make up all the records they want stating anything or simply verbalize anything. This would not mean a thing to me.

I want to qualify the statement above so no one takes this the wrong way. I know Tim George personally and would trust him and his record keeping. This is just my opinion on the this topic nothing more.

[George Durdin]

The Rotax engine passport should not be the concern as it is just a paper document that can be lost or altered and they don’t necessarily track the service work on a particular engine. I have yet to see indepth information regarding the service work on any passport that has passed through our shop.
The seal should not be the focus of concern unless it has been mistakenly or fraudulently been applied to a Rotax engine that has not been designated for competition in the United States. Rotax has designated specific engine serial numbers to various competing RMC countries around the world to protect the interests of the sponsors and investors in the International Rotax Challenge. SSC Racing has proprietory rights to the use of Rotax engines in Challenge competition within the continental United States to protect the integrity of the series.
What Tim George hasn’t mentioned is that he has brought in Rotax engines from accross the border or over the oceans that are legal for American TaG racing because the sanctioning bodies are not observing the sanctity of the SSC’ Rotax seals but are illegal in the American Rotax Challenge because they are foreign engines not designated for use in the American Challenge by their engine serial number.
I would tend to think that the value of these engines are less because they can only be used in TaG competition in the United States and can not be legally sealed for RMC competition. American Rotax racers have more than one venue in which to race which has to be of greater value.
The Rotax engine serial number should be the number one concern if you want the full benefits of being an American Rotax racer.

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