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I think with the changes coming in February to the Rotax in will be a far better performing motor package than the Leopard. One thing I do like about the Leopard in the charging system..
@Angel Ramirez wrote:
Am i missing something?with the changes coming in February to the Rotax.
I haven’t heard about anything other than the new clutch and metal balance-shaft gears…
I need to ask that question too ” with the changes coming in Feb” the only change that I knew was the clutch. Please let us know.
Greg,
I like the front brakes in TaG Masters. Especially at brake intestive tracks and you come across the scales at 400-410 pounds. That’s a lot of brake abuse when only having front brakes.I’ve never ran a Leapord but the thing I don’t like about my rotax is the clutch. It is the weakest link in the rotax package especially if you’re a Masters kinda driver…
Spinning ANY engine at 16K or 17K should result in a rebuild much more frequently than a rotax spinning at 14K max…
Over the last two years the only thing I have done to the Leopard is replaced the clutch once, cleaned out the carb twice and replaced the spark plug once. I run the fuel mixture at 20:1 instead of 16:1 (to reduce the amount of exhaust smoke and plug fouling) and I keep the RPM’s under 15,000. I run TAG masters with front brakes and haven’t had any major problems with the Leopard.
Front Brakes are an extra safety measure….. Nothing like overheating breaks at 70/mhp coming in to a right 90 degree turn…. Who needs brakes when you have barriers. Live to tell and will never do it again.
Front Brakes are an extra piece of mind as far as I am concerned.Come to IMI as soon as we begin testing and tuning an check the different packages to get and idea what to get…. (whispering…”ROTAX … ROTAX”)
Hey Tim,
You jumping back in again?
They are both good packages and the information you’ve received is good. If you like to tinker and do your own engine maintenance, the Leopard is very good. If you just want to get track time and work on your driving and chassis tuning skills, the Rotax is pretty hard to beat.
You do have laps in the Tag 4Stroke, don’t you? From a driving standpoint the Leopard requires a little less finesse due to the Rotax being over carbureted and needing a judicious right foot to get it to climb on the pipe while the Leopard is not nearly as critical to get going off the corners.
Pretty sure we could find you a few examples for you to drive, helping you make a decision.
The Leopard spins harder and vibrates more, requiring more frequent upkeep, it has better bottom end, you can top end it yourself, it does not require jets, they can be prone to throttle cable issues, clutch leaves some room for improvement. It is the most common Tag motor. It is a good motor.
The Rotax is a smooth high mileage unit. Not near the bottom end, but a very good set of legs, clutch could be better and new models are improved (this is a particular issue for those who like to lock up the rear end under braking) driving takes a little getting used to, carb tuning requires more physical effort but should not be feared (if your scared, run it at 155 pin #4 in the summer and forget it) you have the choice to run Rotax only classes and run against motors the have very similar Hp and torque characteristics which is very refreshing.
I have heard some scuttle butt about Rotax in the future but really doubt Rotax will make the Fr 125 obsolete by enhancing the performance of that particular package. Maybe Garett being one of the recent added Rotax service centers has the inside track and could give us more than a tease?
I think Garricks kart may have come from you Tom, or from Craig Mansfield, which would make it Romans old kart. If that is the case, we ran it for 2 /2 years without… well, doing anything. And as any of the Tag Masters guys who have been around a while could attest, it was a total pooch at the start but once would up, that loosey goosey Rotax would scream.
Just get something and go have fun Tim. You’ll get plenty of help either way.
Regards,
Rick
@Rick Schmidt wrote:
it was a total pooch at the start but once would up, that loosey goosey Rotax would scream.
I tried to goose it but Roman never got… OH… that kind of goosey!
The question has been raised about possible changes coming over the next few months concerning Rotax and possible performance upgrades. Here is what I’ve been able to find out after talking with the two major importers of Rotax engines and the head of Rotax Max Challenge racing in the USA.
There is a new clutch upgrade available. We will have parts once they become available. Back to back testing has shown that the new clutch offers no performance change. This upgrade is to reduce failures of the clutch that have occurred primarily with master weight drivers. Senior and junior drivers have not experienced the rates of failure that masters have. I would not recommend that racers upgrade their clutch until they have a failure and then upgrade at that time. As a side note, we have never had a failure on one of our shop engines.
The other major change in a new cylinder. As most Rotax racers know, last year Rotax completed a cylinder exchange program. This program was a result of some cylinders being produced that did not meet specifications. As a result of that problem, Rotax is introducing a new cylinder where the ports are CNC machined to specifications. This move will result in cylinders that are closer to in levels of performance and will eliminate variances seen in the past.
This raises the legitimate question, will the new cylinders be better or worse than cylinders in the past. Rotax has introduced many changes over the years. I have a list of changes that are almost 100 items. Every change has been for two basic reasons, improve reliability and reduce manufacturing cost. The overriding concern is that a change does not impact performance. It would be foolish and detrimental for Rotax to introduce a change that would obsolete the 50,000 engines they have produced world wide. There is ongoing testing right now to make sure that the new cylinder offers no improvement in performance.
I have been told that the earliest the new cylinder will be introduced is March of this year but only after testing confirms that there is no improvement in performance. Early testing in Europe has show no improvement in performance. In fact, some claim the new cylinder is not as good as an old cylinder. This is more rumor at this point than fact. On one other point, I have no doubt that some dealers, for what ever reasons, will strongly recommend to their customers that they must have a new cylinder once they are available. I would be very cautious in getting caught up in this. I remember when the new airbox came out, there were claims that the new airbox was good for 2hp and you had to have one. But as we found out later, it made no difference at all and such claims were false. I strongly suspect that we will see a similar round of false rumors and sales pitches once the new cylinders become available.
I hope this clears up any confusion. If you have any further questions, please give me a call at the shop 303-781-7829.
thanks Doug
appreciate your candor.
Rick
Well Im going to try real hard to find that one package that fits my bank account……… I do have a fair amount of laps in that four stroke and I got to understand it with your help….by the way I loved that kart….. but just couldnt hang on to it with what was going on in my family. I had to much money invested in it and at the time the money was talking to me….dont get me wrong I miss it.
I think I know where I will be if I find that one kart I cant live without…..I just have to convince the budget master (wife) thats what I need to buy….after 25 years I think I can sway her my way.
Keep the information coming Im reading it all….everyone that puts something on here may not thinks it helps but it does.
Thanks to everyone…..no doubt I will have enough help
Tim
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