"bod43" wrote in message
...
I have the idea that mechanical failure of the original 4 cyl
engines (or any high performance japanese bike engine) is
pretty much unheard of but I am not at all sure.

It matters little, because now you are making a whole new engine for a
totally different application, with no track record and the distinct
possibility of new and exciting failure modes. Further, the same can be
said about the reiliability for most any automotive engine in its intended
application, but the track record of automotive aero conversions is spotty
at best.

Just thinking outside the box... Since the proposed Hyabusa Flat 8 engine
will need a PSRU anyhow; how about two Hyabusa engines put together into a
twin-pack? The result would likely weigh a tad more than a simple flat 8,
but now you have two known engines combined with twin-engine redundancy.

Vaughn