I think that, with a positive approach, we can easily do things that most people would tell us we can’t. There’s no reason a two-stroke twin, with 802 cc displacement, producing 100+ horsepower, would be unsafe or unreliable. Two-cycle engines inherently have a higher power to weight ratio than four-stroke engines, because they have fewer parts, making them lighter, and because every downstroke is a power stroke. Fewer parts and simpler construction means fewer failures. Keep it light, keep it simple, keep it safe. There are tens of thousands of snowmachines with the same displacement, making 50-100% more power, that reliably take people up and down snowy mountains, covering vast distances across frozen terrain, suffering endless abuse, and rarely suffer engine failure. Rotax, Suzuki, Fuji, Yamaha, and Polaris all make fine engines for those machines. Simonini has a similarly good pedigree. Now, nothing is perfect, and certainly not idiot-proof. But, this is a proven concept, by a proven company.
The world needs more people who are willing to do things. What if this is the best engine that we could possibly get, for its size, weight, power, cost, or reliability? What if it’s not? Either way, it looks this is a fine engine for anyone who wants to make it work. If I manage to do so, I’ll let you know how it works out. And, I’d encourage the original poster to do the same. Maybe the best and safest aircraft engines ever made really were designed in the 1930’s and 40’s. Very little has changed since those designs. Maybe there is something better, if we try.
