New owner BME 115 first impression

[tonyc9075]

New owner first look at the BME 115

I wanted to move up to a 100 cc twin and did a lot of research to help make my decision. I am a scratch builder and there fore could build the airplane to fit the motor. I own a 3W -60 and really like that motor and the 3W -106 was a strong choice. I looked at BME first of all because of the weight. BME has some real fans out there and some others that have had real issues. The carburetor issue takes up most of the posts I reviewed and was a big concern. However, a lot of people have had no issues with their carburetor or have gotten past the problem.

My new motor was delivered 3 weeks ago. When I picked up the UPS box my first thought was that they forget to put a motor in here, the box was that light. My 3-W 60 weighs more. I know this is not news but when you pick this motor up for the first time its still a surprise how little it weighs. The motor is a work of art, everything that could be done to save weight has been done.

I decided to bench run this motor because frankly I wanted to see how it started and how it transitioned to high RPM. Not a great idea but I needed to know.

Set up was MSC 28 X 12 prop, Chevron regular gas and Lawn Boy at 32 to 1. I used stainless headers from 3W and a pair of 20oz collector cans to reduce the bark. Carburetor was the Walbro 2 needle.

We did 4 short test runs of two minutes each. Starting the motor was easy, restarts were also no problem. Idle was around 1300 rpm and the run up was smooth with a constant increasing of the RPM. No midrange burbles. High RPM on the first run was only about 4500 for just 15 seconds. By the 4th run the RPM was at 5000. Each run showed a higher top end. The motor ran rich at all times and we never changed the factory settings. Cylinder temperatures were close together about 25 degrees apart with the forward cylinder running cooler than the back cylinder.

Now that I have seen this motor run my first impression is that it’s a winner. I don’t see any carburetor issues with mine. It started, transitioned and ran as reliably as my 3-W did when I bench tested that motor. I will switch to a 27x10 prop, mount this motor to the Pitts Special that I am scratch building and fly the heck out of it.

Tony

[adrian]

keep us posted!!

[Hammbone]

Tony,
There are 2 BME 115's at the field I fly at. One is mine. Both of them run good on the ground. Running good in the air is a whole nuther thing. Neither one of these BME 115's run good in the air. We have both been messing with these engines all year. Can't tell you how many dead stick landings we both have had, and we've both damaged our planes due to dead stick landings.

I hope your BME 115 runs well for you, but I just wanted to let you know that just because it runs good on the ground, that doesn't mean that you won't have any problems in the air. I'd hate to see you damage a scratch built Pitts Special. Be cautious, keep some altitude.

Jim

[adrian]

is your BME's with the new carb and block mod??

	Quote: Originally Posted by Hammbone
	Tony, There are 2 BME 115's at the field I fly at. One is mine. Both of them run good on the ground. Running good in the air is a whole nuther thing. Neither one of these BME 115's run good in the air. We have both been messing with these engines all year. Can't tell you how many dead stick landings we both have had, and we've both damaged our planes due to dead stick landings. I hope your BME 115 runs well for you, but I just wanted to let you know that just because it runs good on the ground, that doesn't mean that you won't have any problems in the air. I'd hate to see you damage a scratch built Pitts Special. Be cautious, keep some altitude. Jim

[bodywerks]

I'm with Jim. My BME never ran very well, and there is no reason a gas engine should be so finicky to tune. I just did a maiden on my DA-100 powered plane. The needles had not been touched at all from the factory, yet it still idled reliably, transitioned smoothly, and was darn near ripping a 27X10, and get this - ready? performance was the same in the air as it was on the ground! I am a lightweight freak, but after running/flying my DA, I'd rather have the extra pound and a half or so.

[tonyc9075]

Jim, my BME has the Walbro carb with 2 needle adjustment. I know BME has talked about a 3 needle carb and they tested one for several weeks. Mine was shiped after these test. The Wlabor has a 90 degree elbow attached to the diaphragm plate and has the shorter block. Other than this I can't tell you much. Test flights will tell the rest of the story. Since I scratch build we are talking several weeks before I finish the Pitts.
Tony

Tony

[Hammbone]

adrian, I do have the new carb with the mod done to it. As far as I know, there is no mod that Keith has done for the block.

Jim

[krayzc]

Good deal the only thing i needed to do to mine was enclose the carb since it stuck out on the bottom of the plane. Once that action took place no issues like deadsticks. I never had a deadstick with the carb hanging out but the motor would sag when inverted enough to scare you pretty bad to hurry and get it back over lol. We are all glad things are moving along well for you at this point.....

[adrian]

	Quote: Originally Posted by Hammbone
	adrian, I do have the new carb with the mod done to it. As far as I know, there is no mod that Keith has done for the block. Jim

i think talk to Keith at BME directly as I am sure there is a block mod as well - good luck