TPE engines backstory

WFO Speedracer

A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
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Alabama
You know some of the origin story anyway. Rest of the story after that you might need to keep digging...
I have several PMs from different people , some that were involved some that were on the sidelines , that plus what is on the original thread and what has been posted here , I think I have pieced enough together to answer my questions though.
 
Theres so much dirty laundry that could be aired but heres the tip. Cpi made the original design with modifications by Erik Brigham adapted to fit a yamaha superjet. Hence the original tpe (true performance engineering) eb engine. Things weren't going well or whatever happened but it was then taken over by brian sizemore torrent performance still manufactured by the same place. now the cylinder can be purchased still from torrent or jsn.

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That’s true. I was working with Calvin in 2011/12 (maybe late 2010 we started work) to create a triple cast Kawasaki 1200 for racing. He was taking the doo sledshop cylinder and machining the sides for 120mm centers, then we welded the castings together and the added the holes for the zxi cases for the first prototype. He told me about the then Yamaha PWC twin work. I probably have the early pre machined pattern pics of Eriks cylinders I believe that’s how Erik and I first met through Calvin. I never ended up finishing the triple project since market was just too small and word was getting around the sxrf was coming out in a couple years
 

WFO Speedracer

A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
Location
Alabama
Those protruding transfer ports are nice to look and work really well but they are not anything new to someone who has been around a minute , pretty much every two stroke Motorcross bike produced has them as does the JS 300 and the Tigershark 640 , on the Tigershark they twisted the cylinder axis to get there which is funny looking but it works well.

I will agree it was a stroke of genius to get those transfers big enough to accommodate bigger bore sizes without sacrificing transfer ports sizes and the triple exhaust ports work well in pretty much any application I have ever seen them used on.

Powervalves are a good proven design used in many two stroke engines from Yamaha RZ350 street bikes , motorcross bikes , Seadoo 787 and 951's and Yamaha 800 and 1200 engines , although Yamaha clearly did not do their homework and produced a crappy design prone to power valve failures.

I am not trying to undercut the awesome work done on these cylinders by Erik or anyone else by stating these facts , so don't get it twisted.
 

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WFO Speedracer

A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
Location
Alabama
I am wondering if these are the guys that cast the Rossier Seadoo cylinders for Charlie Rossier back in the day , I have a few of them around here for various stroke lengths , I even have an old Chris Fischetti Rossier cylinder head in the pile of parts somewhere..
 

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
That's the problem. Remember that dude who found America but didn't claim it.... people are brainwashed and sipping the kool aid, often forgetting to cite the source.

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Not sure on all that. But if I started selling X-H2O 989 Cylinders and having CPI make then, I would not be advertising who made them.............. I was just pointing out that I never heard of them. The info may have been posted and never saw it..... neither here nor there honestly.
 
Location
nj
Not sure on all that. But if I started selling X-H2O 989 Cylinders and having CPI make then, I would not be advertising who made them.............. I was just pointing out that I never heard of them. The info may have been posted and never saw it..... neither here nor there honestly.
From a business stand point yea, I guess. But its more so to point out the fact that it is NOT A COPY and it's been in production for over a decade. All of the i.p belongs to cpi and always has. Modifying the cylinder is what can make or break the package.

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WFO Speedracer

A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
Location
Alabama
From a business stand point yea, I guess. But its more so to point out the fact that it is NOT A COPY and it's been in production for over a decade. All of the i.p belongs to cpi and always has. Modifying the cylinder is what can make or break the package.

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I thought the whole point of producing this cylinder is that out of the box it would out perform a Dasa or other type cylinder and that it didn't need to be modified , yes I get that the cases have to be drastically modified for the cylinders to work properly and the pistons to clear but the cylinder needs to be modified too , that doesn't make a lot of sense to me , maybe I am missing something here ?
 
I know I am a peasant among greats here, and stoked to have any incite into this world i love, even though i dont enjoy it as much i would truely love, but I just watch a video on Fbook on world finals races in 1990 compared to 2024. Makes me sad really. I suppose I would like to ask and confirm my suspicions and say that because the sport no longer has the popularity, big companies like yamaha and kawasaki arent backing it as they were, R&D is expensive and this is why the cost of everything is ridiculous? I desperately want to put a big engine in my still sitting in a box newly built V3 but the cost is literally the same as putting a new engine in my 2010 toyota tacoma. It won't stop me from doing it but please educate me.
 
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I know I am a peasant among greats here, and stoked to have any incite into this world i love, even though i dont enjoy it as much i would truely love, but I just watch a video on Fbook on world finals races in 1990 compared to 2024. Makes me sad really. I suppose I would like to ask and confirm my suspicions and say that because the sport no longer has the popularity, big companies like yamaha and kawasaki arent backing it as they were, R&D is expensive and this is why the cost of everything is ridiculous? I desperately want to put a big engine in my still sitting in a box newly built V3 but the cost is literally the same as putting a new engine in my 2010 toyota tacoma. It won't stop me from doing it but please educate me.
Your not wrong about engine prices being through the roof, but it comes down to a manufacturing stand point, higher number=cheaper cost, lower number=higher cost.. The good thing about competion is it makes the sellers be more competitive with their prices.. Or Atleast it SHOULD!

Unfortunately everything is so expensive sellers are literally pricing people out of the sport..
 

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
I know I am a peasant among greats here, and stoked to have any incite into this world i love even though i dont enjoy it as much i would truely love, but I just watch a video on Fbook on world finals races in 1990 compared to 2025. Makes me sad really. I suppose I would like to ask and confirm my suspicions and say that because the sport no longer has the popularity, big companies like yamaha and kawasaki arent backing it as they were, R&D is expensive and this is why the cost of everything is ridiculous? I desperately want to put a big engine in my still sitting in a box newly built V3 but the cost is literally the same as putting a new engine in my 2010 toyota tacoma. It won't stop me from doing it but please educate me.
2003 the MFG's pretty much pulled out of National Racing......... The Big Rigs were gone as well as the money. A few racers like Farthing and McCluggage still got some sponsorship, but not like they use to get............... 1998/1999 the IJSBA did away with the Mod Class, which damn near killed the AM parts suppliers....
 
Location
49323
Your not wrong about engine prices being through the roof, but it comes down to a manufacturing stand point, higher number=cheaper cost, lower number=higher cost.. The good thing about competion is it makes the sellers be more competitive with their prices.. Or Atleast it SHOULD!

Unfortunately everything is so expensive sellers are literally pricing people out of the sport..

You’re exactly right. It sucks that you have to be rich, financially irresponsible, or both to even get your foot in the door. Call it what you want, but guys like Tony and Jordan are some of the very few trying to change that. Shaving $5000+ off the price of a 1200 is huge for the average rider.


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Jcary85

Site Supporter
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Glenmoore pa
I thought the whole point of producing this cylinder is that out of the box it would out perform a Dasa or other type cylinder and that it didn't need to be modified , yes I get that the cases have to be drastically modified for the cylinders to work properly and the pistons to clear but the cylinder needs to be modified too , that doesn't make a lot of sense to me , maybe I am missing something here ?
Don’t wanna put words in Tony’s mouth but I think he’s talking more about the setup. The cylinders do work really well out of the box. You can tweak how the motor performs by playing with the port height for example. There’s finish work you can do to the cylinders to get some extra power. The design of the cases is a big factor in why the JSN1200 works very well but ultimately the design of the cylinder is where the power is made. The shape and placement of the transfers is a huge deal. The PV configuration is unique as well.


As for the price… well, the 964 is pretty affordable. Not a big jump from a big bore stock cylinder motor really. Truthfully, there’s not a lot of markup in any of these motors. The 1200 is the lowest cost on the market or close. The ways to get the cost down take big initial investments. Going to all cast parts would bring cost down but takes a pretty hefty tooling investment in some of these parts which is unlikely to ever come back. It’s a chicken and egg problem though. Taking a risk to get costs down might get more people in the sport which might help offset those investments in the long run. We’re talking big risks here though. It is possible to bring costs down in creative ways though (exactly what we did with JSN) and a lot of the crazy pricing in our sport is just plain greed.
 

WFO Speedracer

A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
Location
Alabama
Don’t wanna put words in Tony’s mouth but I think he’s talking more about the setup. The cylinders do work really well out of the box. You can tweak how the motor performs by playing with the port height for example. There’s finish work you can do to the cylinders to get some extra power. The design of the cases is a big factor in why the JSN1200 works very well but ultimately the design of the cylinder is where the power is made. The shape and placement of the transfers is a huge deal. The PV configuration is unique as well.


As for the price… well, the 964 is pretty affordable. Not a big jump from a big bore stock cylinder motor really. Truthfully, there’s not a lot of markup in any of these motors. The 1200 is the lowest cost on the market or close. The ways to get the cost down take big initial investments. Going to all cast parts would bring cost down but takes a pretty hefty tooling investment in some of these parts which is unlikely to ever come back. It’s a chicken and egg problem though. Taking a risk to get costs down might get more people in the sport which might help offset those investments in the long run. We’re talking big risks here though. It is possible to bring costs down in creative ways though (exactly what we did with JSN) and a lot of the crazy pricing in our sport is just plain greed.

I will probably never own on , at this point my riding skills are what they are and my wallet won't allow it , I am way more interested in the technical aspects of the cylinder personally , if that makes any sense to you.
 

Christian_83

Xscream
Location
Denmark
I had one of the first batches of 900 and had some issues with it, Erik was the coolest and most helpfull guy to deal with - really a geninue stand up honest guy - unlike alot of people in this industry.
So no wonder that Tony aka xerox grapped the chance to make money on another product that other people spend alot of money and hours on R&D - he did.
 
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