....that's the word straight from the horse’s mouth. I was talking (E-mail) to Keith Baker the other day and he said he has an 85cc single on the drawing board. He wants to offer a viable alternative to the ZDZ 80..... Actually he wants to beat the pants off of the ZDZ. He said he was projecting a lower weight and more power than the ZDZ 80 with price in the mid $500s.

I have the feeling he going to be quite successful in this endeavor. He sounds very motivated. I can hardly wait till they become available.

Wiz

Tell Keith ZDZ is already working on a 105cc single.....half of the 210 twin. The target is moving......

Also, you can tell Keith he ought to update his website more frequently. Put some photos and descriptions of the current line of engines, and maybe some photos of engines under development, exploding drawings of engine parts etc. As it is now, BME and Taurus are tied for the most lame websites. Yeah, I know that web development is not their business, but it's just poor marketing.

after all the p--- and moa-----I have heard against the ZDZ being the worlds worst piece of ----, I am surprised to hear that someone in the Hew Ess Hay would actually try to emulate the results of this worthless etc.,blah blah.
I have two of em and have ordered more as I have guys who want my planes but ONLY with the ZDZ 80 installed.
My inital feelings after my first two ZDZ80's was that they would KILL the 80-100 market in the states.
I am glad to se the US mfgers entering the fray -
It is a tough call.
DA already has a rear carb 50-
The rotary valve setup may just be too expensive for anybody else to use , however.
Anyone who thinks that the ZDZ80 is a cheap setup to copy--- guess again.

Why is there so much animosity about engines these days? I can't understand all the negative energy that comes out of these discussions.

ZDZ is crap.....Everything without a rear carb is crap.....BME and Taurus engines are just junky chainsaw engine conversions..... Here's one I heard at Toledo. DA engines are just copies of 3W. I heard that one from a very well known 3W representative. I could go on an on, but to what end?

Why can't people use the engines they like without slamming everything else?

I'm glad BME is making a new 85 to compete with the ZDZ. I'm glad ZDZ is making a new 105. I hope DA makes a new single for this market too. The more choices I have the better I like it.

I agree, BME and Taurus could do better with their websites.

Wiz

.

Mike and Dick,
I beleive the only people to ever complain about the ZDZ engines are the ones that have never used them. I have followed these engines for over 10 years in Europe.
Also, since they are all designed and manufactured in house without the use of commercially availlable parts like the cylinders, pistons, etc. except the carbs, why are they less expensive then the ones made here with half the parts from industrial engines. Don't make sense to me.
And when you go overseas to buy them, they are even cheaper. Go Figure......


Roger
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Actually - the worst comments I have personally heard came directly from two US mfgrs.
Having written adv material -years back- I can only assume that the comments really were made out of fear and frustration.
Fear that their business was being eroded
and frustration that their own products - which THEY perceived as superior and worth more money--were not perceived the same way by others.
This is not an uncommon situation amongst mfgrs.

You can buy a Poulan 46cc for about $95.00..The final cost of an airplane engine is probably less than half of what the consumer pays..The rest is hype and middleman(men?)...Check on the prices of some of the engines and their counterparts on the European web sites....

Well I'm always for more engine choices. Competition is good for the consumer. My buddy tells me that BME is also working on a new 100cc twin. The cylinders will not be sourced from a chain saw, but Mr. Baker's own design. People also have to realize that this giant engine market is not very big, so it's tough for the manufacturers to keep the doors open and the prices competitive with weedwhackers produced in the hundreds of thousands. As far as I can tell, ZDZ is pushing the engines toward lower prices. Especially when you compare with the Makita motors that have no reason to cost $500-600 for a single based on industrial piston/cylinder, crank, and rod.