The Bilands Look Fast And Furious- But What are they Like to Drive

So why did we want to test this engine? Well, no matter what people tell you about the characteristics of an engine, it’s the driving experience that matters. We know it is very ‘torquey’, has great bottom end, a smooth power curve, and lasts forever. But what does this all actually add up to, and is the engine actually fun to drive?

Watch the video to see my first run out

The first laps of the session I spent just getting my head together, but from the outset I could feel the engine was fast. Though I was hardly up against the likes of Oliver Oakes and Mark Litchfield in the test session the kart was easily quick enough to pass TKM’s and Rotax’s down the straight. To be honest in the first session I was driving like a bit of a pillock. I was getting the arse end out everywhere. I was hardly setting the world alight with my driving skills.

But it did prove something – you have to drive the Biland with the same principles as any other kart engine. You have to be smooth, and early on the throttle. People like to state that you can get away with mistakes on a Biland because of the low-end grunt there to recover you. Ignore them, it is bull! You make a mistake and it costs you time. It’s just like any other kart.

Watch the video to see what I mean

One thing I did notice after the first session was how great the clutch was. I always worry with TaG engines that the clutch will interfere with the driving experience. Anyone who has driven a direct drive 2-stroke engine will always say how great the engine response is after braking. What I’ve found with most of the clutched 2-stroke engines I’ve driven, is that you have to wait for the clutch to re-engage as you get on the throttle. And that is a major factor when describing how much fun thedriving experience is.

With the Biland, the clutch didn’t interfere at all. I slammed the brakes on couple of times to see how the engine would respond. The engine was there for me when I needed it. I hardly noticed the clutch. It was just like a direct drive 2-stroke. Yes I did say ‘like a 2-stroke’, and that means more fun!

In the second session I was asking myself – is this fun? And yes, the Biland is a whole lot of fun. The engine is a little heavy on the back end, but that comes with the territory.

The Biland engine sounds very different to anything else I have driven. It produces enough sound to put a bigsmile on your face, and its sounds a whole lot better than the Rotax Max in my opinion. It's hard to describe the sound in detail, and that’s why we have the videos for you to have a listen. But nothing beats having the engine beneath your right shoulder to give you the real experience.

The engine was definitely fast enough up the hill at Whilton. Until I drove the Biland I didn’t know how slow a TKM Extreme BT82 was. And oh god they are slow. Compared to the Rotax Max, the Biland does have the upper hand. Especially out of the corners, but things did start to even out a little at the end of the straight. I have no doubt though, that with more time testing the Biland we would have had the kart sorted, and it would’ve been even faster.

The second session was spent mostly overtaking people. And that was a good thing because it demonstrated how much speed you have with this engine. I couldn’t stop catching people, and my driving wasn’t anything special at all. In fact I think we could’ve gained a second at least if we had 3-4 more sessions. But 2 sessions was plenty enough for me.

Here's how I drove after a bit more practice, and then some footage of Phil

With all that extra weight I presumed that braking might be a little bit of a handful. But it wasn’t at all. In fact the kart was perfectly stable under braking, and I like to brake like a nutter to get the rear to step out sideways. The kart was fine, and it felt as if the clutch was robust enough to take it.

The tyres we were using were not new but they still gave a lot of grip. In fact my neck is still hurting from driving it. And I only did two sessions. (Note to self – GET FIT!)

Overall, I loved driving the Biland. Yes it is a 4-stroke, but that thought soon disappears into the background when you’re faced with this kind of performance. The engine was a pleasure to drive. It sounded great, and was very fast. I wish I had more time to get some ‘quickish’ laps in. Out of all the clutched kart engines I have driven the Biland has to be the best.

At this point, I would like to point out some bad points so this doesn’t sound like an advert…but I can’t think of any at the moment! Well, maybe I wanted a little more top end when I was trying to pass a 250 gearbox at the top of the hill. But come on, I was up against a 250 gearbox!

I knew from the outset that the Biland was different from all the other 4-stroke kart engines on the market, but I didn’t really expect to feel this excited about it after driving it. I urge all 2-stroke karters not be ignorant to the Biland! This isn’t an ordinary 4-stroke.

Finally I would like to thank Nick Barrow and all the other Saxon Motorsport crew for allowing me to have a blast around Whilton Mill in one of their karts. I enjoyed it very much!

Alan Dove

Find out what a Rotax Super 1 driver thought of the Biland first time out by going to Phil Gynn's article on the biland including video!

Any Biland questions? Contact Saxon Motorsport call 01432 350157 or email carol on carol@saxon-motorsport.co.uk and click on the image below to go to the series details.