ATVSource was proud to announce that on Wednesday February 19th, 2003, Calvin Pollet from CPI visited us in our Chat Room to discuss the future in the world of aftermarket cylinders and technology for the ATV world.

Calvin is the Sand Caster and brains behind the new Cheetah, Pro-X, Genesis, and the PowerMax cylinders found on the popular sport quads.  If you have read many of Calvin's posts you will know that his knowledge goes a lot deeper then just casting cylinders as he is also a Guru of building motors.

If you had any questions for Calvin about building a motor, rod angles, pistons, or crank case volume etc... you should have been there. If you missed the chat, then below will wet your taste for some of Calvin's expertise.

Calvin's Chat Interview

SpecialGuest asks: When will Calvin make an HPD cylinder with honda bolt pattern?
Calvin: THAT IS IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW, IT WILL BASICALLY BE DETERMINED BY HPD WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE THEIR TESTING IS COMPLETE

Pete asks: Calvin, will HPD be selling these, or will they be open to other builders to purchase?
Calvin: HPD IS THE OWNER OF THE PATTERNS, THEY HAVE SAID THEY WOULD SELL TO DEALERS OR BUILDERS TO CARESS AS THEY WILL

GreatTwo asks: Have you ever done any cylinders for Suzuki LT's and if not, are there any plans to?
Calvin: NO PLANS AT THIS TIME, UNLESS YOU WANT TO START SOME TOOLING

Wpozne asks: Calvin, are you planning on developing any new big bore cylinders for the 250r? If so, when will we see the
Calvin: OH GOD... I FEEL THERE IS A DEFINITE NEED FOR A BIG HONDA CYLINDER, IF ONE OF ME CUSTOMERS DOESN'T STEP UP I WILL PROBABLY DO IT SIMILAR TO THE CHEETAH AND BUILD THEM MYSELF

Banshze asks: Calvin what is the life on the 68 mm bore 4 mm stroke cheetah cylinders are, before you have to re hone them, in hours that is...
Calvin: WE HAVEN'T GOT THERE YET, I KNOW OF CYLINDERS WITH THE SAME PLATING ON THE CYLINDER WALLS THAT ARE STILL IN OPERATION NEARLY 20 YEARS OLD
Banshze asks: NO KIDDING CALVIN!
Calvin: WOULD I LIE TO YOU BANSHZE

blue_banshee asks: How much horsepower can be gotten out of the cheetah's on alcohol?
Calvin: DEPENDING UPON THE DYNO... I WOULD SAY 145 TO 150 REAR WHEEL IS VERY DO-ABLE, 2 DYNOS COMPLETELY ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH 2 SIMILAR SETUPS WERE WITHIN TWO HORSEPOWER
Jer asks: at 145hp Calvin?
blue_banshee: 145hp is hard to come by with a stock banshee stroke
Pete: Calvin never said stock stroke
Calvin: AT 138 TO 140 WITHIN THE 1ST 2 WEEKS OF RUNNING THEIR MOTORS
blue_banshee asks: can CALVIN elaborate on the rest of the motor?
Banshze: the 425 has a 4 mm crank and the largest kit has a ten mm crank
Calvin: ANY MORE THAN THAT AND I THINK WE WILL HAVE TROUBLE HOLDING ANY OF THEM TOGETHER
Calvin: THE LIMITING FACTORS RIGHT NOW ARE THE CRANK AREA FOR THE STROKE AND THE BORE DIAMETER

ATVDRA asks: Calvin, where he does his research and development? And are they involved in racing!
Calvin: WE ARE NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN RACING AT THIS TIME, ALTHOUGH WE DO WORK WITH RIDERS IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF RACING. WE JUST DON'T HAVE A TEAM AS SUCH, WE HAVE SEEN IF WE CAN SCATTER OUT OUR TESTING TO DIFFERENT TUNERS, WE GET BETTER FEEDBACK WHICH GIVES US A BETTER PRODUCT IN THE LONG RUN

CcRiDeR asks: Which works better in your Cheetah cylinders, a +4 stroker crank or a +4 stroker longrod crank?
Calvin: THERE ARE CRANKS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW WITH A LONG ROD. THAT IS WHAT THE POWERS THAT BE DECIDED TO BUILD... THEY WILL LAST LONGER THAN A SHORT ROD, I DON'T THINK THEY WILL RUN AS STRONG

Pa asks: Is trinity the only dealer for the cheetah cylinders?
Calvin: NO! THEY ARE AVAILABLE, GO TO YOUR LOCAL SHOP AND HAVE THEM ORDER YOU ONE. SEE IF IT SHOWS UP.

Pete asks: I’m curious, what triples did you build the cylinders for?
Calvin: IT WAS A POLARIS SNOW-MOBILE... WE BUILT A MONOBLOCK TRIPLE. AT THE TIME IT WAS OUR LARGEST ENGINE AT 1100CC

Jerome asks: Does anyone have any dyno runs of the Cheetahs that show RPM and Torque rather than MPH?
Calvin: NOT ON THE 10MM KITS THAT I HAVE SEEN

Banshze asks: Calvin what ever made it get into his head to make his own cylinders?
Calvin: I'M JUST STUPID I GUESS..... IT DARN SURE WASN'T THE MONEY, I WANTED TO TRY SOME THINGS THAT I COULDN'T DO WITH A STOCK CASTING AND THIS WAS THE ONLY THING I COULD COME UP WITH

wpozne asks: Will the port layouts be different than current big bores out now (250R based). What size bore will the new big bores be?
Calvin: RIGHT NOW I AM TAKING THE ULTIMATE DUNE MOTOR MORE SERIOUSLY THAN SOME PEOPLE THINK, WE ARE LOOKING AT A STARTING POINT BASED ON THE 250 HONDA AND ENDING UP LARGE ENOUGH WE WOULD NEED NEW CASES FOR A LARGE SINGLE

wpozne asks: How long did it take from R&D to the first production ready Cheetah cylinder?
Calvin: WE STARTED THE PATTERNS FOR THE CHEETAH OVER 2 1/2 YEARS AGO... WE DIDN'T WORK ON IT CONTINUOUSLY, IF WE WERE TO START TODAY TO DESIGN AND BUILD A NEW ONE... I WOULD SAY 6 TO 8 MONTHS AND WE'D BE READY TO TEST

Backcountry asks: When might we finally see an update of the Pro-X cylinders?
Calvin: I DON'T KNOW, BUT I MENTIONED IT LAST WEEKEND IN INDY AT THE TRADE SHOW... I'M JUST NOT TOO SURE HOW WELL IT WAS RECEIVED
Pete: Personally Calvin, I think a revised Pro-X cylinder in the 250, 310, 350 sizes would be great, new bigger intake, diff transfers and a tweaked exhaust.
Backcountry: BIGGER SUB EXHS!!!!!!
Calvin: PETE; I AGREE 100%
Calvin: I CAN'T WAIT UNTILL WE GET TO THAT PART OF THE UDM THREAD
Backcountry notes: That the CP Ind cylinders he has in the house are by far the best castings of any cylinder he's ever seen!!!!

Mp350 asks: Where did you get your background in producing cylinders for atvs and sleds?
Calvin: I'VE WORKED IN PORTING SHOPS SINCE I WAS 14 AND LEARNED THE TRADE LIKE ALL THE OTHER BUILDERS... THAT’S WHY I'M AS FREE WITH THE INFO AS I AM

Ayes-Why asks: Do you think a new, modern port layout 250cc cylinder for a 250R would have significant gains over the stock cylinder when properly ported and setup on alcohol for drag racing?
Calvin: IF A CYLINDER IS BUILT FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE IT SHOULD ALWAYS PERFORM BETTER IN THAT APPLICATION THAN ONE BUILT FOR SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT, TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE THE CYLINDERS THAT ARE OUT THERE FOR THE 250 HONDA WERE NOT BUILT FOR ALL OUT DUNES

Mp350 asks: What was the hardest part in designing the cheetah cylinders for the banshee?
Calvin: TRYING TO GET THE BALANCE AS CLOSE AS I COULD BETWEEN THE INTAKE, THE TRANSFERS, AND THE EXHAUST. WITH THE BANSHEE DESIGN, THE TRANSFER TUNNELS ARE THE LIMITING FACTOR, WE HAD TO START FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE MOTOR AND WORK EACH DIRECTION TO TRY TO GET THE BALANCE OF FLOW AS CLOSE AS WE COULD. THERE WAS NO REASON TO BUILD AN INTAKE SYSTEM THAT WOULD FLOW MORE THAN WE COULD GET THROUGH THE TRANSFERS... AND NO REASON TO FLOW MORE EXHAUST THAN COULD BE USED.

Chad502EX asks: Does he make custom pistons for customers with these cylinders?
Calvin: WE DID HAVE OUR OWN PISTON DESIGNED AND BUILT AT
WISECO
Banshze asks: What was different about the pistons you had made? Were they more efficient?
Calvin: WE WANTED A DOME THAT WAS THE SAME ON THE STANDARD STROKE AND THE 4MM STROKE SO THE HEAD DOMES WOULD BE THE SAME. SO NOW YOU GUYS KNOW IF YOU WANT A BLASTER DOME ON A BANSHEE DECK HEIGHTH THAT WOULD BE THE PISTON.

Kernal asks: With your plans for the UDM, will parts be compatible with existing 250r parts, for an "upgrade" path
Calvin: ....IF...... WE BUILD A SET OF CASES FOR A LARGE SINGLE IT WOULD PROBABLY USE HONDA TRANSMISSION PARTS... UNLESS TESTING PROVES THE POWER TO BE TOO HIGH FOR THAT TRANSMISSION
SuperFreak: The tranny is already too weak for whats already out there
Calvin: THAT’S WHAT WE'VE BEEN AFRAID OF, BUT IF WE START OVER WITH NEW TRANSMISSION PARTS MANY WILL COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PRICING

Mp350 asks: Do you have any major design changes in mind for the Cheetah cylinders or do you feel they don't need anymore changes?
Calvin: I THINK WE ARE ABOUT TO BUMP THE LIMITS OF THE CASE AND TRANSMISSION DESIGN. WE PUT A 392 TOGETHER LAST WEEK WITH NEW CLUTCHES AND HAD A HARD TIME HOLDING IT... I THINK WE WILL HAVE TO DO SOME MAJOR CHANGES BEFORE WE CAN GO MUCH FARTHER
Mp350 asks: What major changes are you looking at?
Calvin: WE SAW A NEW CLUTCH DESIGN AT THE TRADE SHOW THIS WEEKEND THAT WE WILL TRY AND DO SOME WORK WITH. IT WOULD BE NICE TO BE ABLE TO HOLD THE MOTOR AND STILL SHIFT THE GEARS NORMALLY... THAT’S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING AT

you asks: Can you explain the nikasil coating and how it helps, and can it be recoated if the need arises? Also, do you have to machine the cases to get the most out of the cheetah cylinders?
Calvin: THE NIKASIL COATING CAN BE REMOVED THROUGH A CHEMICAL PROCESS BY THE SAME COMPANY WHO INSTALLS IT. IF THE NEED ARISES YOU CAN SEND IT IN AND THEY WILL REMOVE/RECOAT IT

Calvin: THE 68MM BORE KITS ARE BOTH A BOLT ON KIT. ONE WITH STANDARD STROKE, ONE WITH 4MM STROKE. THE REASON BORING THE CASES WILL HELP TO PRODUCE MORE POWER IS BECAUSE IT ALLOWS YOU TO GO TO A LARGER PISTON, GIVING YOU MORE DISPLACEMENT, WHICH WILL MEAN MORE POWER

SuperFreak asks: who does your coating Calvin?
Calvin: MILLINIUM TECHNOLOGIES

00banshee asks: Are there plans to design a billet head with interchangeable domes for the cheetah cylinders?
Calvin: NO!...... BUT THERE ARE PLANS TO DESIGN AND BUILD A CAST HEAD WITH INTERCHANGABLE DOMES FOR THE CHEETAH CYLINDERS, WE WILL BE BUILDING THE HEAD AS SOON AS THE TESTS ON THE 7MM MOTOR ARE COMPLETED

Backcountry asks: Any plans to build a wider Banshee top case to accept wide cylinders and more transfer area? Maybe not go after building a whole new motor, just build a new top case.
Calvin: NOT AT THIS TIME BC, AS I SAY I THINK WE ARE UP AGAINST THE LIMITS OF THAT ENTIRE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY. WE WOULD HAVE TO BUILD A WIDER CENTER TO CENTER ON THE CRANKSHAFT IN ORDER TO SEE ANY BENIFITS IN TRANSFER FLOW

Backcountry asks: What about taller?
Calvin: IF WE BUILD A WIDER CENTER TO CENTER THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO BUILD NEW UPPER AND LOWER CASE AS WELL AS WIDER CRANKSHAFT

Backcountry asks: On the 485 kits, whats has the testing shown, in relation to the kits on either side. I see a large bore and short stroke....anything different this motor does due to that?
Calvin: BC: I THINK IT’S STILL A LITTLE SOON TO SAY WE ARE THROUGH WITH THE TESTING ON THAT KIT... HECK, I'M NOT SURE YOU ARE EVER THROUGH WITH TESTING... BUT SO FAR RESULTS LOOK PROMISING.

Backcountry asks: Any predictions on what the cylinder filling may be like?
Calvin: HARRY'S BEEN TESTING ON SOME OF THE 485S AND WE'VE GOT SOME BEING TESTED IN THE TULSA AREA
Backcountry asks: Why a 485? What led you to develop that cylinder size?
Calvin: 4MM STROKE NEEDS NO CASE WORK OTHER THAN THE CYLINDER SPIGGOT AREA

Backcountry asks: Any word on the 421 kit with 35mm PWKs and CPI pipes hitting them?
Calvin: THERE IS DEFINITELY CLOSE QUARTERS BETWEEN THE CPI PIPES AND THE PWKs. THE MANIFOLDS THAT WE HAD BUILT WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE WITH MORE OFFSET ON THE LEFT SIDE CARB. TO CLEAR THE PIPES IN THAT AREA
Backcountry: I like to hear that!!!!
Calvin: IT’S ALL A LEARNING PROCESS BC... AND WE'RE LEARNING ALL THE TIME
Backcountry: Oh I know that all too well...
Backcountry: Where were you 10 years ago Calvin???
Calvin: BUILDING SNOW-MOBILE STUFF, I NEED TO POST A PIC OF THE NEW TRIPLE CASE WE JUST BUILT FOR CPC TO USE THEIR 98MM BORE CYLINDERS GIVING YOU 1725CC ..... 375 HP.