DRAG MANCO THUNDERBIRD

#1
I am currently starting to believe I am the only person to build a drag style MANCO THUNDERBIRD MINIBIKE...I've been looking for months to find one along the same kinda style as mine and have yet to find anything close...my bike is at about 17hp on a predator 212cc block...major power...drag bars and forks...10 inch rims and tires.. working light bar...possibly welding on a live axle assembly to run a fat Hoosier slick on the rear...tell me what Yu guys are thinking so far...first bike is the stage 5 DRAG MANCO THUNDERBIRD...SECOND PHOTO IS OF MY STAGE 2 MANCO THUNDERBIRD both are still not done just want more ideas...or if the next size predator block would fit on this frame...also what are you guys thoughts on extending frames?
 

Attachments

#3
I gotta know what you’ve got done to that motor and what gearing to get to 70mph.
MY PREDATOR 212 MODS:
Governor removed
Billet fly wheel
Billet rods
Billet retainers
Dual bearing case
Titanium rod
Port and polished head
Shaved head
22lb valve springs
Mikuni carb
Billet valves
Advanced in timing by 30degrees I believe
The bikes rated at 17hp on pump gas
18hp on methanol..

that's the current the power plant to my MANCO THUNDERBIRD...the frame is sitting on 10" black modular wheels from gopowersports.com with 3.00-10 tire on the front rim...and 3.50-10 tire on the rear rim..
The perks of running such a bigger tire is a high speed rating..the tires I bought the bike with was rated for 35mph...the new offset tires are rated around 70mph...and due to the fact my MANCO THUNDERBIRD can do speeds of upwards of 75mph, the tire change was much needed...running bigger wheels I did have to cut out the "brake bar"...
So currently my bike has no brakes...which made no difference because with the "brake bar" set up it wouldn't stop..I plan on actually doing a live axle set up in the rear here in the near future with a disc brake set up as well as a fat Hoosier...
Back to not being able to find replacement handles bars for it..I ended up buying "NITRO 44" drag mini bike bars..didn't know how I felt about them at first until I mounted them and I fell in love..very comfortable...

SO WITHOUT FURTHER A DO...I PRESENT TO YOU GUYS THE ONLY "DRAG SET UP"MANCO THUNDERBIRD I COULD FIND ANYWHERE ON LINE...
 
#6
Did you Dyno the bike?
Feel like if it’s making 17hp on pump gas, it should make more than 18hp on methanol?

Do you have a dedicated methanol carb for it?
Jetting for methanol is roughly twice the size as for gasoline.
I have a methanol bike, makes great power.
You might want to get a dedicated methanol carb and jet it twice as big as your gas carb. I bet you make more than 18hp
 
#7
doesn't look like you have beefed up the engine mount area at all, with a stock 212 they like to flex and break. whats your secret to makin this one hold up?
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#8
well i got a older style manco thunderbird for a drag bike. run it 125ft on clay.
Tecumseh engine i ran couple years ago. i will be running a strong motor on it next year. i run in a rope start only small block and gas mod class.
ran a small bock flathead this year and change it over to steel spoke aluminum rims with disc rear brake setup.
need to paint that tank someday...lol
 
#9
well i got a older style manco thunderbird for a drag bike. run it 125ft on clay.
Tecumseh engine i ran couple years ago. i will be running a strong motor on it next year. i run in a rope start only small block and gas mod class.
ran a small bock flathead this year and change it over to steel spoke aluminum rims with disc rear brake setup.
need to paint that tank someday...lol
Thats the bird engineerin built t bird, not the manco. the mancos didn't have the hoop in the back or the angled engine mount. sweet bike though.
 
#11
Ok, i was under the assumption that manco bought out bird.
I think they did but there was some design changes to the t birds when they became manco built. either version is slick but I think the Bird built ones were a bit better all around. You got a sharp bike. Love to get a set of those spoked wheels for one of my manco t birds.
 
#12
That things sick man...kinda different from what I got tho
well i got a older style manco thunderbird for a drag bike. run it 125ft on clay.
Tecumseh engine i ran couple years ago. i will be running a strong motor on it next year. i run in a rope start only small block and gas mod class.
ran a small bock flathead this year and change it over to steel spoke aluminum rims with disc rear brake setup.
need to paint that tank someday...lol
 
#13
Did you Dyno the bike?
Feel like if it’s making 17hp on pump gas, it should make more than 18hp on methanol?

Do you have a dedicated methanol carb for it?
Jetting for methanol is roughly twice the size as for gasoline.
I have a methanol bike, makes great power.
You might want to get a dedicated methanol carb and jet it twice as big as your gas carb. I bet you make more than 18hp
Yea bro I got two different carb set ups for it.. I'm looking at abetter one for more power..the block and motor was prebuilt from arc...I'll list the exact here after work
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#16
That things sick man...kinda different from what I got tho
no not really different. if you look at both bikes they have very similar parts. the original forks and neck tube look about the same. the engine mount plate it self looks the same. both had scrub brakes. tanks are spot on. there definitely some things they took from the older bird bike.
here something maybe to lighten up your bike. this summer i went with a aluminum rim and hub with steel spokes. very light set up over my steel rims.
also did some lightening up on my lathe. i don't use front brakes so i machine everything off the front hub.


stock rim for the front, before machine out.


back rim with a large disc brake.

 
#17
no not really different. if you look at both bikes they have very similar parts. the original forks and neck tube look about the same. the engine mount plate it self looks the same. both had scrub brakes. tanks are spot on. there definitely some things they took from the older bird bike.
here something maybe to lighten up your bike. this summer i went with a aluminum rim and hub with steel spokes. very light set up over my steel rims.
also did some lightening up on my lathe. i don't use front brakes so i machine everything off the front hub.


stock rim for the front, before machine out.


back rim with a large disc brake.

Sup bro I like your bike so much I'm literally buying one like it tommorow...lol I'll post pics once I get it...now your bike looks stretched...is it?
 

delray

Well-Known Member
#20
my first choice was your style bike then at the last minute I found this bike and like the slant engine mount setup better over the flat mount. one advantage was I could move the motor forward more then any other factory style built bike and had a good area to stretch it too. bike launches so hard and makes it for me more controllable to hold the bike down without wheeling it. I run my bike in a class that it must be rope start and no wheeling bars. making it just little harder to build a bike that will launch hard and stay down. this year I just ran a flathead Tecumseh that came out of the hole at 3800 rpm's and was spinning 7200 at 125ft. very easy to control it. but two years ago motor was that overhead valve Tecumseh(video) that came out of the hole at 4000 and spinning 8200rpm's at 125ft. end up getting second place with it. 195cc Tecumseh was eating up the 212 clones all day. that was a lot of fun. without a doubt it was the loudest small engine running that day. also like the 10inch rim size for my application. knobby on the rear and street tire for the front. I did have to run 12 screws on ea side of the rims to keep the tire from spinning on the rim.
likes to float the front tire off the ground about 3-4 inch's for the first 5ft or so …..just hooks a go's and me I need to come out of the hole quick because them big cc engines like to chance me down to the end....lol
 
Top