REEDSTER V. 2019 OK & OKJ IAME ENGINES

Max Bernardi

04 July 2019

TYPE
Like most kart engines on the market. 4-stroke engines are still a small niche

125 cc

DISPLACEMENT

125 cc has been the standard for some time now, while in the past it used to be 100 cc

PUSH

START
Push-mode made easy thanks to a decompression valve on the cylinder head that helps the piston

DIRECT DRIVE

TRANSMISSION
The following are the “families” of kart engines: gears and single speed. REEDSTER V are single speed clutchless engines

OK / OKJ

HOMOLOGATION
It is the OK non-shifter engines homologation, that at the second one of their history, after their debut in 2016.

At the second homologation of the OK and OKJ era, IAME makes important modifications to the engine which, in the last three years has won 3 world titles in the OK class and 2 in the OKJ. What has been particularly revised is the cylinder area.

Do not change an engine that wins, right? Obviously, IAME does not think so. In fact, for the 2019 homologation session, the world’s most famous karting engine company presented the Reedster V, a new engine for the Ok and OKJ categories which replaces the multi-champion Reedster IV.

While the design is not absolutely new, the evolution brings important changes and is not limited to a simple, non-invasive restyling, since amongst the confirmed innovations we find the head made of two pieces, which can be disassembled, machined from a solid block and equipped with six screws fastened to the cylinder to ensure a better seal and more uniform and limited deformations.

On the other hand, the cylinder, which uses new molds, has been completely redesigned. Looking at it from the front, one immediately notices the fins, which rather than aiding the cooling, have the task of improving the engine’s structure, connecting the base front flange, where the crankcase fasteners are located, with the whole cylinder body, especially the water chamber.

It is called Reedster V and it is the new IAME engine for the Ok and OKJ categories

Confirmed the head machined from a solid block with six fastening points to the cylinder

The head cover houses the sparkplug and the decompression valve

The fins are not straight, as this would have generated a too rigid structure, while the used “folded” design ensures a more elastic function. As mentioned before, the fins in the front part are not essential for cooling, which in that area is guaranteed by the passage of water. It is not by coincidence that in the winter the front of the cylinder is generally covered with a protection, so as not to lower the temperature too much.