In 2008 this was one of the most popular powerplants in the 25 hp class. It has earned a reputation for reliability, plentiful thrust and good support. It can be be a bit challenging to start without doing things just right. Fortunately there is enormous expertise which makes solving problems relatively easy. At press time (2007) parts were widely available.
The Black Devil appears to be the most popular motor being mounted to PPG’s and enjoys the broadest support.
Compression Ratio is 11:1.
Earlier motors had fewer teeth in the belt which resulted in lost belts. That problem and some exhaust issues that have been drastically improved in the 2006 and later models. All motors now come with wider belt drives that reduce belt slipping.
It uses an automatic decompression valve that has proven problematic, from falling out to sticking. Thankfully these problems have been well documented and are easily solved. Alex Varv, the U.S. importer has earned a well-deserved reputation for making sure pilots keep their motors running well.
Apr 28, 2007 I’ve installed a manual decompressor that helped with the starting problems which were mostly related to the decompressor and MOST OF THE TIME makes starting easy. The tradeoff is that it will be more difficult to restart in flight unless you incorporate a foot starter.
It tends to vibrate slightly more than other motors, especially if the idle rpm is too low. Additional or different motor mounts can improve this to match or improve on other’s vibration levels but doing so moves the motor further from the mounts.
This motor is used on many frames including the Fly Products, Blackhawk, SD, Free Spirit and others as of 2007.