Thanks to its affordability, Coleman has been a staple in the mini-bike community and has helped revitalize mini-biking as a hobby. For years, the bikes have been relatively basic compared to brands like Trailmaster or the many custom bikes on the market. However, that has changed recently. The latest bikes are very similar to the Monster/Mega Moto bikes. Mega Moto has gone out of business, but you can still find their frames sold through online mini-bike stores and Amazon. Coleman has updated and improved those designs with the B200RS and B200RSV.
Red Beard has bought and upgraded the Coleman B200RSV mini bike by increasing the ride height and the suspension travel. In his opinion, the Coleman is a much better bike than the Trailmasters after the upgrades. The bike has a more robust frame, which makes it a better platform for harsh trail riding and higher-performance engines. The soft rubber bushings were replaced with aluminum to handle more power, and the tires were replaced with SUN F Power.II 19x7-8 ATV Off-Road Tires for better grip and handling.
The next step is deciding what engine to swap or if it's worth upgrading the 196cc engine.
Is the Coleman B200RSV 196cc engine worth building?
If we go back to the Tillotson 212E vs Wildcat 223 video, we find the Ghost 212 is the most powerful out of the box. However, that can quickly change when upgrading the engine. The Ghost 212 will cost 330 dollars, so can we get the same performance for the same or less money?
Red Beard used parts from the Stage 2 Kit for the Wildcat, such as the PZ22 Carburetor and the TTS-647 Ghostbuster camshaft. You can buy a complete stage 2 kit for the 196cc engine for $365, but that's a little more than the Ghost 212. So, Red Beard used the cast aluminum flywheel and a 5-degree offset key instead of the Billet flywheel. He also used our 8270 forged connecting rod.
Here's the breakdown of the parts and cost:
PZ22EC-1K PZ22 Slide Carburetor - $139.99
TTS-647 Ghostbuster Cam w/26lb Springs - $54.99
8270 Forged Connecting Rod - $76.99
138210105 Cast Aluminum Flywheel – $39.99
#5-Degree Offset Key - $6.85
Total Cost 318.81
While it isn't exacting-free, Red Beard also ported the cylinder head. The total cost of the engine upgrades is less than buying a complete Ghost 212. Since we used a cast aluminum flywheel, forged rod, and 26 lbs springs, we can turn the 196cc engine past the rev-limited coil on the Ghost. If the 196cc makes around the same power, the 196cc will give you more mph thanks to the extra rpms.
How does the 196cc compare to the Ghost 212?
Engine | Coleman 196 | Ghost 212 |
Displacement | 68 x 54mm = 196.11cc | 70 x 55mm = 211.67cc |
Cylinder Head | 25/24mm 5.5mm Stem Non-Hemi | 27/24mm 5.5mm Stem Hemi |
Camshaft | 225/230 Lift Cam | 255 lift cam |
Ignition Coil | Standard Coil | Rev Limited 6100rpms |
Flywheel | Cast Iron | Cast Iron |
Stock Horsepower | 6.01hp @ 4200rpms | 9.9hp @ 5100rpms |
Stock Torque | 7.95ft-lbs @ 3800rpms | 11.61ft-lbs @ 4200rpms |
The 196cc is at a significant disadvantage, giving up 15.56cc with less bore & stroke, smaller valves, etc. It lacks substantial power and torque compared to all the other stock 212 or 223/224 size engines. The performance parts must improve 3.89hp(66%) and 3.66ft-lbs(46%) to equal the Ghost 212.
How does the built 196cc engine compare to other stock engines?
Engine | Tillotson 212E | Predator 212 Hemi | Predator 224 | Ghost 212 | Wildcat 223 | Built 196 Coleman |
Horsepower | 7 | 6.74 | 7.43 | 9.9 | 7.74 | 10.05 |
Torque | 9.11 | 8.4 | 10.11 | 11.61 | 10.2 | 10.8 |
After the upgrades the Coleman 196cc made 10.05hp @ 5400rpms a gain of 4.04hp(67%) and 10.8ft-lbs @4400rpms a gain of 2.85ft-lbs(36%). Like the other tests, gaining similar horsepower between the different displacements is easier to achieve than making the torque of bigger displacement engines, especially those with extra strokes. However, the 196cc engine is very close to the power of the Ghost 212 but has more durability thanks to the upgraded parts and will turn more rpm. You can gain a torque or acceleration advantage by adding more rear gear, maintaining similar mph, or giving up a little acceleration for more mph. Luckily, the new Colemans already have a torque converter setup, which was upgraded with our Super 30 torque converter driver.
The other benefit of upgrading the 196cc over the Ghost is the compatibility of the parts. All the parts used in the 196 will fit a Wildcat 223. Even though the Wildcat 223 kits use a +.050 longer rod, the 8270 rods will still fit the Wildcat's crank pin and wrist pin. You may not gain the compression advantage, but you'll have a durable rod for higher rpms, and you can use a thin head gasket to gain compression and still have good piston-to-valve clearance.
The Coleman and Trailmaster frames are limited to the power and torque they can handle due to the frame bushings. Going straight to a modified Wildcat 223 or other high-performance engine will require upgrades to the frame and add to the overall cost. If you want to enjoy your bike in stages, upgrading the 196cc engine is worth it if you know you will upgrade the engine later and want to save a little money. Or the Ghost 212 is excellent if you don't plan to upgrade the bushings and want to keep the bike near stock.
Testimony of the Wildcat 223.
There shouldn't be any doubt the Wildcat 223 is an excellent performer with all the dyno testing, but sometimes you need to see how that power is being applied. Red Beard and Lonnie had two drag races between the Trailmaster with the Stage 3 Wildcat and the Coleman B200RVS with its built 196cc engine. Red Beard on the Trailmaster could hold his own and run down Lonnie on the Coleman. The difference in size was similar to the difference in torque and horsepower. However, switching bikes also showed how incredibly fast the Wildcat can be with a lighter rider. You can expect the Ghost 212 to have the same results as the 196cc since they make very close to the same torque and power. We highly recommend using the Wildcat 223 with our stage 2 or stage 3 kits if you want more power.
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