Engine configs

Oh and then there's http://www.sixstroke.com/

Wanna talk about diesel?
electric?
steam?

Moike

 

Diesel is on my list of things to do, along with the Wankel Rotary. However,
given their significance, they are going to be at the end of the 'to-do'
list for a while. Although Kawasaki has just dramatically upped its
production of diesel bikes, thanks to a massive order from the US Marine
Corps. I think I should get the V-four article up before writing about the
wankel rotary..

Steam will be covered in the history section, it doesn't really deserve
consideration in the general 'How Bikes Work' section. Electric hadn't even
entered my mind.

Cheers Manning

 

<snip>

Nope, as Garry says, its the venerable Yammie RZ500. The Gamma is
actually a square 4. Rotary disc valve it is too, I believe.

Cheers,
Ash

 

You do if you can find me some (preferrably brand new) free, working
coils for the RZ. Mine are short circut, though they do produce a
pathetic looking spark, so I might need a second opinion from another
mulitmeter.

The Suzuki RG500 is a square four, so we have to deduct a few points
from your score ;-)

Cheers,
Ash

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 20 Oct 2003 14:18:04 +1000

originally 2 rotary valve MZ 250 twins in a box I believe, thanks tot he
defection of Ernst Degner.

Zebee

 

If you've got any questions about the RZ500, feel free to drop me an
email. I dont profess to be an expert, but suffice to say I've spent
altogether too much time and money pulling mine to bits and putting it
back together again. At least I've got a vauge idea how it works ;-)

Cheers,
Ash

 

There's that gas turbine powered thing that Jay Leno has one
of... Google finds the page (www.marineturbine.com/superbike/),
but its currently missing in action - it in the cache tho:

http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:www.marineturbine.com/superbi
ke/

Suzuki built a wankel rotary powered bike called an RE5:
http://www.rotaryrecycle.net/re5originalrelease.asp

And so did these people (who I'd never heard of till I googled
for the RE5): http://www.rotaryrecycle.net/W2000.asp

The Yamaha TRX is a parallel twin with a 270 degree crank (which
is why it _sounds_ like a v twin)

Since you've listed parallel twins, v twins, and opposed twins,
you'd better list opposed 6's too (the goldwing and valkyrie) -
tho I don't think I've ever heard of a v6 bike (except in the
context of "possible motogp designs")...

big

 

Cool, I'll have to tell my Dad, he'll be chuffed. He was disapointed
when I showed him the article in AMCN a few issues ago where MZ are
comming back to life with a 1000cc four stroke twin. He loves his ETZ.

Cheers,
Ash

 

Bike engines split into two[1] camps ... crank lengthwise
and crank transverse. The former integrates more easily
with shaft drive, the latter more easily with chain
drive, but either can do either with the expense of
an extra set of bevels.

Pretty much any config can be put either way, eg:
Guzzi 90°V vs. Ducati 90°V. Zebee will know which
way the crank points in a BMW single

There have been a few V8s around, including the Drysdale one
and racing Moto Guzzis, I think. Honda made lots of odd
250 racers back in the good old days too.

Other things to consider: V-twins have varying angles,
(90° ducks and guzzis, 80° CXen, 60° aprillias, 52° transalps and such,
45° XLVs and Harleys I think), and can have single crankpins
with either two rods side-by-side or knife-and-fork rods,
or multiple crank pins with an offset (trannies and XLVs again).

V-fours can be two V-twins side by side (VFR) or two parallel
twins on geared-together crank (RZ500). God knows what the
Ducati Apollo was.

Also, there's the valve families (2,3,4,5 valves in various
arrangements, plus sidevalves and oddities). And SOHC/DOHC/pushrods.
And screw-and-locknut, shim, desmo and hydraulic tappets.
Would sir like a single plug per cylinder or two?

Aircooled, watercooled, oilcooled? Wet clutch / dry clutch?

-----sharks (motorcycles are like MUTANT peanuts ...)

[1] If the crank is vertical, it's a lawnmower or it's fallen over.

 

Oops. My bad. Thanks for the correction.



tm

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 20 Oct 2003 14:49:28 +1000

A man of taste and refinement!

And if he has access to a photocopier, I have the factory workshop
manual for the ETZ. Complete with working drawings for making the
factory special tools...

Has to be a photocopy job, I might get another ETZ one day!

Zebee

 

Yamaha RZ500

Doug.

 

<grin> You'd get along just fine. He's got a photocopy of the factory
workshop manual already, it was one of the first things he did! But
thanks for the offer. If you do get yourself an ETZ again (sometimes to
be found going reasonably cheap in Just Bikes, others, "Tell 'im 'es
dreamin'!") and you need any of the special tools, he'll probably lend
them to you. He's made most of them, and improved the design of a couple!

It was jumping out of third, so he pulled it down to recut the dogs
(hence many special tools made). Turned out that the countershaft
bearing[1] had collapsed and was causing the trouble. Best part, down
to the local bearing shop and $8 later off you go again. The dogs
needed more undercut anyway, but they're bloody tough buggers those MZs.

Cheers,
Ash
[1] Hope thats the right word for it and not an Americanisim. The
bearing for the shaft that the front sprocket goes on is what I mean.

 

Been thinking of getting one myself, would cure the speeding problem.

Boxer

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 20 Oct 2003 06:00:02 GMT

Oh absolutely. Riding an MZ means never having to say "I'm sorry
officer, I didn't realise I was going that fast".

I used to think I was special, riding my MZ 250 across Eastern Australia,
doing the slipstreaming and the careful passing calculations that are
the essence of MZ touring.... Till I met the bloke on the ETZ 150 who
rode all over the Great Divide, up and down and back again regularly.

Two up.

Zebee

 

One of the best magazine covers ever: Heavy Duty (or one of
those ones, anyway) featuring an engine with three models
and a woman with three ...

-----sharks

 

Oh I dont know, I once had my Dad's MZ up to 140kph. Loooong downhill,
with a stiff tailwind. You can still speed, just requires more forward
planning

Cheers,
Ash

 

Faaark. Actually I quite like the 150. Nearly bought a black one for
my first road bike, but unfortunately it was out of my meagre price
range. Ended up with a Yammie RX125 after I haggled down to $625 which
was still more than I could afford!

Cheers,
Ash

 

270 degree parallel twin (Yam TRX, TDM, Trump Bonnie America etc)
Horizontally opposed 6 (Goldwing/ Valkyrie etc)

Whadddaya call the K series laydown 4 - is it an inline ?

Radial 3,5,7 - a la that thingy Zebee always pulls out as a gotcha
anytime anyone gets uppity

Sleeve Valve or knight valve - does that count as a 4 stroke ?
Probably does.

Every config you've listed bar 5 and 6 cylinder has def. had a 2
stroke version ie square 4 (RG) v4 (RZ) inline 2,3 and 4 (heaps).
Dunno of any 5 or 6 cyl smokers but they're certainly theoretically
possible so is this "configs that have actually made it into
production" or just "possible engine configs"


JL

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 20 Oct 2003 14:25:35 +0700

A bod in england made the "Douglas Dragonfour" out of two Douglas
Dragonfly boxer motors. (The Dragonfly was an early 50s bike from
memory)

Not sure how he connected them, I think via some kind of chain.

Apparently it went very well, and various folk thought if the factory
had done it they might have been on a winner. Others thought it was way
too complex...

Zebee