Motorcycle Engine Variety

Motorcycle engine design and innovation has longdesign.Finally, five valves per jug was found to be the
surpassed that of the automotive industry, and industryright combination. This design gives the engine extra
observers agree that the big companies like Yamaha,intake valve perimeter, which allows it to flow more air
Honda and Suzuki can muster considerable R&Dat low-to-medium valve lifts -- exactly where valves in
prowess here, which can then be applied to theirmost production automotive engines spend most of
automobile engines.Competitors are especially awaretheir operating time.Honda of America Mfg., Inc., has
of this. Says former Oldsmobile chief engineer Tedcombined plant and production engineering with
Louckes: "That's where the leading edge of pistonadvanced manufacturing techniques to become one
engine technology is today. It's not in automobiles; it'sof the leading engine producers in North America.The
not in aircraft. It's in motorcycles."The Goal: Bettermillion-square-foot plant manufactures 500,000 high
CombustionWhen considering the advantages of atechnology engines and drive trains a year. Kinzer
combustion chamber crammed with more than fournoted that the plant produces everything that makes a
valves-per-cylinder, the first inclination is to think, aha!car "go and stop." He said that even Japan has no
Flow area! Five valves equals more flow area! True, toHonda facility comparable to the Anna plant. Its
a degree, but that's only part of the Yamaha's designproduction, he reported, equals the total of seven
strength.In the reigning days of the two-valvers, enginesimilar Honda manufacturing units in Japan. At present
designers would control pinging by incorporating squishproduction levels, a Civic or Accord engine is produced
bands into the combustion chambers. By the 1960s, theat the Anna plant every 27 seconds.Honda's iron
four-valve heads of Cosworth and Honda racingfoundry operates three shifts per day. The ferrous
engines were allowing narrow included valve anglescasting and machining operations include the production
and thus shallow combustion chambers. Put the sparkof engine cylinder sleeves and brake discs and drums.
plug in the center, and voila!, good combustion.YamahaAluminum casting operations include high pressure
looked beyond four valves to unlock even bettercasting of engine blocks and transmission and torque
combustion. In the early '80s (Yamaha had only been aconverter cases, low pressure casting of engine
serious producer of four-stroke engines for about tencylinder heads and gravity casting of pistons.Joe loves
years!) it experimented with a variety of head andhis motorcycle but he knows how to drive it safely.
valve configurations, even trying aLearn more at his blog here: Motorcycle Batteries and
seven-valve-per-cylinder (four intakes, three exhaust)More.