Radial engine

[Warthog]

Anyone seen one of these before? (hope its not a duplicate)

http://img1.putfile.com/thumb/10/27806551758.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=3595141)

[BillyC]

Classic radial piston engine, as used on aircraft for much of the past 100 years.

The main characteristics are that they're extremely reliable - the design means that one or two cylinders can stop functioning, and the engine still runs. While they don't necessarily run fast, they produce huge amounts of torque - ideal for aircraft.

Not seen one on a motorbike before - very unusual, but no bad idea either.

[Warthog]

Well yes, I meant on a bike :P
I think I would very much like to try that baby out but only with a twin Lewis gun mounted on top :D

[shao]

There was a couple in MCN a few weeks back, that was one of them, the other had the engine rotated 90 degrees, ill see if i can find a pic...
http://thekneeslider.com/images/radialmotorcycle2.jpg

Definitely a talking point...

[Grinch]

did someone say... "huge amounts of torque"... now I wants one.

[weazelz]

I mis-read that as rotary for a minute (not wankel rotary) - riding along with those cylinders spinning between your knees would be hair-raising

the torque reaction on the longitudinally-mounted one must be intersting too!

[Jabba]

http://thekneeslider.com/images/radialmotorcycle2.jpg

That's an awful lot of front cylinders to conk-out in the rain :lol:

[northwind]

That top one is absolutely gorgeous... Wouldn't want to bin it though.

[Warthog]

the torque reaction on the longitudinally-mounted one must be intersting too!

Hehe interesting point! hope the bike doesn't flip round :P

[wyrdness]

I mis-read that as rotary for a minute (not wankel rotary) - riding along with those cylinders spinning between your knees would be hair-raising

the torque reaction on the longitudinally-mounted one must be intersting too!

The engine doesn't rotate - just the crankshaft. See here:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/radial-engine2.htm

I never understood how those rotating aircraft ones worked.

[weazelz]

I mis-read that as rotary for a minute (not wankel rotary) - riding along with those cylinders spinning between your knees would be hair-raising

the torque reaction on the longitudinally-mounted one must be intersting too!

The engine doesn't rotate - just the crankshaft. See here:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/radial-engine2.htm

yes, I know, but a rotary one does


I never understood how those rotating aircraft ones worked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_engine

"...instead of having an orthodox fixed cylinder block with rotating crankshaft, the crankshaft remains stationary and the entire cylinder block rotates around it"

[shao]

http://www.keveney.com/Engines.html
Probably been posted somewhere on here before, but definitely worth a look if you havent seen them, the engine weazelz refers to would be a Gnome Rotary (by their naming conventions at least, there's definitely room for interpretation, i tend to assume wankel if someone referrs to rotary engines, as in RX7/8) Anyway, good set of animations, and very helpful for figuring out how the heck some of these engines actually work.