Rotary Enginges

[spydah]

I was thinking about the Motoczysz counterbalanced crank shaft design and how it supposedly changes the feel of the bike when cornering, and I started thinking about rotary engines in a bike.

Would it be and advantage to have additional centrifical force closer to the center of gravity? The bike would tend to resist lean more in either direction resulting in more use of the center of the tire. Additionally rotaries tend to rev higher than traditional engines which would result in less shifting.

Turns out there were a coulple for Nortons made with a rotary engine and the Suzuki RE-5 also had a rotary engine. The trend never caught on.

[TimD]

Yea I always thought Mazda should have gotten into the bike market with a rotary machine. From a space standpoint the Rotary engine could be made nice and narrow making a super thin frame (much like a V-twin), except the rotary engine would actually have a good specific power output.

I don't think having extra centrifugal force is necessarily a good thing though. It would make it more resistant to leaning, Resisting lean would only make it take more effort to steer, I don't think it would have any effect on the limits of the bike.

[brewmaster]

A few of the problems were that they had high fuel consumption/HP and over heating issues. However they made big HP for there size and weight! There is a guy currently club racing in the UK with a rotary engine, and if I remember correctly is doing well with it.

[RandyO]

all I know is that the old Artic Cat's with the wankel engines were freekin gas pigs

[Degsy]

Google Norton rotary

Wanna buy one?

[ZX-12R]

The sound of the 787B is intoxicating! (quad rotor)

Have a listen around 1:36

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ApXcVPA-0&feature=related[/youtube]

or just being started and revved:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9675TKafw3g[/youtube]

[mzdagrl]

Yea I always thought Mazda should have gotten into the bike market with a rotary machine.

Mazda actually started as a motorcycle company....don;t know if the bikes had rotary engines or not.

[Karaya One]

Go up to Eddies Vintage in Swanzey, NH. They have a running RE-5 Aron recently revived.

A neat bike. The engine itself may be a simple design, but everything else around it is insanely complicated and they do run ungodly hot - same problem the Nortons had. Plus the piss-poor gas mileage didn't help.

[DucDave]

I think they also have a problem meeting emission standards and while that isn't generally an issue in racing, it does limit the enthusiasm for commercial development...

Think I read somewhere that they offer little if any engine braking too...

[SVRACER01]

The sound of the 787B is intoxicating! (quad rotor)

Have a listen around 1:36

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ApXcVPA-0&feature=related[/youtube]

or just being started and revved:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9675TKafw3g[/youtube]

i love that car on Grand Turismo

[TimD]

Mazda actually started as a motorcycle company....don;t know if the bikes had rotary engines or not.

Really? never knew that, never saw anyone reference a Mazda bike.


Does look like someone though of putting a rotary in a motorcycle though... goofy

Mazda Rotary Engine Motorcycle - The Kneeslider

[deslock]

Mazda Rotary Engine Motorcycle - The Kneeslider

Yeah that thing gets 6 MPG. Heh.

I used to have an RX8; its handling, steering, shifter, and brakes are as good as it gets in a 4-seater... of all the cars I've owned, it's by far the most fun to drive. Doesn't have much torque, but its top-end is decent, the engine is super smooth, and that 9500 RPM fuel cutoff (in a stock car!) is some tasty

Anyway, here are a couple more rotary bikes:
2007 Norton Rotary Racer - Classic Motorcycle Guide - RealClassic.co.uk
Rotary Powered Motorcycle - RotaBike

[deslock]

Mazda actually started as a motorcycle company....don;t know if the bikes had rotary engines or not.

They didn't get into the rotary engine until the 1960s... AFAIK, they never put one in their weird 3-wheeler (that they started building in the 1930s).
Mazda-Go 3-wheel truck

[vintage ex race]

Suzuki built a rotary, the re5 and I believe it was Hercules built a rotary also I believe it is a w2000 model

[spydah]

Rotary Powered Motorcycle - RotaBike

Twin Rotor, 1300cc displacement
170 HP @ 7,750 RPM
130 ft-lbs Torque @ 3,700 RPM
153 lbs

Impressive!

[TimD]

Now that is awesome 2007 Norton Rotary Racer - Classic Motorcycle Guide - RealClassic.co.uk

588cc 170HP... thats what a rotary should be.

Never drove the rx8 but the FD rx7 was the most fun car I've ever driven completely stock, and also one of the most difficult to keep running right in factory form.