Are you one of those guys who feels there’s just no substitute for cubic inches? Well, Bill Price thought you might like to know he’s designing an engine for you, it’s called the Bad Dog 215, as in 215 cubic inches. The sixty-degree air-and-oil-cooled 4-valve DOHC semi-unit 3500cc engine has a 6 inch bore and 4 inch stroke, connecting rods run side by side on a single throw crank. Main and rod bearings are from a 426 Hemi.

The engine will be unit construction incorporating a 6 speed transmission. It will not fit into any current standard frame and Bill plans to build one to handle the engine’s size and power. The engine will use a combination of CNC machined parts and off the shelf pieces. He’s just getting to the prototype building stage.

The complete power unit, including motor, six speed transmission, primary drive, fuel injection, ignition, engine management system with software, sensors, charging system, external oil pump and starter has an anticipated price of $40,000. Final MSRP has not yet been set. We anticipate having a firm price by mid 2009.

I always have had a soft spot for big engines with loads of power, it will be interesting to see if Bill can turn this out. See what happens when you give a guy a computer and CAD software? I like it.

Here’s a comparison to give you an idea of the size!

Link: Bad Dog Cycles

The Moto Engineering Foundation (MEF) has started the MotoStudent competition in Spain aimed at university students, where their goal is to design and build motorcycles leading to a competition against students from Spanish and other European universities and eventually worldwide. The students will use their engineering skills to build motorcycles under the real restrictions of time and budget, just like they will in the business world after graduation. The competition is similar to the Formula SAE competition here in the U.S.

This sort of competition brings the engineering theory into contact with hard parts and quickly shows the students that knowing and doing are often worlds apart. It looks like it is just getting started so if you are in one of the European countries and would like to get involved, check it out.

Thanks for the tip, Hugo!

Link: MotoStudent

A little over a year ago, Electric Motorsport gutted a Yamaha R1 and filled it with batteries and an electric motor. It looked a bit rough but it worked pretty well. They evidently learned quite a bit from that project because they’ve introduced the GPR-S, a lithium battery powered model that looks like a finished bike, no strapped on battery pack this time, with a 60 to 70 mph top speed and a 35 to 60 mile range depending on whether you’re running in power or economy mode. An onboard charger takes 4 hours to charge it back up or an optional speed charger does the trick in 1.5 hours. The price is $8000.00.

They also note the motor mounting system is industry standard so you can swap motors for another when you think it’s time to upgrade or if something better comes along.

All of the electric motorcycles coming out so far seem to be suitable for short commuter use or occasional errands and they seem ready for that right now. The range is still a little short for any more extended riding and the recharge time is the hurdle if you want to go much further. They’re very close but not quite there yet and battery development is the key. When better batteries come along, this market will explode. There’s a huge market waiting and I’m sure everyone working on batteries is painfully aware of that. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

One further thought/question: Electrics suffer from short range and long recharge time, but suppose we could solve one of those two, would it be better to have longer range and long recharge or short range and shorter recharge?

More questions: What would you consider acceptable range? What is acceptable recharge time?

Link: Electric Motorsport via Autobloggreen

BMW has issued a recall for some 2005-2006 BMW HP2 Enduro motorcycles for a problem with a fastener on the rear suspension. Please read the details below.

Manufacturer: BMW of North America
Model Year: 2005-2006
Models affected: HP2 Enduro
NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V564000
Potential Units Affected: 365
Problem: BMW is recalling 365 model year 2005-2006 HP2 Enduro motorcycles. The front threaded fastener of the paralever link may not have been tightened to correct specifications. If the fastener was not tightened according to specifications, it could loosen. Over time, it is possible for the fastener to separate from its housing. If this were to occur, then the final drive of the motorcycle would not be properly supported. If that happened, motorcycle handling would be compromised increasing the risk of a crash.

Corrective Action: Dealers will remove the front threaded fastener of the paralever link and replace it with an improved fastener. The recall is expected to begin during October 2008. Owners may contact BMW at 1-800-831-1117.

Ducati has issued a recall for 2008 Ducati Desmosedici for a fuel tank drain and breather hose problem. Please read the details below.

Manufacturer: Ducati
Model Year: 2008
Models affected: Desmosedici
NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V563000
Potential Units Affected: 289
Problem: Ducati is recalling 289 model year 2008 Desmosedici RR motorcycles. The fuel tank drain and breather hose clamps may be installed incorrectly. This nonconformity may cause the fuel lines to weaken and break. This can result in damage to the motorcycle and a potential hazard to the rider.

Corrective Action: Dealers will replace the fuel filler drain hose, the fuel breather hose, and the hose clamps will be replaced and repositioned free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided an owner notification schedule. Owners may contact Ducati at 1-800-231-6696.

Buell has issued a recall for some 2008 and 2009 Buell 1125R and 1125CR motorcycles for problems with the rear cylinder cam chain tensioner. Please read the details below.

Manufacturer: Buell Motorcycle Company
Model Year: 2008-2009
Models affected: 1125R, 1125CR
NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V554000
Potential Units Affected: 140
Problem: Buell is recalling 140 model year 2009 1125CR and model year 2008 1125R motorcycles. These motorcycles can experience a premature failure of the rear cylinder cam chain tension guide (part number F0020.1AM). This can cause plastic debris to block the oil pump screen, possibly leading to oil starvation and engine seizure. This condition may allow the engine to seize, resulting in rear wheel lock-up. This could result in a crash, which could cause injury or death to the rider.

Corrective Action: Dealers will replace the rear cam chain tensioner. The recall is expected to begin on or about October 20, 2008. Owners may contact Buell at 1-414-342-4680.

Two years ago when the Piaggio MP3 was getting all of the attention as the new tilting 3 wheeler, lots of other companies were trying to adapt the technology for use on motorcycles. Harley Davidson had their idea, the Brudeli Leanster showed up and more recently, Tilting Motor Works put a 2 wheel front end on a Vmax. The IRS1000 was another attempt that appeared back then. It looks pretty interesting but the company website is down now and the Italian company that built it is probably gone, too.

All of these designs use a different tilting mechanism up front but they all do pretty much the same thing. There may be tradeoffs involved with the various designs but unless we try them all, we won’t know which one is best.

Since the tilting 3 wheeler concept is proven as workable, you have to wonder what would happen if some builder decided to run with this idea on a sportbike, like the IRS1000 shown here. The only question I have is what kind of market there is and who would build it. Would a builder do it and offer conversions or kits or would a manufacturer do it and offer something in their showroom? Either way, I have to believe there’s potential here.

More photos below: Read the rest of this entry »

The Fine Art of the Motorcycle Engine by Daniel Peirce is a photographic tribute to the essence of what many of us find so attractive about motorcycles in the first place, a tribute to the heart of the machine, the mechanical motive force, … the engine. In today’s world of plastic covered streamlined shapes, where too much emphasis is put on lap times or light weight, this book takes its time to simply present the engine, unadorned by anything other than what the designer created, no more, no less.

Daniel Peirce is a photographer who spent years shooting pets, weddings, sporting events, all of the usual subjects. The idea of a project focusing on motorcycle engines evolved slowly and somewhat by chance. An early catalog shot of a V-Twin, another of an XR-750 for a magazine article, numerous photos at the Lake O’ The Pines Rally, then a motorcycle magazine photo shoot for the owner of the Up-N-Smoke BBQ Restaurant. A clue here, a nudge there and soon, the Up-N-Smoke Engine Project was born.

The engines on display in this book are found everywhere from local shows to the the Up-N-Smoke parking lot and of course, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. The photos are all part of a series that Dan sells individually as posters. Combined into this book, they’re a visual treat that hooks any motorhead into turning the pages to see what’s up next.

The book is not a technical treatise, no specs or histories of engines, just a photographic display of mechanical shapes and forms with an easy reading story of Dan’s project as it developed. Dan also includes a section that shows the steps involved in turning the initial engine shot into the finished photo, if you’ve ever wondered how that parking lot photo turns into something that looks like it was done in a studio, here’s the quick how-to.

In the earlier air cooled era, cooling fins and oil lines, pushrod tubes and gear levers, made for a pleasing mechanical look. Hide their mechanical heart and motorcycles quickly lose their appeal to those of us who like to stare at steel and aluminum. If you are one of those who would rather see functional metal than decal covered plastic, this is definitely worth a look.

Link: The Fine Art of the Motorcycle Engine