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Vento 3 Cylinder Motorcycle and ATV Engine

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Vento 3 cylinder 400cc engineVento introduced their new 3 cylinder motorcycle and ATV engine yesterday. It’s an interesting read. The press release sounds a lot like Erik Buell talking about his new V-Twin, bringing design in house and being involved in every aspect of development, read it yourself and see if you don’t agree. Hmm …

The other interesting aspect of this engine is that this is the one Vento was trying to find design ideas for when they looked for input from J.T. Nesbitt, formerly of Confederate Motorcycles.

Vento press release:

Vento Motorcycles, U.S.A., a manufacturer of distinctive motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and off-road bikes for motorcyclists and power sports enthusiasts around the world, today announced the first engine designed specifically for Vento’s products. The new three cylinder, 400 cc, 30 horsepower engine, the most powerful three-cylinder ATV engine ever built, is the first American-made engine to be designed and used by Vento.

Scheduled to be released in a variety of new 2008 Vento ATVs and middle-weight motorcycles, the new air/oil-cooled engine, which is designed for sport and recreation vehicles, was engineered for Vento by an Australian motorcycle engine company, styled by Vento’s U.S. design team, and will be assembled in the company’s Laredo, Texas, assembly plant. Vento’s new 30 hp engine is designed to be powerful enough to move riders of all sizes, but mild enough to provide control for beginning and recreational riders.

“The launch of the new engine is a major accomplishment for Vento in that it represents our shift from importing engines to designing and building our own. By bringing the design, manufacturing and assembly of our engines in-house, we’re bringing to market a quality, reliable, powerful engine, that will power a variety of new products in our growing family of motorcycles and ATVs,” explained Mario Cisneros, Marketing Director for Vento Motorcycles. “As we evaluated other existing engine designs, it became very apparent to us that to obtain the quality, reliability, performance, and affordability that we required, we would have to go to the drawing board and design and manufacture the engine ourselves. We were involved in every aspect of this engine’s design, including the cosmetics, outsourced the manufacture of each component, and have moved the assembly to our plant in the United States to ensure that our products meet and exceed our high quality assurance standards. This accomplishment makes a statement to the industry that differentiates us from the other importers and motorcycle manufacturers.”

Posted on Filed Under: Engines, Motorcycle Business

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Comments

  1. Very interesting. If the quality is good (historically a question with Vento), and the price is low (usually a given with Vento), this might be a fun engine to throw into a light weight bike. I mean, where else are you going to find a pint sized triple?

  2. its a good idea we need more aftermarket engines, were we can just buy the engine we want with a basic wire harness or what not and then put in a frame we like and get too it. I hate it that the only option if you want to build your own bike is to build a chopper. I would love to see more engines like these.

  3. I love the idea of a small triple like this, but it seems like they should have been able to squeeze more than 30hp out of it…

  4. A number of years ago I spoke with Mario Cisneros of Vento in person about the possibility of building a 350 / 400 road going bike. He mentioned they were developing this engine and was interested in my enthusiasm to put it in a bike (his words were more like “Why?”). I tried to convince him that this is an underserved market niche and they could corner the market, especially with an uprated roadster. It seemed like he was considering the idea.

    I’ve tried to contact since to see if it’s going anywhere without any luck.

    -todd

  6. Todd, that link to J.T. Nesbitt’s site, which I included in my post, has great design ideas. Unfortunately, Vento didn’t seem to like any of them so it remains to be seen what they actually do with this engine.

  7. J.T. Nesbitt’s designs are great. But I have to agree that an I-3 400 should put out more than 30-HP. The Piaggio single 398cc scooter engine puts out 35.3-HP while the T-max twin 449cc scooter engine puts out 43.7-HP. Also, since they are targeting “beginning and recreational riders” while competing head-to-head with a lot of scooters in that engine size they should really offer the motorcycle with an optional automatic transmission.

  8. 30hp from a 400 is not bad and pretty much in line with what 400’s have always been; the Yamaha XS400 triple had about 25-27hp. Considering that a 400 or 500cc scooter weighs about 400 or 500 pounds this should be quite a bit more sporting than those.

    Let’s hope that Vento sees fit to offer a base model and an up-rated version. Something with Ohlins grade suspension and high quality brakes to up the ante and create more appeal. I don’t agree that just because something has 30hp it should be designed like a cheap bike or look less considered.

    I understand Vento’s decision to not persue Nesbitt’s designs. They are a bit Old School (or High School…) and a large company the scale of Vento should be able to afford a much more critical approach to the bike’s design execution.

    -todd

  9. Air cooled. Hmmm. Wonder how they keep the middle cylinder running at a close enough temperature to the outer two to pass emissions?

    Tom

  10. I think Nesbitt’s design for the Confederate Wraith is sublime. But, the designs for the triple (and some of the other bikes at the Bienville site) look like school kid doodles done in study hall. I think he may have had just one good design in him.

  11. I feel I have to say that some of you obviously have no idea what goes into design work..

    First are sketches.. Then more technical drawings to get scale/proportions right. The “high-school” drawings are only the second step. Fleshed-out, proper proportions, measurements, etc.. If the customer doesn’t like it at this point, you don’t proceed. BTW, if y’all had seen the same process for the Wraith, you’d all be surprised, and would probably bite your tounges…

    The customer (in this case, Vento) didn’t like this *style* of vehicle. We posted only the ones that were rejected. Due to contract, the “approved” designs will never be seen except by Vento release. It is not our place to show a customer’s design process, except in the case of the 400cc motor… That was approved to get feedback.

    The only thing I can say on the subject of what they will probably release, is a cruiser-type motorcycle. Powers that be in Vento see the cruiser market as being the viable source of revenue at this time. Any hopes y’all have of a mid-weight sportbike in this category will just have to wait a bit longer.

    JT has taken a different course over the last year, to decompress from the M/C thing. Check out the “Stinkin’ Linkin'” page for what he’s been up to.

    -dave

  12. Good point Dave. On my own design work (not bike related), I’ve given up on showing non-designers much of the early stages of the work simply because most people are not abstract enough thinkers to fully understand preliminary sketches. Concrete thinkers need more detailed and photorealistic renderings.

    As far as hoping for a middle weight standard or sport bike, I’m not expecting anyone to do it. Hopefully this will be a solid engine that could then be bought at a reasonable price from Vento. One could then put the engine into their choice of frame.

  13. Concrete thinkers see a design sketch and immediately start conceptualizing the actual implementation AND the production line that will make it.

    The people you are showing it to are probably just stupid.

  16. well, since Drysdale is the guy who designed the prototype, it’s not that much of a stretch… 😉

    Working on a street-bike for this motor as I type this, Just waiting on pricing from vento.

  17. Somebody say automatic? I would love to buy a small three cylinder 400 motorcycle with a low seat so I can put both feet on the ground and an automatic transmission but they need to do better than the scooter automatics which feel sloppy and hesitate when you want to get going fast from a stop.

  18. Well dave, I missed where the Vento site mentioned Drysdale designed the motor… I’m not surprised though. Now I’m really itching for a V6.

  19. 18 comments and no one asked any techical questions about this motor. Is it a twin cam? Four valves per cylinder? Uses carbs? How many speeds does it have? Don’t motorheads read this site. I think you could build a cool bike with this motor. A RD for the 21st century!