Among the entries for the S&S Cycle 50th Anniversary Build Off was the Wakan Motorcycles Track Racer Special. It didn’t make the cut as one of the winners but to my eyes it was the best of the bunch. It looks very similar to their Wakan 1640 we’ve written up previously, sort of a refined version of their earlier bike, and judging from the interest in V-Twin sport bikes around here, I bet more than a few of you would think this one looks pretty good, too. More photos below:
Link: Wakan Motorcycles
chris says
Absolutely gorgeous. I’d like to see them do a half naked sport tourer; with a bit more of an up-right seating position and comfy seat to make it an everyday tarmac eating rider.
Lttlcheeze says
Oh you mean, you basically you want them to build an Aprilia Falco (and no I’m not biased just because I have one) 😉
Henri says
I think they blew it with the pipes. they should have gone Beull-like with short pipes under the bike.
as it is the pipes distract too much from the flow of the bike
Derek says
too much fairing. looks twice as big as it should be. agreed should have ran the exhaust down low (like my Buell). if keeping the exhaust out there, should have been a “Thunderheader”. or better yet, put a “Thunderheader” up under. where does it breath from?
kneeslider says
Derek, “where does it breath from?”
If you look closely at this bike and also at their previous Wakan 1640, you’ll see a scoop above what appears to be the tank. The scoop on this bike is connected through the front fairing and gets air from the front in ram air fashion.
The fuel filler is on the tail but, while previously on the 1640, the fuel tank was in front of the rear wheel, on this bike it appears to be the area below the engine, which may explain their reluctance to put an exhaust pipe down there.
Derek says
so the fuel has to go from the lowest point on the bike to the highest, then to the motor? That doesn’t seem logical.
todd says
Looks real nice. Though I’m not a fan of fairings this one looks well designed. Having the gas down low would help overcome the handling differences that running through a tank of fuel causes – full vs. empty. I wonder if it uses some sort of suspension powered fuel pump like some old racers?
-todd
hoyt says
The low fuel would still technically change the handling characteristics of this design. An empty tank would have a higher c of g with this design. Admittedly, it probably is not as apparent with a fuel tank in the “standard” top position.
The best way to eliminate that affect is with aluminum frame spars doing double-duty as a “tank” where the weight is centralized. A great design has parts that do the work of 2 or more functions.
Wakan has mentioned somewhere before where they did not want to cover the 45 degree V-twin engine, so the optimum functional design of the aluminum spars/petrol tank is out of the question for them.
todd says
It’s an interesting subject. with horizontal weight distribution is it best to be closer to the imaginary line between the axles or as close to the ground as possible? I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anything conclusive (or bothered looking).
I think one problem (though hardly detectable) to this design may be that there is less heat radiated to the fuel from the heads. It’s good to have a cool intake air charge for more air and hot fuel that atomizes more readily and uniformly. The cool fuel combined with large intake sizes may cause the engine to run poorly at lower RPMs where intake velocity and fuel atomization is low. This is all speculation and it probably works fine in reality.
Like Hoyt said, the Wakan is more geared to beautiful design than winning races so a little rough running may be something most potential owners are willing to live with. Buells probably keep their fuel at a more ideal, uniform warmth due to the large area of tank wrapped around the engine. But then, they don’t have a 1640 engine…
-todd
Clive Makinson-Sanders says
Is that an oil cooler? To cool a 1640cc engine? My 803cc has a larger oil cooler than that. But yeah, its a show bike.
WRXer says
“on this bike it appears to be the area below the engine, which may explain their reluctance to put an exhaust pipe down there.”
The original Confederate Wraith prototype used a similar design where the gas tank was under the engine. (Not sure about the production bike) This helps keep the COG nice and low, and because you are dealing with a fluid you can sculpt the tank to fit where you need it to.
While this might seem a radical design step for a bike, remember that virtually every car on the road ALSO has the gas tank slung low. So you can consider this just a new application of an old idea.
Dr. Gellar says
Great-looking machine!! Regarding a previous topic on the Kneeslider about the potential of a big-twin roadracing series, this is a prime example of such a race bike right here. Very cool! I would love to read an article about how it would perform at a track test.
Hugo says
They tried an under-engine on a racebike (can’t remember which one…) but the rider didn’t like it at all. I think the Buell philosphy of tring to concentrate everything around the CoG is the best; a low CoG isn’t always good (for instance in wet conditions) and you can’t compare a car with a motorcycle, completey different dynamics
Nathan says
Short pipes like a buell?
Well thats what it would look like. and theres nothing special about those plastic things.
I really think they have something special here.
ROHORN says
Freddie Spencer’s 1984 Honda NSR500 GP bike had the tank under the engine. Comparing that one to this one is seriously stretching things. I’m guessing the TRS has a LOT higher CG than the NSR, with and without the rider on it.
The fairing looked a little ponderous to me – until I figured how it would look with the rider on board. I’m pretty sure that’s what the bike is intended for. Many happy track days to those who buy them…….
Nathan says
Could France have made anything more beautiful? Other than their women – – I’d say no. Still, I’d probably turn my attention from a brunette bending over to pick up her lipstick tube if someone rode by on this masterpiece. 1640cc and all you get is 120bhp. (At least that’s the stat on the roadster) The engine makes for one hell of a wonderful center piece, but it will forever be hidden in the past compared to similar displacement inline machines. The truth is – – I don’t care enough to dismiss it. One of these days I’d love to see a 1000cc triple setting in there though. That would start to turn some heads. As for the exhaust, it’s simply lovely just the way it is. They struck their artsy mark with it tapering off the way that it does. The only problem I see is that your leg might get a little hot while leaning into the corners, but those plates might displace enough heat that you’ll never notice. Also the seat would be hard on the bum after a day of cruising. I come from the world of bicycling so that’s not a problem for me. Overall, they got cheated out of that build-off. Wonderful bike.