
When I recently flew to California for the Cycle World Ten Best celebration, the car I rented rubbed my nose in two technologies currently little used in motorcycles—direct fuel injection (GDI, or Gasoline Direct Injection), and widely variable cam timing by means of hydraulic cam phasers. Cars...
When Yamaha designed its TZ750A engine more than 40 years ago, certain shortcuts were necessary to get it into production quickly. To avoid the problem of making a pressed-together crankshaft four cylinders wide, they built that engine with two separate 180-degree twin cranks that were closely...
While it's true that many production motorcycles have over the years lubricated their gears by "splash" (that is, by filling the gearbox with oil up to the shaft centerlines or thereabouts), this method has drawbacks. The biggest is power loss through oil churning. Everyone who ran one of...
When I first started going to races, people were fond of the dramatic. Your bike didn't just stop running, it "blew up." Blow-ups were common. Unlike the present, production bikes were nowhere near being "raceable." To get something close to reliability, your bike had to be built by someone with...
The various parts of an engine have differing lubrication needs. Gears, with their very high tooth-to-tooth loads, and cam-to-tappet friction, place the greatest loads on oil. Crankshaft main and connecting-rod bearings operate at moderate temperature, but the top piston rings and the exhaust...
Word is spreading like wildfire today about the new Honda RC213V-S, the street-legal MotoGP replica that will be sold as a 2016 model for a cool $184,000. Starting at 3:00 p.m. PST on July 12, reservations for this limited-production bike can be made only at the bike's official website:...
2014 BMW S 1000 R BMW Motorrad Press Release Edited by webBikeWorld.com Introduction November 12, 2013 - The BMW S 1000 R is the new high-performance roadster based on the BMW S 1000 RR (report). Superbike riding dynamics and powerful, emotive roadster styling are the hallmarks of the new BMW S...