
Question: Do two-strokes engines work better when they run leaded gas? And if so, why? TYLER CAREY CYCLEWORLD.COM Answer: All spark-ignition gasoline engines are limited in the compression ratio they can use by the onset of engine knock, or detonation. In racing, it has for 80 years been normal...
QUESTION: Would you please have Kevin Cameron comment on the benefits of a flat-plane crankshaft? (Thanks for the best technical explanations in print today.) Gordon Banks US Army, Retired Madison, AL ANSWER: The original reason for a flat-plane crank is that it gives an even 180-degree firing...
Valentino Rossi: "It would be really curious. But I guess that even if the 500 two-stroke bikes would be back, they would never be like the machines I rode. Electronics changes the character of the bikes. Anyway, I would really love to ride a 500cc two-stroke bike again!" Jorge Lorenzo: "No. I...
QUESTION: During this year's MotoGP race at Misano, Italy, the riders were switching bikes as the weather changed from dry to wet and back to dry again. As each entrant is limited to a fixed fuel quantity for every race, what procedures are in place to keep track of the total fuel used among the...
The new Indian Thunder Stroke 111 engine is running and I have seen it. Polaris Industries, a $3-billion-a-year corporation, bought the King's Mountain Indian business in April, 2011. What I have seen is an entirely new, free-standing design, sharing nothing with previous Indian revivals or...
We're willing to bet that most off-road enthusiasts are acutely aware of this by now, but in case you haven't heard, two-stroke off-road vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1997 are now prohibited from operation on public lands in California. For those of you operating two-stroke machinery...
Close your eyes and imagine your favorite motorcycle. What's the common thread of these motorcycles? They're elegantly simple, with little or no bodywork – two wheels, a motor and a gas tank. Everything else is as minimal, only as much equipage as you need to make the bike rideable. But so long...