
Question: I'm curious how a fracture-split connecting rod is made. I suspect a sintered steel alloy is used, and that the material is somehow frozen or made cold enough to be rendered brittle. What exactly is the "wedge" used for the break? And I guess scribing marks are made on the inner...
Question: I have been reading Kevin's articles since early Cycle. Something that always starts an argument is what oil to use: synthetic or dino. Any opinion on that, Kevin? Mark Moran From Cycleworld.com Answer: This is a frequently asked question. In a very few cases, there have been engines...
It's long, it's weird, and it's no doubt polarizing. Welcome to the Travertson V-Rex, the topic of this week's Church of MO feature. The V-Rex is what happens when computer renderings based in science fiction turn into three-dimensional reality through creativity, clever engineering, and yeah, a...
Question: I theorize that one of the main reasons we don't have modern two-stroke streetbikes is that consumers prefer the sound and feel of a four-stroke. And when I look at the 40-year-old two-stroke technology of my three Kawasaki triples, I wonder what a truly modern two-stroke street bike...
Question: Kevin, I enjoy your writing very much and over the years have learned a great deal. Thank you. My question concerns the tightening of threaded fasteners. I believe supplied torque values are, unless stated otherwise, for dry components. However, if dry threads during assembly don't...
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...
Last column, Skidmarks – (Excelsior-Henderson) X Factor, I related the curious case of die-hard Excelsior-Henderson fans, men and women who love their motorcycles and loyally keep them running, year after year. I chatted with a few of them to get an idea of why they liked the big V-Twins so...