Ride Motion in Australia says they are coming to Speedweek with a bike powered by an aircraft engine. At first, I said "no way" thinking that motorcycles engines were required on motorcycles. On reading the rule book however, I can't find that to be true. Anyone know differently? The AMA events like BMST DO require motorcycle engines. Here is the article:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/motorcycles/ride-motion-s-creation-could-be-the-quirkiest-three-cylinder-bike-out-there/ar-AAUrq4P?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531 (https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/motorcycles/ride-motion-s-creation-could-be-the-quirkiest-three-cylinder-bike-out-there/ar-AAUrq4P?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531)
Don
As someone much smarter than me might have said "if it's an engine powering a motorcycle then it's a motorcycle engine".
Well it obviously falls in Special Construction (A).... it's a one of kind race bike.... I hope they make it to SpeedWeek. It certainly looks like a cool project.
2021 SCTA rule book, page 143.
7.J.12
Any reciprocating non-motorcycle engine which uses the Otto cycle may run in Streamliner and Sidecar Streamliner classes only. Supercharged engines do not advance class size.
that looks like a variant of the Moto Guzzi motor used in Israeli drones. If so, maybe motorcycle roots could be claimed. Given that frame, certainly A/special.
Speedy Babs ran a 2-stroke opposed 4 cylinder drone engine in 1970 or so
That's a cool engine, I'd be interested in one of those for my gyrocopter. Rotech Radial engines are in Adelaide, I wonder if this engine is coming from them!
Sid.
Nope, not Rotech. Here's more.
Sid.
https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2021/06/eotw-radial-motions-three-cylinder-compact-radial-engine/
It's an Australian Build, and was planning to be running this year at DLRA speed week
Matt Sheppard and Mat Kennedy who have previously run a BSA
As far as I know, there is nothing in the DLRA rule book that excludes it from special construction
https://www.radialmotion.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/sheppardmotorcycles/
G
Well it looks built for universal application.... in all types of vehicles... an argument could be made that it is an experimental motorcycle engine... in a one off racing bike... If they decided they could build an sell 50 it could then run in Modified!
:cheers:
Bike looks wicked cool. If I were them, I'd check in with SCTA tech to be sure before shipping it from Oz. I get the sense that that engine was built for aircraft, and this might be the first time it will be used for a land vehicle? Kinda hard to argue it's multipurpose, if that's the case.
I don't know... looking at Sid's link the engine builder has it configured for multi-use... installed in cars, 4 wheelers, trikes.... and I guess some drones... :naughty
Sure, they could make that argument, but I'd be worried that the SCTA folks would consider it a 'non-motorcycle engine', and not allow it in a sit-on class.
The original intent of my question when posting this was where in the SCTA rule book does it say motorcycle engines are required on motorcycles? Speed reading through the motorcycle section did not show where that is overtly stated. I know that in streamliner M/Cs you can use any engine. The AMA rule book clearly states that motorcycle engines are required in all classes (except for diesel, solar/electric and "other").
Does the SCTA rulebook specifically state M/C engines are required?
Don
Quote from: donpearsall on March 02, 2022, 12:51:34 PM
The original intent of my question when posting this was where in the SCTA rule book does it say motorcycle engines are required on motorcycles? Speed reading through the motorcycle section did not show where that is overtly stated. I know that in streamliner M/Cs you can use any engine. The AMA rule book clearly states that motorcycle engines are required in all classes (except for diesel, solar/electric and "other").
Does the SCTA rulebook specifically state M/C engines are required?
Don
Quote from: salt27 on March 01, 2022, 09:16:13 AM
2021 SCTA rule book, page 143.
7.J.12
Any reciprocating non-motorcycle engine which uses the Otto cycle may run in Streamliner and Sidecar Streamliner classes ONLY.
Don, The word "only" at the end of the first sentence under 7.J.12 makes it pretty clear to me.
Wasn't there some kind of issue with the "Boss Hoss" bikes and the small block Chevy?
Don
Check out this Youtube site if you want to see a motorcycle engine made from airplane parts. A 300 cu. in. vee twin made from the cylinder assemblies from a
P&W 1340 radial. This guy, Allen Millyard, builds some interesting motorcycles and engines with pretty low tech equipment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Xr1bmbZ_s
Rex
I remember reading about a guy down under that sawed two cylinders off a Merlin and made a bike that once a year he would go thru town at 200 mph! :cheers:
I think the engine was just idling? :-o
Regarding Speedy Babs - when I was in the US Army air farce we played war games in the Mojave desert. Saw lots of downed drones. I told one of the helicopter pilots about Speedy and he decided he needed a bike like that! He went out with a two seat chopper and picked one up. When you take off you drop the nose and that's when your drone engine falls out of the seat and into the rudder pedals. This is NOT a good thing! Somehow he managed to not crash and decided that Speedy was nuts and the engine is probably still out there on the old range! :cheers:
At the last BMST,
there were a couple of guys making passes on an Artic Cat snowmobile powered bike.
They said the bike wasn't legal to run for a record in AMA but it is legal in the FIM.
IDK if this is 100% correct or not, but they seemed to know a lot more about the issue than I did and
they were making plans to return this year and run FIM.
I agree with salt27 above about Rule 7.J.12. Under that rule I believe your engine WOULD qualify to run in the unlimited engine classes UG or UF, but you'd need to run it in frame class S (Streamliner) or in SCS (Sidecar Streamliner). I think it MIGHT qualify to run in the pushrod engine classes PF, PG, PBF or PBG (which wouldn't be as restrictive regarding frame classes), but that depends on where the cam is located or on how long the pushrods are. (see Rule 7.J.9) The pushrod classes are the ONLY classes that use the broad term "motorcycle engine"; all the others define an engine more restrictively in ways that I think would exclude this engine.
Caveat: I am neither an attorney nor an SCTA tech guy. I try to read the rulebook as if I were, but there's no guarantee that what I think is true is in fact true. :| Good luck!
Dean
While it is a novel idea to use an airplane motor, aren't most of them designed to run at a certain rpm range and engineered more for durability, rather than top performance?
Ed, it did say it would rev to 10K... I think most airplane engines will go to 3500, but run most of their lives at 2450.... it's a prop thing....
Bob....Careful with the "P" word.....😇
Jer, I think I Probably Peed my Pants laughing! lol8 lol8
Frankly, I think it's a bad idea. :dhorse: :roll:
Wayno
Just had to pitch that in Woody....
The Co making these engines is less than 5 minutes from me , went and had a chat today , they make a lot of variants, air cooled , water cooled , carbureted, injected , turbo ed . they have orders for engines to fit VW COMBI s and VW beetles , some are in 356 Porsche s . the LS engine will be 2L and about 220hp NA, they intent to progress with other spec engines . there was an injected engine with a single FBW throttle body on their dyno
have a look at their web sight , the staff history tells a story to the people there .
www.bespokeengineering.com
they have also made bodywork for some Aussi MPS bikes
cheers
harky
i should add , i have no commercial interest or association with this company, what i wrote could be interpreted that i may . They are so close to where i live , i had to have a look
harky