Concept bikes can be crazy weird looks at a possible future or be hints about new models to come. Some are even intended as near-production but never make it. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer run down a list of 10 concept bikes that might have been and one that actually made it to the streets of America. Hybrids, superchargers, inline-sixes, alternative front suspensions, and one called "Biplane"?! And if it has four wheels but leans, is it still a "motorcycle"?
If every combustion event in your motorcycle engine was the best it could be, power and efficiency could rise by as much as 20 percent! Find out how engineers and designers work toward this optimal goal and how chaos just keeps getting in the way. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Mark Hoyer talk about all the things that influence how the charge lights off in the cylinder of your motorcycle engine.
Leave it to Technical Editor Kevin Cameron to start in 1862 with the first guy who conceived the four-stroke combustion cycle. KC proceeds with Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer on the journey to the combustion chamber we have today and why it's shaped how it is, flatheads to hemis, two valve, four valves and more valves! There's so much to cover in such a small space. Join us!
Motorcycle manufacturers made some strange experiments as they looked for new customers or that novel idea that would create a new type of machine. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer go down a list of odd and wonderful machines that made it to the market--sometimes not for very long. Did you know about the two-wheel-drive dirtbike? The cruiser with the fabulously expensive front suspension? What's a Monotracer? Watch now and join us on this oddball journey.
What causes a world championship-winning rider/team owner to quit the factory racing world and build his own engines and chassis? FREEDOM! Kenny Roberts took the considerable talent of his Yamaha factory team and forged ahead alone, first with the Modenas KR3 and then the Proton KR5. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the development of these bikes, and manage to get a few other Alternative Engines in such as the Aprilia Cube three cylinder. Listen now!
Suzuki found early Grand Prix success with two-strokes in the early 1960s and it bloomed into 500cc championships in the '70s, '80s, and '90s and 2000s with riders like Scheene, Uncini, Lucchinelli, Schwantz and Roberts. Suzuki even scored one in MotoGP's four-stroke era. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor Mark Hoyer talk about Suzuki's early days in GP racing and the Hamamatsu company's rise to the top.
Honda's VF750F arrived in 1982 with is square-tube steel frame that elevated the motorcycling handling game to new heights and launched a production V-4 dynasty at Honda. AMA Superbike championships followed as did many remarkable motorcycles including VF1000R, RC30, RC45, VFR750, 800, and 1200, plus the amazingly exotic oval-piston NR750. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss the origins of the V-4 and its successes and failures.
Triumph died along with the British motorcycle industry in the 1970s, with last-gasps into the 1980s. Then John Bloor came along and breathed new life into the storied British brand. And it wasn't some half-hearted retro effort, the company jumped right into modern motorcycles. Now, the company is a Moto2 engine supplier, has a full high-performance retro line, a collection of sporting streetbikes and the world's largest-displacement cruiser. It's even making 450 and 250cc motocrossers! Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the resurgence and evolution of Triumph from the 1990s to the present.
There is so much old technology people think is new that it didn't fit in one episode! So join us for our second round of interesting motorcycle and engine technology that seems new but absolutely is not. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer hit the podcast running with roller tappets...Listen to hear about those and the rest of the items on the list!
BMW got serious about making motorcycle engines in 1923, when aircraft engine designer Max Friz delivered the first flat-twin to BMW. More than 100 years later, the Boxer engine remains the soul of BMW despite the company's success with many other engine layouts including the inline fours and sixes, plus singles and parallel twins. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss the evolution from that first flat twin to the remarkable R 1300 that powers the new R 1300 GS, R 1300 RT, and more.
Long before King of the Baggers, Harley-Davidson committed to Superbike racing and hit the track in the early 1990s with the VR1000. This 1000cc V-twin had all the right ingredients for success, but what happened? Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer take a dive into the building of the bike, its evolving specs, it ultimate retirement and so much more!
Glenn Curtiss was one of the great innovators of motorcycling and aircraft in the early days of the combustion engine. His V-8 and V-12 aircraft engines were legendary and record-setting on earth and in the sky. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron rates Curtiss as a hero, and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer agrees. We also have excellent technical information about land speed racing from a engineer/racer Wes Orloff who also rates Curtiss as a hero, and we examine Curtiss' speed record set on a beach in 1907.
Motorcycle frames were just glorified bicycle frames for a long time--spindly, flexible, poorly balanced. That all changed with a pair of clever Irish brothers who designed a motorcycle frame that revolutionized motorcycle handling--and it helped Norton remain a force in GP racing against higher horsepower motorcycles for years. It also changed motorcycling forever and helped us get to the exceptional handling motorcycles we have today.
Would you believe the great success of the Harley-Davidson Softail started in one man's private garage? Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the FX of 1971 and how the Softail was born, plus how Dyna fits into the picture.
https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/motorcycles/#bagger
This episode of the Cycle World Podcast is brought to you by Indian Motorcycle and its new Liquid-cooled PowerPlus 112 engine.
If you’re looking for the ultimate in American V-twin style and performance, Indian Motorcycle has your next bike. Powered by the new liquid-cooled PowerPlus 112 engine, the PowerPlus family—Chieftain PowerPlus, Indian Challenger, Roadmaster PowerPlus, and Indian Pursuit—are the most advanced and capable baggers and touring bikes Indian Motorcycle has ever offered. They’re built with The Power To Roam—designed for experienced riders who never lost the thrill and adrenaline of going fast on two wheels.
The PowerPlus lineup wears aggressive and chiseled lines that are a visual representation of their high-performance heart and showcases their function, presence, and performance potential. In addition, the new PowerPlus family is available with the most advanced and innovative set of Rider Assist Technologies ever offered by Indian Motorcycle, that put comfort, performance, and safety at your fingertips—all seamlessly integrated into the gorgeous 7-inch touchscreen powered by RIDE COMMAND.
If you’re a rider who demands the most exhilarating riding experience with zero compromises, values Distinctive American Style, and craves unmatched power, capability, and tech, the new PowerPlus family of bikes are for you. And starting at $26,499, now’s the time to experience them for yourself.
"Modern" technology used on motorcycles very often is nearly as old as the motorcycle itself! Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about stuff we think is new but actually was first used 50 or 100 years ago. They didn't even get through half the list so, hey, stay tuned for part 2 in the near future!
Indian's 2014 rebirth picked up the brand's story from where it left off, with the Thunderstroke 111 evoking the flat-head engine of yore and complemented by great big swoopy fenders, an image that clicked right into America's V-twin cultural brain. So much has happened since then, up to and including total dominance of American Flat Track racing with the FTR750, and multiple MotoAmerica King of the Baggers championships with the Challenger and its liquid-cooled PowerPlus 112 engine. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss Indian history and their firsthand looks inside Indian engines and development since the brand returned to the motorcycle market in earnest.
Just how much help is enough help from riders aids on a motorcycle? Will rocket blasts help you save the front one day (as in the thumbnail Photo by Bosch)? Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the first rider aids, the electronic revolution, and where we may be headed.
Ducati's rise to dominance in MotoGP has been profound. Many factors are at play, but Ducati has found corner speed and combined that with its dominant power, plus an ability to exploit rear grip to the maximum. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron dives in with Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer on how the relatively small Bologna-based manufacturer has found its winning formula.
Overhead cam, inline-four with four carburetors and four tailpipes, the Honda CB750 made previously exotic features into an affordable, reliable production motorcycle with great all-around performance and smoothness the world had never seen. The CB750 was an instant success for Honda and started the modern era of performance motorcycling. Join Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer as they discuss the origin of the CB750.
The 500cc V-8 racing engine by Moto Guzzi is one of the most exotic and beautiful Grand Prix powerplants ever made. Never mind that it never won a GP! Eight pipes, eight carburetors and spinning to 14,000 rpm, it revved DOUBLE the rpm of the famous Norton Manx 500cc single racing at the same time. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the Moto Guzzi V-8's origins, its development, and it untimely demise!
