Radial engine 750cc - I want one :)

[Jemma Hawtrey]

Verdel 1912 Radial

Now that I like. Funny that the two 'oil pans' are nothing less than the old school desk plastic draws that I remember from school when I was a kid.

Now all we need is someone who can machine up a engine using 5 26cc strimmer cylinders/internals and we're away

Jemma xx

 

[jasonh]

lol, that's awesome.

 

[Norman]

That bike gets my vote it is cool I'd like to hear it run.
Notice it to is a single speed no tranny.

 

[Jemma Hawtrey]

That bike gets my vote it is cool I'd like to hear it run.
Notice it to is a single speed no tranny.

Yeah, I did notice that. Either there wasnt enough space for a gearbox or the engine had enough torque without needing one. I would bet on a mixture of the two because it would be a slow running long stroke engine back then...

I would also wonder how it would handle because of the gyroscopic nature of the running engine - im just not sure whether it would make it less or more stable than a normal bike

Jemma xx

 

[stude13]

check out knee slider for a radial bike.

 

[jasonh]

For it to want to stay upright, doesn't a gyro have to rotate horizontally, not vertically?

I was actually thinking about how gyro stabilization would work on a bike the other day...

 

[jasonh]

VintageBike.co.uk - Picture of radial engined Verdel

Here's a modern twist...how bizarre.
Gatsby Radial Engine Motorcycle by Paul Yang - The Kneeslider

 

[Jemma Hawtrey]

For it to want to stay upright, doesn't a gyro have to rotate horizontally, not vertically?

I was actually thinking about how gyro stabilization would work on a bike the other day...

Gyroscopic action works along the plane of the gyroscope...

google - gyrobike and you'll see what I mean.

Back in the day the sopwith aircraft company produced a petite little scout plane with a 110hp bentley/le clerget rotary engine.. when installed the rotation of the engine was to the right of the aircraft from the pilots seat.

It was known for killing novice pilots for the simple reason that because the engine spun to the right the aircraft would turn to the right about 3 times as fast as to the left because the gyroscoping force pulled it that way naturally..

More experienced pilots used this to their advantage in either beading an enemy scout or getting the **** out of it when you needed to. Just because of the engines rotation the Camel scout would out turn pretty much anything in the air up to at least 1919 - you just had to remember to turn right...

While that bike doesnt use a rotary motor - so the gyroscopic force is less - its all along the one plane which so far as I can tell if it has any effect at all would make the bike 'stand up' when power is applied (i.e. the bike would want to stay up more when you wanted to take a turn) which could make things fairly interesting if you're used to riding a standard motorbike.

Jemma xx

 

[datz510]

Actually, theres a company making NEW radial engine motorcycles.. JRL i believe.

Here is a video of one in action:
YouTube - Radial engine motorcycle

And the company that makes it:
FAQ

 

[jasonh]

ah, I see.

so if you mounted 2 spinning motors spinning vertically perpendicular to forward so one motor rotates clockwise and one counterclockwise, then the bike should theoretically want to stay upright and tracking straight.

Start turning right and the counterclockwise motor shuts down helping the bike make a sweet right turn, and the same for making the left turn, but opposite.

Man, now I'm off an a crazy tangent, I think I'll just leave it there.

Back to your regularly scheduled topic

 

[Jemma Hawtrey]

ah, I see.

so if you mounted 2 spinning motors spinning vertically perpendicular to forward so one motor rotates clockwise and one counterclockwise, then the bike should theoretically want to stay upright and tracking straight.

Start turning right and the counterclockwise motor shuts down helping the bike make a sweet right turn, and the same for making the left turn, but opposite.

Man, now I'm off an a crazy tangent, I think I'll just leave it there.

Back to your regularly scheduled topic

Its not quite that simple - but that is the system used with handed engines on aircraft - one turns clockwise, the other counter-clockwise so you dont get engine induced torque steer like you would otherwise

Jemma xx

 

[datz510]

The way these radial engines are used on the bikes, you wouldnt have any more gyroscopic effect than a normal engine on a bike. The radial engines that would induce gyroscopic effects have the entire engine rotating (as is done in aircraft for cooling of the engines, etc).

 

[Jemma Hawtrey]

Radial engines and rotary engines are two different things... in one the casing spins round a fixed crank and pistons... in the other the casing is fixed and the crank is free spinning.

Both will impart some gyroscopic motion from the rotational forces of the pistons and associated hardware spinning at speed. The only engine that doesnt do that is something like the DB610 - which is two handed engines geared into one... and they have their own problems

Jemma xx