I'm going to name three things and you're going to have to tell me what they all have in common:
- Alaska
- Dahuofang Water Tunnel
- Triumph Rocket III
Have you figured it out, yet? Okay, I'll give you a few more seconds.
Time's up. The answer? They're all really, really big.
Alaska is the largest of the 50 U.S. states. It's more than twice as big as Texas, the next largest state. The Dahuofang Tunnel is a 53-mile-long water tunnel in China and is the longest tunnel in the world. Finally, the Rocket III has the biggest engine of any mass-produced motorcycle. It's a massive 2,292 cc (2.3L) inline three.
To put the size of the Rocket's engine in comparison, the V8 in the Daimler SP250 Dart was 2.5L; Ferrari's first V12 was 1.5L; Harley's biggest current engine is 1.8L; and Triumph's next largest triple is 1.2L.
And it's just not the engine that's big on the Rocket. Everything about the bike is big. It's length is a massive 98 inches, longer than the wheelbase of my '75 Corvette. The gas tank holds 6.3 gallons of fuel. And the weight? It's a ground-pounding 807 lbs for the RIII Roadster and a whopping 869 lbs for the RIII Touring. That's twice the weight of a Triumph Daytona 675, also a triple.
Alright, we've established that the RIII is an oil tanker-sized motorcycle with a big ol' boat anchor of an engine. What kind of power does this lump produce, then? In the RIII Roadster, the 2.3L triple puts out 146 bhp. That's a lot in some respects but not a lot in others. A liter sports bike like the BMW S1000RR will touch 200 bhp. In this case, the Bimmer puts out 193 bhp The 1.7L v-four in the Yamaha VMAX, a close competitor, puts out 174 bhp.
The real trump card for the Rocket is the torque responsible for propelling this machine down the road. That big ol' boat anchor belts out 163 ft.lbs at a diesel-like 2,750 rpm. Ninety percent of that torque is available at 2,000 rpm. The VMAX puts out a piddling 113 ft.lbs way up at 6,600 rpm. And the BMW with all that horsepower? It puts out a positively microscopic 83 ft.lbs all the way up at 9,750 rpm. Pathetic.
The RIII is a celebration of all things big. It's no wonder the model was introduced first in the U.S., the country that loves big, in 2003. To continue my theme of unique and oddball motorcycle, the RIII fits perfectly. This bike is an excess-is-best approach that one can't help but enjoy. I think the RIII is a fantastic bike and it makes all the other supposedly big cruisers look like play things. Cruiser guys love to talk about engine size but nothing short of a Boss Hoss can touch a Rocket in that department.
And the RIII isn't just some fat lump. It's fast, too, and quite a good handler. Triumph originally marketed the RIII as a pure cruiser but the traditional buyers didn't know what to make of it. The RIII was then re-branded as a muscle bike and a tourer and I think it's found its niche. The Roadster is the muscle bike, all black and sinister, and the Touring is the, um, tourer, all soft and chrome. I think the RIII makes more sense this way. Triumph was never going to steal sales from HD with the RIII and this lets the bike be free to go its own way.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Two-Wheeled Twins
When one thinks of Moto Guzzi, the mind naturally goes to longitudinal v-twins and shaft drive. That layout is synonymous with the brand. All their current models use this layout.
During the De Tomaso years, though, a number of inline fours were produced with the Guzzi name on the tank. Guzzi shared De Tomaso ownership with Benelli during the 70s. To confront the Japanese superbike onslaught, Benelli copied a Honda 500 four and added two more cylinders, creating the six-cylinder Sei. Smaller versions of the Sei with four cylinders were produced, badged as the Quattro. Due to the hard work of the Badge Engineering Department at De Tomaso, versions of the Benelli fours rolled out of the plant with Moto Guzzi badging on them.
While the 400 and 500 Quattros were fairly middle of the road by the day's standards, one particular model stood out: the 250 four.
Benelli took their 500 four, stuck it in the copy machine and hit the reduce button a few times. Then, they wrapped it in weird styling where the seat continued up on the gas tank. The gauges were also built into the gas tank. What a busy place, that tank. Benelli versions were sold as the 250 Quattro and Moto Guzzi versions were sold as the 254, a reference to the size of the engine and the number of cylinders.
The little 231cc SOHC four belted out about 30 bhp at a stratospheric 10,500 rpm. Compression was high (11:1), the carbs were tiny (18mm) and the price was enormous. It cost as much or more than many 350cc-class bikes and was quite a bit more than its 250cc-class rivals.
Aside from the frantic engine, the rest of the bike was fairly normal. It had a steel frame, twin shocks and skinny tires. Stopping this screamer was a tiny front disc and a tinier rear drum. One thing in the technical specs that stands out to me is weight. Even though they used an air-cooled four, the bikes managed to be lighter than many of their competitors using twins or singles.
The Benelli twins had flaws deeper than their outrageous price, though. For one, there was the output of the engine. All the power was at the top of the rev range, and since there wasn't much to start with, you had to rev the nuts of it to go anywhere. Its scant torque, 14 lb/ft, was reached way up at 9,000 rpm. There was also the fact that it had five gears, which meant the ratios were longer and that hurt acceleration. Having six gears would have made it easier to keep it on the boil. Top speed was a mere 93 mph.
As flawed as the Benelli twins were, I can't help but like them. I like their small size, both of the bike itself and the engine, and their unique styling. They really didn't look like anything else at the time. Even though they were produced from 1976 to 1986, I feel they aren't well recognized by the public and the motorcycling community. It doesn't hurt that a small four revving to the moon sounds fantastic.
During the De Tomaso years, though, a number of inline fours were produced with the Guzzi name on the tank. Guzzi shared De Tomaso ownership with Benelli during the 70s. To confront the Japanese superbike onslaught, Benelli copied a Honda 500 four and added two more cylinders, creating the six-cylinder Sei. Smaller versions of the Sei with four cylinders were produced, badged as the Quattro. Due to the hard work of the Badge Engineering Department at De Tomaso, versions of the Benelli fours rolled out of the plant with Moto Guzzi badging on them.
While the 400 and 500 Quattros were fairly middle of the road by the day's standards, one particular model stood out: the 250 four.
Benelli took their 500 four, stuck it in the copy machine and hit the reduce button a few times. Then, they wrapped it in weird styling where the seat continued up on the gas tank. The gauges were also built into the gas tank. What a busy place, that tank. Benelli versions were sold as the 250 Quattro and Moto Guzzi versions were sold as the 254, a reference to the size of the engine and the number of cylinders.
The little 231cc SOHC four belted out about 30 bhp at a stratospheric 10,500 rpm. Compression was high (11:1), the carbs were tiny (18mm) and the price was enormous. It cost as much or more than many 350cc-class bikes and was quite a bit more than its 250cc-class rivals.
Aside from the frantic engine, the rest of the bike was fairly normal. It had a steel frame, twin shocks and skinny tires. Stopping this screamer was a tiny front disc and a tinier rear drum. One thing in the technical specs that stands out to me is weight. Even though they used an air-cooled four, the bikes managed to be lighter than many of their competitors using twins or singles.
The Benelli twins had flaws deeper than their outrageous price, though. For one, there was the output of the engine. All the power was at the top of the rev range, and since there wasn't much to start with, you had to rev the nuts of it to go anywhere. Its scant torque, 14 lb/ft, was reached way up at 9,000 rpm. There was also the fact that it had five gears, which meant the ratios were longer and that hurt acceleration. Having six gears would have made it easier to keep it on the boil. Top speed was a mere 93 mph.
As flawed as the Benelli twins were, I can't help but like them. I like their small size, both of the bike itself and the engine, and their unique styling. They really didn't look like anything else at the time. Even though they were produced from 1976 to 1986, I feel they aren't well recognized by the public and the motorcycling community. It doesn't hurt that a small four revving to the moon sounds fantastic.
This is an early version of the 250 Quattro. As you can see, the bodywork was pretty avant garde in some respects, like the gas tank and seat areas, and pretty normal in other areas, like the fenders and wheels.
Here's the nacelle containing the gauges and the ignition switch. While putting them here continues with the styling theme of the bike, it doesn't seem to be very practical. Imagine having to look down at the tank to check your speed or revs. To me, that would have to be very distracting.
Monday, January 7, 2013
NSU Rennmax
If you mention NSU to someone, chances are they'll mention a New Zealand football club, a Cream song or a German terror group. More than likely, they'll have no idea NSU was also the name of a groundbreaking German car and motorcycle company.
NSU started as a knitting machine company that moved on to producing bicycles. Bicycle production was soon joined by car, truck and motorcycle production. Have you ever seen the Kettenkrad, the half-track motorcycle that could climb a 24° slope? That was built by NSU. The first road car to feature the Wankel rotary was also built by NSU.
In the early 50s, NSU set four world speed record. By 1955, NSU was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. One year later, Wilhem Hertz and his NSU broke the 200 mph barrier on a motorcycle. The 1950s also saw NSU win numerous times at the Isle of Man. The optimistically-named NSU Quickly is the best-selling moped of all time, selling over one million units.
The glory was not to last for NSU, though. Along with DKW (oddly, the company NSU surpassed as the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer), they were purchased by Volkswagen in 1969. NSU and DKW were eventually morphed into Audi and dissolved. The final NSU-badged vehicle, the Ro 80, ceased production in 1977 amid reliability woes and an extremely poor resale value.
NSU made many interesting vehicles, such as the Max, the Kettenkrad and the TTS, over their history. A particular model that stands out to me is the 250 Rennmax. It was built to take on the all-conquering Italian bikes of the early 50s, especially the Moto Guzzis ridden by Enrico Lorenzetti and Fergus Anderson.
The Rennmax was a dedicated race bike that shared little, if anything at all, with its road-going NSU brethren. It used a pressed steel monocoque chassis, aluminum bodywork and a one-off parallel twin engine. The engine was a bevel-drive DOHC-type with two valves per cylinder and two carbs. Each cam was operated by its own bevel shaft. It put out 30 hp at 10,500 rpm and was backed up by a five-speed gearbox.
The bike debuted in 1952 and caused quite a stir, despite losing to the Guzzis in the world championship. NSU returned on a mission the following year and Werner Haas won the 125cc and the 250cc championship for NSU.
Eager to continue its winning ways, NSU completely overhauled the Rennmax for 1954. The twin bevel was ditched for a single shaft, which operated the twin cams via an idler gear between them. The bore and stroke were changed and a sixth gear was added to the gearbox. What this meant was more power, up to 36 hp at 11,000 rpm, and a top speed nearing 140 mph with the proper fairing. The 1954 Rennmax dominated the world championship, with Haas winning every race he entered. Haas went on the claim the 1954 title, his second on an NSU. NSU pulled out of racing after the 1954 season but the Rennmax continued to be competitive for a number of years following.
What makes the NSU Rennmax special to me was its competitiveness and its technology. Many of its contemporaries relied on production techniques for their racing bikes. The racing machines weren't much removed from the showroom machines. NSU approached things differently by designing a completely one-off engine that was pretty advanced and using a different frame type. Its competitors used a backbone-style steel frame, similar to most production bikes. The pressed steel monocoque of the Rennmax was a different idea all together. The monocoque frame would be tried decades later by Norton and OSSA, with varying degrees of success.
Another thing I like about the Rennmax was its dominance. It only raced for a few years and managed to win three championships in that short time. That's a hell of a record.
It's a shame that NSU is sort of forgotten. They achieved many great things in the automotive and motorcycle world and don't seem to get the credit they deserve. NSU is often relegated to trivia fodder when they should be recognized as one of the greats of all time.
NSU started as a knitting machine company that moved on to producing bicycles. Bicycle production was soon joined by car, truck and motorcycle production. Have you ever seen the Kettenkrad, the half-track motorcycle that could climb a 24° slope? That was built by NSU. The first road car to feature the Wankel rotary was also built by NSU.
In the early 50s, NSU set four world speed record. By 1955, NSU was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. One year later, Wilhem Hertz and his NSU broke the 200 mph barrier on a motorcycle. The 1950s also saw NSU win numerous times at the Isle of Man. The optimistically-named NSU Quickly is the best-selling moped of all time, selling over one million units.
The glory was not to last for NSU, though. Along with DKW (oddly, the company NSU surpassed as the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer), they were purchased by Volkswagen in 1969. NSU and DKW were eventually morphed into Audi and dissolved. The final NSU-badged vehicle, the Ro 80, ceased production in 1977 amid reliability woes and an extremely poor resale value.
NSU made many interesting vehicles, such as the Max, the Kettenkrad and the TTS, over their history. A particular model that stands out to me is the 250 Rennmax. It was built to take on the all-conquering Italian bikes of the early 50s, especially the Moto Guzzis ridden by Enrico Lorenzetti and Fergus Anderson.
The Rennmax was a dedicated race bike that shared little, if anything at all, with its road-going NSU brethren. It used a pressed steel monocoque chassis, aluminum bodywork and a one-off parallel twin engine. The engine was a bevel-drive DOHC-type with two valves per cylinder and two carbs. Each cam was operated by its own bevel shaft. It put out 30 hp at 10,500 rpm and was backed up by a five-speed gearbox.
The bike debuted in 1952 and caused quite a stir, despite losing to the Guzzis in the world championship. NSU returned on a mission the following year and Werner Haas won the 125cc and the 250cc championship for NSU.
Eager to continue its winning ways, NSU completely overhauled the Rennmax for 1954. The twin bevel was ditched for a single shaft, which operated the twin cams via an idler gear between them. The bore and stroke were changed and a sixth gear was added to the gearbox. What this meant was more power, up to 36 hp at 11,000 rpm, and a top speed nearing 140 mph with the proper fairing. The 1954 Rennmax dominated the world championship, with Haas winning every race he entered. Haas went on the claim the 1954 title, his second on an NSU. NSU pulled out of racing after the 1954 season but the Rennmax continued to be competitive for a number of years following.
What makes the NSU Rennmax special to me was its competitiveness and its technology. Many of its contemporaries relied on production techniques for their racing bikes. The racing machines weren't much removed from the showroom machines. NSU approached things differently by designing a completely one-off engine that was pretty advanced and using a different frame type. Its competitors used a backbone-style steel frame, similar to most production bikes. The pressed steel monocoque of the Rennmax was a different idea all together. The monocoque frame would be tried decades later by Norton and OSSA, with varying degrees of success.
Another thing I like about the Rennmax was its dominance. It only raced for a few years and managed to win three championships in that short time. That's a hell of a record.
It's a shame that NSU is sort of forgotten. They achieved many great things in the automotive and motorcycle world and don't seem to get the credit they deserve. NSU is often relegated to trivia fodder when they should be recognized as one of the greats of all time.
This is the early NSU Rennmax with the twin bevel shafts.
This is a different version of the earlier Rennmax. This one has the full fairing, allowing a higher top speed.
For the 1954 overhaul, the Rennmax's engine switched from twin bevel shafts to one.
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