Working of a Motorcycle Engine

A bike motor is actually an internal combustion engine which provides a frontward thrust to the two wheeled machine we called motorcycle. These motors can be operated on petrol or diesel. Now a day, electric energy is also used to power the bike motors. The spirit of motorcycle movement is dictated by the very principle of gyro motion.

Complimenting each other while the bike is in motion, the forces of centrifugal and centripetal provide stability to each other. Forward motion is an essential element of stability while the bike is moving. The internal combustion provides with the power needed for this forward motion of the bike. The bike motor is always located right below the fuel tank as this gives a better balance by lowering the center of gravity of the machine. Motorbikes are always rear wheel driven.

The rear wheel gets its traction power from the motor that is connected to it by a steel chain, which helps it move ahead. Bike motors have a relatively simple assembly. There are single or multiple pistons that move in a compartment called chamber. It gets started by an electric spark generated by a dynamo that creates combination of gas and air to produce gases that provide an up and down motion to the piston. Rear wheel, which is connected by a chain to the bike motor, is moved by up and down motion of the piston that provides energy to a mechanism. Pistons generate all the power that a motor produce. Pistons pass on the power they produce to the crank. Bike motors can be either two stroke which have a simpler design, generate more power and are easy to maintain or four stroke which are more quiet, give a smoother ride and are far more environment friendly.

A stroke means one movement of the piston. Every second stroke in a two-stroke motor is a power stroke whereas in four stroke every fourth stroke is. Four stroke motors can have more than one cylinder thus can generate more operating power, which is another plus point. The bike motors, which run a motorcycle is rated in regard to its capacity, which means the size of the chamber where piston operates. The output of the power which is called BHP (Brake Horse Power) depends on the chamber and piston capacity.

The biggest capacity of any mass production motorbike is Triumph Rocket III. It has 2300 cc motor, which is the largest displacement motor and generates 140 brake horse power. In the beginning a kick is used to bring a motor to power, which means a lever is pressed downwards by foot. Now days the motorcycles are fitted with electric ignition where a starter motor start the piston. During the early days of motorcycles a magneto is used to supply the current. Now a CDI (Capacitor Discharge Ignition) system is used to start the motor. An option of diesel bike motors is also available, but these are not much suitable to be fitted in the on a motorcycle because they are more noisy, poor weight to power ratio, slow acceleration, have greater vibrations, a lot more heavy and are considerably low in efficiency. There are though some diesel motorcycles available. Some of the production motorbikes in diesel are Sommer Diesel 462, Track T-800CDI, Thunder Star 1200 TDI and Neander. There are multi cylinder motorcycles, which have two, four or up to six cylinders which are in mass production and are available in the market for you to buy. Triumph Rocket III, Kawasaki KZ1300, Kawasaki Vulcan, Honda Valkyrie, Honda CBX, Suzuki Intruder, to name a few.

Positioning of a cylinder can be vertical or V twin. They can also be positioned in a line. There are advanced liquid cooled bike motors available that are fitted with a radiator like a car. The function of this radiator is same as that of a car. It moves water and coolant to keep the bike motor cool. This liquid cooling radiator system is more successful on bike motors with higher displacement as it helps to produce blistering power. There are air cooled motors also available, which have simple design principle and are easy on pocket as well. The life of a liquid cooled motor is far more than the air cooled motor. It’s the four stroke motorcycles, which sell more worldwide. They have all that a biker would like to have in his bike. Their motor is quieter, more efficient; generates more power, is smoother in running and above all, very environment friendly. The market for two stroke engines and four stroke engines is divided geographically. Two stokes engines are cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain thus have a market in developing nations where the pollution norms are not strict and cost is a major factor while buying a two-wheeler

. In the developed nations like the United States of America and Western Europe four stroke motorcycles have completely wiped off their two stroke brothers. Electric motors are coming up in a big way, as this motor is extremely environment friendly in terms of noise pollution and smoke emission. This saves a lot of precious petrol and diesel. There are first generation lead batteries and latest lithium batteries available that are used to power the electric scooters and motorcycles. They have a couple of limitations though. They are heavy in weight, have longer charging period and their performance as compared to bike motors run by petrol and diesel is limited. In future more powerful electric motors are expected to come which will surely change the face of motorcycling.

Triumph Bonneville Turns 50

In 1959, Triumph Bonneville the legendry brand of Triumph Motorcycles was launched to celebrate the breaking of the motorcycle land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats at Utah.

In the celebrations that lasted from 21st August to 23rd August, 2009 the company commemorated 50 years of the motorcycle by hosting a variety of activities and entertainment programmes as it launched a special edition Bonneville.

The colour and styling of the 50th year anniversary limited edition Bonneville T100 is kept same as the one that was originally launched in the market 50 years ago. The two tone colours Meriden Blue/Exotic Orange resemble the first Bonneville. The  is fitted with a fuel injected twin cylinder 865cc motor and a contemporary chassis while maintaining the styling of its 50 years old namesake. Just 650 of these motorcycles have been manufactured and each one gets an exclusive number indicating its limited availability.

Apart from the limited edition bike from the Triumph stable, to mark the occasion the Triumph motorcycle owner club hosted a series of activities and events for Bonneville customers. Several contests were organised amongst them in different classes like including Best Single Down Tube T120, Best Duplex T120, Best Unit Construction T120, Best Oil in Frame T120, Best Meriden T140, Best Devon T140 and Best Hinckley Bonneville. A show of old Bonneville motorcycles was also organised along with music and other entertainment programmes which continued till late night during show days.

Cook It Up With Italian Wine

The list of foods you can possibly cook with wine is endless. You cannot even begin to imagine what different type of recipes can blossom out of a bottle of wine and what dishes you can whip out using Italian wines. If a glass of wine in your hand can spin great magic, just think what it is capable of doing when used in your cuisine. Adding the best Italian wine to your recipes can work wonders and have your family and friends swearing by your food. They will relish your recipes and cherish the taste forever. It’s not called the drinks of the Gods for nothing


Food cooked in wine has no alcohol content as it evaporates while cooking as alcohol has a very low boiling point compared to water and you get rid of almost all of the alcohol before your dish is cooked. What remains is thick syrup which gives real flavor of the wine to the dish. That’s one of the reasons it is suited for all type of people even for children and for those who avoid any alcohol intake.

In many countries, people use their favorite Italian wines to flavor their dishes to give them a distinct and unique flavor. It’s very important to choose the wine wisely as the taste of the food cooked would reflect the taste of that particular wine. Food cooked in red Italian wine will have a different taste than the one cooked in white. Each wine has its own flavor and aroma. Italian wine comes from 20 different regions in Italy and the taste varies from region to region.

It’s always recommended to cook in real Italian wine to savor the real taste of wine cooked food. Never even think of substituting it with any other wine available in the market. Low quality wines are high in sodium content as compared to Italian wines. Always keep in mind that quality wines are not always the costly ones. Protect your wine from heat as any exposure to heat will result in evaporation of alcohol and the taste will be lost.

It is said that anything worth doing is worth doing well. As Italians have given the best red and white wines to the world for hundreds of years, this belief has been taken to ultimate level, which would be difficult for anyone else to achieve.