World's Best Engines, 1 & 2 Cyl nominations

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Jim Prower

Jim Prower

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I've decided to do this, modeled after the World's Best Cars threads.

This week, It's nominations for one and two-cylinder engines. yes, Singles and Twins.

Mind you, you can nominate any engine that fits the criteria, not just those in automobiles. I will have a category for Radial and Rotary Piston engines, as well as Wankels, but no jets, Rockets, or Turbines. Sorry.

This Week's Criteria.
  • Must be single or Twin-cylinder engine
  • Gasoline or Diesel engines only. No steamers.

As for My Nominations for Singles and Twins....

briggs_model_numbers2.gif


Briggs & Stratton Singles

Pros:
  • Simple, rugged, reliable
  • powered Go-karts, Lawnmowers, etc. for Generations.
  • same basic "L" head design for years, until later OHV designs began to take hold.

Cons
  • Prone to Carbeurator trouble
  • newer versions have lower quality than older ones

250px-Harley_V-twin.jpg


Harley-Davidson Cruiser V-twin

Pros
  • nothing, and I mean NOTHING, sounds like it.
  • the basis of the Cruiser scene
  • Copied and made bigger for Chopper engines

Cons
  • Will NEVER be a sportbike engine
  • not as smooth, civilized as Japanese counterparts (That Could Be a Pro, though.)

john_deere_b.jpg


John Deere horizontal I-Twin

Pros
  • It goes poppoppoppoppop........
  • probably tilled your grandpa's farm
  • wonderful quality, very tough.

Cons
  • will never, in any way, shape, or form, be a high-performance engine.
  • Not everybody like tractors.
  • Will never rev above 1500 RPM

well, your nominations?

Other Nominees:
Ducati Testastretta V-twin
Ducati Desmoquattro V-Twin
Ducati 851 SBK V-Twin
H-D Buell V-twin
H-D Panhead V-Twin
Honda XR200 Single
Honda CR500 Single
Citroen 2CV Boxxer twin
Yamaha four stroke YZF Singles
BMW Boxxer twin engines

Voting starts Thursday, Sept. 21 (today) at 4:00 P.M., Central Time.
 
skip0110
Which H-D V-twin? Some are sportbike engines.... ;)

(Buell)
Click to expand...

Well, They're not great sportbike engines, although the Buell-tuned one is okay, I suppose. I was kinda talking about the more traditional ones.

We can be more specific with that one, I suppose, by using specific models.

If you have a specific version of something already posted, then you can add it, and it may show up in the voting.
 
That'll be next, then the Sixes, Eights, Tens, Twelves, Fourteens and up, Odd-Number inline and Vee, Wankel Rotary, and Piston Rotary and Radial.

now, we do need the Motorcycle enthusiasts in here...
 
Engines can be any configuration other than Radial. 3s and 5s are "Odd Numbered Engines," since there's really not enough of them to go around, if you don't count Radials. Radials get their own category, since they're the most different of the different configurations, and are fairly specialized.

I may start the 4-cyl Nominations sooner than I first thought.
 
Well, as for twins, there's a LOT of great twins in the history of bikes, but I like the modern age.

I nominate the testastretta engine:



In the 999 racebikes it fires out up to 200bhp, and it is the finest use of desmodromic valve gear ever devised. not to mention the noise it makes under full chat through a set of 55mm carbon termignoni pipes.
 
Okay, I'm gonna list the other nominees as they come up, and I decided to Count the Buell as seperate from the regular H-D Twin
 
KurtisGSXR
I nominate the testastretta engine
Click to expand...
I agree with that, sort of. The Testastretta is a fantastic engine. I have sampled it in the new Monster S4RS, which is aces by the way. The Testastretta engine is a very modern, fresh take on Ducati engine design, and just works magnificently.

But, my vote is it's early predecessor, the Desmoquattro engine. Used by Ducati for over 20 years, and was one of the reasons the then-cutting-edge 996 Superbike was so amazing. It first appeard in 1985 in the 851, and is still being used today. It was the first time Ducati adapted is "Desmodromic" valve actuation to a 4-valve per cylinder engine. And the first time liquid cooling and electronic fuel delivery appeared in a Ducati V-twin. That to me, makes it the bigger of the engines. The Testastretta is much more modern, and much higher performing. But, for what it did, I think the original Desmoquattro means more.

Of course, I am a little biased for the Ducati engines. I have a Desmoquattro 996 in my own S4R, and my wife has a Desmodue 800 in her S2R. So that is my vote...

Ducati Desmoquattro Twin

Hilg

My '05 Monster S4R
mons4r17if.jpg


***edited for spelling***
 
I nominate the 200cc 4-stroke single-cylinder engine of the Honda XR200.
Since 1980 until the retirement of the XR200 bike, the engine itself never changed, because it has never needed to (much like a crocodile). It is basic (it has never even been liquid-cooled), reliable, and powerful, and helped make the XR200 one of the most popular trail bikes of all time. It's also one of the most popular engines to drop into custom dirtbike frames for those that feel the XR isn't quite as capable as it could be.

1980_restored_xr200.jpg

Yep, same engine as my old 1998 XR200 (the one form the picture is an '80). Some things just don't need to be improved upon ;)
 
Wasn't there already a series of threads similar to this about engines?


Ah well, Deux Chevaux!

Go 2CV!
 
Well, I couldn't find a "World's Best Engines" In the search, so, I'd Assume this hasn't been done...

I seriously HOPE this hasn't been done....
 
Well, this is news to me...

There are some good sport bike engines out there, but the real one are in the dirt bikes:

The honda CR500
cr500_engine_left_si2.jpg


These things are nuts, they can make about 100hp and do 11,000 RPM
 
Well, I'm not a huge motorcycle guy, but I am somewhat knowlegeable with Harley engines.

My vote would have to go to the V-Twin, probably, but one cannot go without mentioning the pan-head as well...
 
i think we need to clarify from the get go if this is based on significance vs just how we motor heads like the most powerful or most sporty. look at how all the car threads ended up being all about the favourite cars vs the most significant cars as was originally intended.


i think its also important to state whether the engine being nominated is a single or twin, its displacement, and in what sort of vehicles or fitments we can expect to see them. this helps with visualisation of how much greater i significance an engine is if its powering a generator vs pulling stumps in a quad.
if its a twin, i think its layout; parallel twin, vee, opposed, should also be stated in order, again for us to be able to visualise what kind of engine we are talking about.

as for my nominations.

i wont argue with the single cylinder briggs and stratton. its a neat little motor that punches above its displacement.
but i'd certainly think the yamaha YZF (125. 250. 450 and another four something something. tis made in different displacements.) motor should be up for consideration. its a killa motor used in killa dirtbikes. very rev happy, one of the first four stroke engines whos power delivery emulated that of two stroke motors, and clean in terms of emissions vs a two stroke and comparable four strokes.

as for twins, the harley davidson engine is very far from being the best 2 cylinder engine. its 45 degree layout is bad for vibration and is the cause of the sound which some like and some dont. its not significant in any way other than being the best selling cycle engine in the NA market. it has no merit otherwise.
other v twins in a similar configuration are quieter, and offer more refinement and equal power (although theres no real big market for non harley custom engines, if there is its small.) they dont have problems with secondary vibrations (although a chic sitting on a bike might enjoy them) and so on. its an unrefined engine that is popular. even they (H-D) went with a more modern 60 degree angle for the v-rod engine which is far more refined and makes power easier. compare parallel twin versus v-twin versus oppsed or flat twin characteristics from wikipedia.


as for my nominations, for twins

how about the horizontally opposed BMW engine which has powered cars (BMW 700. ) and bikes. its smoother in operation than all other 2 cylinder engines, can have a lower center of gravity and has been around in various iterations since the 30s.

if not, then how about the 2CV engine or another cycle engine. say a honda v twin. anything but a harley engine. the harley engine is overated in a big way. and unlike the small block which has lived to redeen itself even in the face of modern competition, this one has not (they wouldnt have made the v-rod engine if it was would they?) and can't. physics always wins.

so
yamaha four stroke YZF engine family
BMW flat twin engine in bikes (and cars!)
 
neanderthal
as for twins, the harley davidson engine is very far from being the best 2 cylinder engine. its 45 degree layout is bad for vibration and is the cause of the sound which some like and some dont. its not significant in any way other than being the best selling cycle engine in the NA market. it has no merit otherwise.
other v twins in a similar configuration are quieter, and offer more refinement and equal power (although theres no real big market for non harley custom engines, if there is its small.) they dont have problems with secondary vibrations (although a chic sitting on a bike might enjoy them) and so on. its an unrefined engine that is popular. even they (H-D) went with a more modern 60 degree angle for the v-rod engine which is far more refined and makes power easier. compare parallel twin versus v-twin versus oppsed or flat twin characteristics from wikipedia.
Click to expand...

Agreed. 👍

I'm not trying to open up a can of worms by bringing the topic of the "inefficient engines" thread into here, but H-D's engines make no power. "That doesn't matter for cruising," some would say, and that's true enough (although a little more power never killed anyone....but don't quote me on that :lol: ). However, Buell uses H-D engines in its sportbikes, and the end result is a laughably weak sportbike that can't match its European or Japanese rivals in speed or handling. Especially the Japanese.

neanderthal
yamaha four stroke YZF engine family
BMW flat twin engine in bikes (and cars!)
Click to expand...

Agreed again. 👍 👍 Good nominations. :)
 
Nice, I like that neanderthal. Then, I will clarify my nomination...

1990 Ducati 851 SBK. The first bike to ever win a World Superbike championship for Ducati, and started a new era for them in racing. It was the engine that eventually evolved into the modern "Testastretta" that we have today. For that, I think it is most significant, and it gets my vote.

Ducati 851 SBK
- 4-stroke 90* L-twin
- 94mm x 64mm
- 888cc
- 11:1 CR
- 4 valves per cylinder
- Double Cam, Desmodromic
- 136hp @ 10,500rpm

Hilg
 
My nomination goes to the Moto Guzzi 90* 748cc motor used through the late sixties and seventies.
While not particularly powerful, it was very reliable and simple. It also had a somewhat unique sound.
 
Jim Prower
Well, They're not great sportbike engines, although the Buell-tuned one is okay, I suppose. I was kinda talking about the more traditional ones.
Click to expand...
Buell engines are built by HD as pr. Buells specifications. Buell stopped using Tuned HD engines when they started using the twin spar frames.
 
I see you already nominated Deere's Johnny Popper engine so I guess I will have to second it. One could argue that the 2 cyl that IH used was a more successful engine in terms of numbers produced but John Deere has that distinct sound that I love.
 
I always thought the Farmalls had fours....

the only 2-cyl IHs I could find were the Cub Cadet lawnmowers...and those are usually Briggs, Tecumseh, or Kohler.
 
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

I have decided to move up the deadline to start voting on the 1&2 Cyl class to today at 4:00 Central. Nominations WILL NOT be accepted after this time.

I'm doing this to move on the the four-cylinder engines.
 
"Odd Numbered Engines," 3WD, It's a category, just...not yet...

off to make the poll. Once it is made, Nominations are OVER.
 

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