Radial Engine From VW Parts

[ryoder 1,590]

Looks like more custom parts than production parts.

http://jalopnik.com/amazing-loon-built-a-radial-engine-from-vw-parts-1608661285

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[NewGuy2005 53]

That's awesome.

[GD64 1]

ryoder.......you sure come up with stuff
I love the old radials....oil leaks and all.

In the top bike show at Sturgis 1999 ish a guy built an awesome show bike using an aircraft radial (don't remember which aircraft). Practical not, unless your followed by a fueling truck, but hey, it's a show bike. IMO small tanks look better, however stopping every 100 miles or less is why I mostly ride solo.

I think Jesse James built a radial also, years after the Sturgis bike (not built by him).

I can really appreciate "out of the box" builds like this VW radial.......mentally twisted in a good way.

[dpreguy 14]

I never have figured out why a radial engine has to have an odd number of cylinders. Seems like the crank would be in the same advantageous pushing position at the time of combustion just as well with an even number.
(I suppose it the spark timing was off they could be opposed - not good) ...but if the timing was good...why not an even number?

There must be a reason.

[ryoder 1,590]

dpreguy

I never have figured out why a radial engine has to have an odd number of cylinders. Seems like the crank would be in the same advantageous pushing position at the time of combustion just as well with an even number.
(I suppose it the spark timing was off they could be opposed - not good) ...but if the timing was good...why not an even number?

There must be a reason.

I was curious, so I searched and found this:

Four-stroke radials have an odd number of cylinders per row, so that a consistent every-other-piston firing order can be maintained, providing smooth operation. For example, on a five-cylinder engine the firing order is 1, 3, 5, 2, 4 and back to cylinder 1. Moreover, this always leaves a one-piston gap between the piston on its combustion stroke and the piston on compression. The active stroke directly helps compressing the next cylinder to fire, so making the motion more uniform. If an even number of cylinders was used, the equally timed firing cycle would not be feasible.[1] The prototype radial Zoche aero-diesels (below) have an even number of cylinders, either four or eight; but this is not problematic, because they are two-stroke engines, with twice the number of power strokes as a four-stroke engine.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radial_engine

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.