The other day I was riding my S40 through the farmlands
at 60 km/h when I needed more power to climb a hill.
So I rolled on the throttle and my faithful 650cc single
cylinder power plant delivered enough satisfying oomphs
to make me feel pleased.
A typical (for me) motor speed of 2400 rpm amounts to 2400
/ 60 secs per minute
/ 2 revs per power stroke
= 20 power strokes per second.
That's one power cycle every 50 milliseconds, and I could hear
and feel each one. And I thought, that's how a motorcycle motor
_should_ sound and feel, not like some howling jet turbine.
In fact I wish I could have a really low revving thumper
like the traditional North Sea fishing trawler, which sounds
as if it redlines at around 95 rpm.
A few weeks ago Honda came to town with a dozen demo bikes,
and I signed up for the Goldwing. It felt lighter to handle
and more nimble than I had expected, and its six cylinders
delivered silky smooth power -- too smooth, I thought.
It was more like driving a 2-wheeled sports car.
Well there's nothing inherently wrong with a 2-wheeled sports car,
if that's what you like. But I want a motorcycle that sounds
and feels like a motorcycle. It wouldn't hurt if it looks like
a motorcycle as well, not some space-age gadgetry wrapped up
in Tupperware. (Did I remember to mention that I'm
a traditionalist?)
The sweetest song of the all Hondas I heard that day was
the V-twin Shadow. It sounded almost at good as a Harley.
Then a few days ago I went to see a '76 BMW R100 built as
a lean, mean cafe racer. I sat on the bike while the owner
fired up the motor -- and suddenly the bright glow of dawn
arose in my mind -- THIS was the kind of sound and feel
I wanted.
It shook, it vibrated, it went kaboom in just the right way.
A bit rude; a bit in your face, and yet only enough to feel
pleasant, not painful (like my old BSA 650 twin did).
Strangely enough it didn't even feel at all like the boxer
on my Dnepr.
I want as much fun as this Brit rider is obviously having:
http://www.garagecompany.com/postrpix/trsp.jpg
You can be sure that his motor shakes and kabooms, and yet
he seems to like it anyway, considering the big goofy
smile on his dial. And now I've got the makings of
a retro bike inspired by the same old-school style, except
with a few modern concessions such as a counterbalanced
non-oil-dripping motor but I hope it'll still feel
as good as the 34-year-old Beemer I liked so much
(and would probably spring for if I could afford it).
Naturally I'd convert it to a roadster with more
comfortable ergos than a racer.
So it looks like my posting a while ago ("Thinking it through")
in which I listed my priorities as...
1. Comfort
2. Reliability
3. Affordable
4. Performance
x. 400-450 lbs dry
5. Retro style
6. Flashy chrome and paint and shiny studs and leather fringes
...wasn't quite accurate. I left out something important,
the character of the motor.
For me a big part of the pleasure of riding a motorcycle
is the sound and texture of the motor's power delivery --
the motor I'm practically sitting on. Two quotations come to mind:
"Come to kindly terms with your ass, for it bears you" -- John Muir
"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" -- Duke Ellington
In fact I often think of a motorcycle as a celebration of
the gasoline-fueled piston engine, which reached the peak
of its glory days in World War II. That's when they powered such
iconic machines as the ME-109, the Spitfire, the Flying Fortress,
the Jeep... and motorcycles used by all the armies.
Before 1867 there no motorcycles. Stonewall Jackson never saw
a motorcycle. Theoretically Robert E. Lee could have seen one,
and also realized its military value, but he passed on
only 3 years later. James Longstreet, who lived until 1904,
could more likely have seen one. The Drummer Boy of Shiloh,
Johnny Clem (1851–1937) served in WW I and had to have
seen them in action.
However the days of motorcycles, as least as we know them,
may be numbered. We can't afford to keep spewing nitrous oxides
and other coughables into the atmosphere until it becomes
unbreathable and Heaven itself stops the nose at it
and the Moon winks (see _Othello_, Act 4 Scene 2) and
the song my motor sings will be stilled thereafter, to be
replaced by the quiet hum of electrics or some kind of ion
plasma induction drive and future generations will never hear
a motorcycle motor the way it was meant to be heard
except in movies or recorded songs like "Leader of the Pack",
and the song my canoe paddle sings, which makes no pollution,
will outlast my motor's song. So I'll enjoy it while I still can.
Reference http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Song_my_Paddle_Sings
SQ
'07/05 Triumph Bonneville/Scrambler/Thruxton hybrid
'06 Suzuki S40 aka LS650 Savage
'94 Honda Magna V45 with sidecar
'85 Dnepr MT-11 with sidecar
'79 Dnepr MT-10/36 with sidecar (not running) (yet)
'xx The boneyard
> the song my motor sings will be stilled thereafter, to be
> replaced by the quiet hum of electrics or some kind of ion
> plasma induction drive and future generations will never hear
> a motorcycle motor the way it was meant to be heard
Oh, I don't know about that. I frequently hear digital cameras emit a
little "clack-whirr" like a mechanical shutter and electric motor film
winder when they take a picture. So your piston engine's sound will
still be there on your ion-plasma drive bike, it'll just be a 24-bit
44100Hz digital sample played back on speaker. Maybe you'll have a
paint-shaker mounted to simulate that genuine piston engine feel, too.
As for your S40, I have a hard time warming up to the idea of owning a
thumper, though admittedly I might like one better if I had a chance
to test-ride one. I do agree with the sentiment that less is more --
I've always been of the opinion that 180° parallel twin, V-twin
(shared pin or offset), boxer twin, and inline-3 are the
configurations most appropriate for motorcycles. Anything more just
seems like overkill (admittedly, overkill can be a desired attribute).
> The other day I was riding my S40 through the farmlands
> at 60 km/h when I needed more power to climb a hill.
> So I rolled on the throttle and my faithful 650cc single
> cylinder power plant delivered enough satisfying oomphs
> to make me feel pleased.
> A typical (for me) motor speed of 2400 rpm amounts to 2400
> / 60 secs per minute
> / 2 revs per power stroke
> = 20 power strokes per second.
> That's one power cycle every 50 milliseconds, and I could hear
> and feel each one. And I thought, that's how a motorcycle motor
> _should_ sound and feel, not like some howling jet turbine.
> In fact I wish I could have a really low revving thumper
> like the traditional North Sea fishing trawler, which sounds
> as if it redlines at around 95 rpm.
> A few weeks ago Honda came to town with a dozen demo bikes,
> and I signed up for the Goldwing. It felt lighter to handle
> and more nimble than I had expected, and its six cylinders
> delivered silky smooth power -- too smooth, I thought.
> It was more like driving a 2-wheeled sports car.
> Well there's nothing inherently wrong with a 2-wheeled sports car,
> if that's what you like. But I want a motorcycle that sounds
> and feels like a motorcycle. It wouldn't hurt if it looks like
> a motorcycle as well, not some space-age gadgetry wrapped up
> in Tupperware. (Did I remember to mention that I'm
> a traditionalist?)
> The sweetest song of the all Hondas I heard that day was
> the V-twin Shadow. It sounded almost at good as a Harley.
> Then a few days ago I went to see a '76 BMW R100 built as
> a lean, mean cafe racer. I sat on the bike while the owner
> fired up the motor -- and suddenly the bright glow of dawn
> arose in my mind -- THIS was the kind of sound and feel
> I wanted.
> It shook, it vibrated, it went kaboom in just the right way.
> A bit rude; a bit in your face, and yet only enough to feel
> pleasant, not painful (like my old BSA 650 twin did).
> Strangely enough it didn't even feel at all like the boxer
> on my Dnepr.
> I want as much fun as this Brit rider is obviously having:http://www.garagecompany.com/postrpix/trsp.jpg
> You can be sure that his motor shakes and kabooms, and yet
> he seems to like it anyway, considering the big goofy
> smile on his dial. And now I've got the makings of
> a retro bike inspired by the same old-school style, except
> with a few modern concessions such as a counterbalanced
> non-oil-dripping motor but I hope it'll still feel
> as good as the 34-year-old Beemer I liked so much
> (and would probably spring for if I could afford it).
> Naturally I'd convert it to a roadster with more
> comfortable ergos than a racer.
> So it looks like my posting a while ago ("Thinking it through")
> in which I listed my priorities as...
> 1. Comfort
> 2. Reliability
> 3. Affordable
> 4. Performance
> x. 400-450 lbs dry
> 5. Retro style
> 6. Flashy chrome and paint and shiny studs and leather fringes
> ...wasn't quite accurate. I left out something important,
> the character of the motor.
> For me a big part of the pleasure of riding a motorcycle
> is the sound and texture of the motor's power delivery --
> the motor I'm practically sitting on. Two quotations come to mind:
> "Come to kindly terms with your ass, for it bears you" -- John Muir
> "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" -- Duke Ellington
> In fact I often think of a motorcycle as a celebration of
> the gasoline-fueled piston engine, which reached the peak
> of its glory days in World War II. That's when they powered such
> iconic machines as the ME-109, the Spitfire, the Flying Fortress,
> the Jeep... and motorcycles used by all the armies.
> Before 1867 there no motorcycles. Stonewall Jackson never saw
> a motorcycle. Theoretically Robert E. Lee could have seen one,
> and also realized its military value, but he passed on
> only 3 years later. James Longstreet, who lived until 1904,
> could more likely have seen one. The Drummer Boy of Shiloh,
> Johnny Clem (1851–1937) served in WW I and had to have
> seen them in action.
> However the days of motorcycles, as least as we know them,
> may be numbered. We can't afford to keep spewing nitrous oxides
> and other coughables into the atmosphere until it becomes
> unbreathable and Heaven itself stops the nose at it
> and the Moon winks (see _Othello_, Act 4 Scene 2) and
> the song my motor sings will be stilled thereafter, to be
> replaced by the quiet hum of electrics or some kind of ion
> plasma induction drive and future generations will never hear
> a motorcycle motor the way it was meant to be heard
> except in movies or recorded songs like "Leader of the Pack",
> and the song my canoe paddle sings, which makes no pollution,
> will outlast my motor's song. So I'll enjoy it while I still can.
> Referencehttp://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Song_my_Paddle_Sings
> SQ
> '07/05 Triumph Bonneville/Scrambler/Thruxton hybrid
> '06 Suzuki S40 aka LS650 Savage
> '94 Honda Magna V45 with sidecar
> '85 Dnepr MT-11 with sidecar
> '79 Dnepr MT-10/36 with sidecar (not running) (yet)
> 'xx The boneyard
I was thinking of buying a used Savage because they are common and
inexpensive. Would you say they vibrate excessively, particularly at
the handlebars?
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> replaced by the quiet hum of electrics or some kind of ion
> plasma induction drive and future generations will never hear
> a motorcycle motor the way it was meant to be heard