Two spark plugs - One cylinder

  so what's the deal?
i'm guessing all my time in the pitched forward position on my racing
bicycle has my body and brain pretty much dialed in for a more forward
position.
------------------------------------
no, its not the same because, you're not pedaling a mc..    you're just
sitting there.   therefore, a straight up position would probably be
more comfortable.    i ride v-strom and it works ok for me.    btw, i
lowered my 05 v-strom 7/8'' frt. & rear for ez  on - off..

motorpsycho jim
clms. oh.
05 v-strom 1k

 Two spark plugs - One cylinder

I have a circa 1970 Yamaha 175 enduro motorcycle that has one
cylinder, but two spark plugs.  I've never had a spark plug wire on
the 'other' plug and it's run just fine.  Now, many many years later,
I'm trying to fix this bike up for my son and I'm wondering, "What the
heck is this other plug for???" I don't even think there is another
wire.
Thanks much for any help you can provide.

 IRONDOG wrote:

Interesting link.  Also I know there is at least one large two-cylinder
four-stroke "cruiser"-style bike that has a compression release, just
like a diesel earth-mover I guess (not sure whether it was a Suzuki or
Yamaha I saw but it was 1400 or 1500 cc's, the mechanic instructor was
trying to adjust the release because he couldn't jump start it but later
somebody noticed he had one of the booster cables shorted to the frame,
so either the little starter wasn't turning very fast or there wasn't
much of a spark).

I guess people are free to buy those big cruisers if they like them for
reasons I don't dig, but personally I would only want all that torque to
pull a sidecar or trailer.  I saw a webpage somewhere about big bikes in
Holland IIRC that tow collapsible trailers, speed through congestion to
auto accident scenes, unfold the trailer and haul the objectionable cage
away!  Big displacement for horsepower is another story and I don't have
any logical argument against that as I know people whose dna forces them
to ride at what to me are superhuman speeds, so no logical argument
could be involved.  Even though it scares me I applaud them as long as
they don't create too much danger for the rest of us.  But I just don't
"get" those big cruisers.  I'm presuming the big six-cylinder bikes
aren't considered typical "cruisers" by most afficionados, they remind
me a little of the twelve-cylinder Bugatti or its like with the ten
foot-long hood/bonnet.  Even though I've never ridden one I think a
Goldwing must be a very comfortable bike for the long straight N.A.
interstate highways.

Couldn't resist, sorry if I'm polluting a tech group with cultural
comments, likely that guy who thinks he owns the group will tell me off!

 paul c wrote:


bikes

Harley started building 74 cubic inch engines around 1932, as I recall.
That's 1213 cc, and British twins were only half that size. Harley grew their
engine to
88 cubic inches, or about 1440 cc in the late 1980's, and the gauntlet was
thrown down to see who could build the biggest cruiser.

I seem to have read about a cruiser that's bigger than Triumph's 2300cc
Rocket 3, and I can understand why somebody would want a bigger, slow turning
engine to reduce high frequency vibration.

When Japan INC first got into mass producing motorcycles, they pretty much
followed the FIM's road racing class displacement rules, and there really was
no good reason for doing that with motorcycles destined to be ridden on the
highway, especially American highways, where trips are longer and gasoline
was historically cheaper.

Whatever motorcycle Japan INC designed for any given FIM engine size, they
learned to leave room for expanding the engine, and motorcycle engines grew
and grew, and riders could relax and forget about continously shifting gears.

There is also the wheelbase factor. Motorcycles are suspended by springs, and
springs have a natural frequency at which they rebound. If the wheelbase is
too short, the front springs won't be done with rebounding when the rear
wheel hits the same bump, so the chassis will hobbyhorse on freeway expansion
strips.

An Italian rider once told me that American interstates were much rougher
than the Italian autostrada and that riding here made his butt hurt.

Other riders told me that each section of freeway concrete was intentionally
laid at a slightly differnt angle so truck tires would slap rainwater off the
pavement.

Nowadays, freeways are built by continuously pouring concrete. But the 80,000
pound trucks seem to be able to pound concrete into bumpy pavement.

A larger, longer, heavier motorcycle just works better on long interstate
trips.

Homebuilders used to amuse us with giant touring bikes like the Road Dog that
was 10 to 12 feet long and had a car four cylinder engine in it. We never
thought that Japan Inc would ever build anything like that.

But the Honda Valkyrie is damned close. I was looking at a Valkyrie parked in
front of a local convenience store. The owner had installed oversize tires
front and rear. They were the wrong profile and they made the machine sit
about
two inches higher and it leaned over too far on the kick stand.

What did the rider care? He stood about 6' 8" and weighed 300 pounds.

And there's the final reason for big cruisers: big motorcycles for big men

There have always been big riders who feel like a 750cc or 1000cc motorcycle
is too small for them. They need room to stretch out.

--
Message posted via MotorcycleKB.com
http://www.motorcyclekb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/tech/200710/1

 wrote:


Uhh.. maybe if you excluded the Brit V twins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brough_Superior#Model_history