in the CENTRE of the front wheel?

AND is almost a hundred years old?

Read and amaze!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megola

What a unique design!!! I think a few people here already know I like LOVE motorcycles and think about them often. I have thought about rotary engines in motos but never once in my motorcycle design daydreaming did it ever occur to me to put a small rotary engine inside of the front wheel. That is so creative!

I love the rounded fenders too. What a cool bike!

Beautiful bike for sure!

I've always heard that style referred to as Radial not Rotary.
Still a neat bike.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
I've always heard that style referred to as Radial not Rotary.
Still a neat bike.

Often confused. Both have the cylinders arranged in a ring.

The difference is that with a radial engine, the engine is fixed to the mount and drives the propeller via a crankshaft. With a rotary engine, the propeller (or in this case, wheel) is fixed to the engine block and the entire engine rotates with the wheel (or propeller) around a fixed crankshaft.

Well crap, I thought I knew the answer: Norton Classic, but it only had twin rotors.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
I've always heard that style referred to as Radial not Rotary.
Still a neat bike.

Often confused. Both have the cylinders arranged in a ring.

The difference is that with a radial engine, the engine is fixed to the mount and drives the propeller via a crankshaft. With a rotary engine, the propeller (or in this case, wheel) is fixed to the engine block and the entire engine rotates with the wheel (or propeller) around a fixed crankshaft.

Thanks for the clarification.
When I think Rotary, I think of the spinning Dorito machine in my garage

I’m with radial.
Rotary is Wankle. Or turbine.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
I’m with radial.
Rotary is Wankle. Or turbine.

Well, according to Wikipedia, PHPaul is correct. Apparently it prefers "Wankel" to describe the other engine type.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
I’m with radial.
Rotary is Wankle. Or turbine.

Rotary engines, in which the engine rotates, were around a LONG time before the wankle rotary...which does not use cylinders.

That thing had no clutch or transmission. You have to start it by spinning the front wheel while on the stand or by pushing off with your feet and would die if stopped. Not good in traffic.

Jim

quote:

I’m with radial.

Rotary engine. They powered many World War I aircraft. The crankshaft is stationary (fixed to the airframe, or in this case acting as the bike's axle) and the crankcase and cylinders rotate around it. In an airplane, the propeller is bolted to the crankcase and therefore turns with it to provide thrust; on this bike, the cylinders provide torque to turn the wheel.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
That thing had no clutch or transmission. You have to start it by spinning the front wheel while on the stand or by pushing off with your feet and would die if stopped. Not good in traffic.

Jim

Seems like a centrifugal or magnetic clutch would've been feasible. Love the California stop in the video.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
I've always heard that style referred to as Radial not Rotary.
Still a neat bike.

Often confused. Both have the cylinders arranged in a ring.

The difference is that with a radial engine, the engine is fixed to the mount and drives the propeller via a crankshaft. With a rotary engine, the propeller (or in this case, wheel) is fixed to the engine block and the entire engine rotates with the wheel (or propeller) around a fixed crankshaft.

Along those lines this engine could be either a Radial or a Rotary.

It would make some sense to have the axle/crankshaft fixed to the forks and the cylinders spinning with the wheels. Because a Radial design would require that the cylinders be separate from the wheel. However that rotating mass would create a lot of precessive forces and I suspect that in actual riding it would require a completely new skill set.

I saw a video on youtube discussing some Rotary engine equipped WWI combat aircraft and when taking off or turning that giant gyroscope would cause some motions to be impossible. For example IIRC when taking off and climbing you could turn to the Right but if you tried to turn to the Left it would cause an immediate nose dive. It's why after WWI you only saw Radial engines used on aircraft.

BTW, speaking of motorcycles I once had an old timer tell me that the original H-D engine design was based on an 8 cylinder Radial. BTW, this was in the early 70's and that old timer was 85 at the time and his father worked for H-D.