72° V Engine: Origins/Development/History

[TorkLow]

How much of the engine found in the 1125 models was designed by Buell Motorcycle Company?

Did/does Buell/EBR own all the patents/rights to the engine since the beginning?

 

[mrlogix]

http://rotaxdisk.com/rotax-motorcycle-engines.html

The engine was deigned by BRP's Rotax Engine Division for Erik. Erik gave them a set of design criteria (v-twin, displacement, water cooled, fuel injected, physical size/weight, mounting points, target power specs, etc., etc. They designed and went through an approval process and Erik has the exclusive rights, probably had to pay for the development costs to get exclusive rights. Would say that HD paid some of the money and Erik retained the rights as part of the HD/Buell settlement. HD definitely screwed him, but Erik is a smart enough fellow to get something out of the deal. The rights to the engine in exchange for a non compete clause. By letting him keep the engine they know that he wouldn't be going after any of their base customers and would continue with the sportbike crowd. They've dealt with Erik long enough to know that he's not going away.

This is all conjecture of course.

 

[mrlogix]

http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/buell-builds-a-better-engine(2)

 

[Enemy Zero]

This video also has some good info in it. The 1125 stuff is near the end (around the 6:40 mark) but all of it was a good watch.

http://vimeo.com/26253925

 

[mrlogix]

thanks Enemy Zero
great video, hadn't seen that one

[up][up]

 

[mrlogix]

will be interesting to see where it goes after 1190

 

[go cytocis]

will be interesting to see where it goes after 1190

Plenty of manufacturers are starting to move away from the ubiquitous I-4, and even V-twins, to power their superbikes. We're already seeing new development of racing triples & V-fours. Depending on how successful some of these formats prove themselves to be, EBR could conceivably move away from V-twins altogether. Perhaps they'll even bring back the square four!

 

[jetlee]

Perhaps they'll even bring back the square four!

It'd be neat to see a 1200cc boxer twin packaged up like Midual did with their 900, but with EB's centralized mass philsophy...

 

[go cytocis]

It'd be neat to see a 1200cc boxer twin packaged up like Midual did

Interesting; I've not seen that before but it makes great sense. Flat twins are inherently balanced & deliver perfectly-spaced power pulses. The transverse mounting also requires no directional changes in power transmission, and eliminates the torque-lean that Beemers experience.

 

[jetlee]

One more good photo.

With the exhausts out the bottom, get that tank off the top and into an XB-style frame wrapped around that...look at all the space you'd have on top for ... dare I say it ... a supercharger.

 

[go cytocis]

Interestingly, it looks like Midual could make a comeback. This time with, wait for it, fuel in frame!!!