Cudwieser Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I was watching this vid (Impressive skills at 4:06 btw) and got to wondering. Why do they still make one cylinder bikes? Now I'm not a bike guy (don't ride and never took to the idea of a motorcycle, but I've a respect for them and do appreciate them and those who ride them) so I'm coming in as an outsider here. Surely multi-cylinder machines are quieter, smoother mechanically and more economic for the power and torque they produce. Also extending the same question to cars (dilberately kept the title as open as possible). Why is the V10 not the universal work horse that the V8 is, It fits between the 8 and the 12, two popular cylinder counts yet the 10 has appeared fewer times than both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottie Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 Well one cylinder bike engines tend to be lighter than multi-cylinder counterparts, and inherently more reliable due to the less amount of moving parts involved (provided build quality is good of course). There are still a number of dirt bikes that use one cylinders. As well as more cost friendly (due to the lower amount of parts needed)In the world of using motorcycle engines for things other than motorcycles, like Formula SAE, the low weight of the single cylinder makes it an attractive choice for teams wanting to make their car as light as possible (have fun with noise though ). Having done FSAE for a while, I've seen my fair share of interesting builds: but even with steel space frames, I've seen single cylinder cars weigh under 350 pounds (sans aero) while carbon fibre monocoque cars being under 300 with aero components (those tend to weigh ~20-50 pounds depending on how much aero a car has)...with a single cylinder engine There's also things like 2 stroke vs 4 stroke, and torque n whatnot that differs between single cylinders and multi-cylinders...but nothing a few turbos and way too much boost cant fix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cudwieser Posted October 21, 2017 Author Share Posted October 21, 2017 Well one cylinder bike engines tend to be lighter than multi-cylinder counterparts, and inherently more reliable due to the less amount of moving parts involved (provided build quality is good of course). There are still a number of dirt bikes that use one cylinders. As well as more cost friendly (due to the lower amount of parts needed) In the world of using motorcycle engines for things other than motorcycles, like Formula SAE, the low weight of the single cylinder makes it an attractive choice for teams wanting to make their car as light as possible (have fun with noise though ). Having done FSAE for a while, I've seen my fair share of interesting builds: but even with steel space frames, I've seen single cylinder cars weigh under 350 pounds (sans aero) while carbon fibre monocoque cars being under 300 with aero components (those tend to weigh ~20-50 pounds depending on how much aero a car has)...with a single cylinder engine There's also things like 2 stroke vs 4 stroke, and torque n whatnot that differs between single cylinders and multi-cylinders...but nothing a few turbos and way too much boost cant fix Boost is fun (watch roadkill and engine masters on Motor Trend or YT. Anyways back on topic I get the simplicity but surely twins have gotten to be just as reliable, just as cheap and just as good as a thumping single? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTA-Biker Posted October 21, 2017 Share Posted October 21, 2017 I'm not much of a mechanic,but from what I know,engines with less cylinders have more low rpm torque,and are more simple to maintain or repair. My Aprilia Classic has a single cylinder two stroke engine,it's one of the few cruisers with such engine,along with Gilera Eaglet and Cagiva Roadster (and maybe some others I don't know about). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottie Posted October 22, 2017 Share Posted October 22, 2017 I'm not much of a mechanic,but from what I know,engines with less cylinders have more low rpm torque,and are more simple to maintain or repair. My Aprilia Classic has a single cylinder two stroke engine,it's one of the few cruisers with such engine,along with Gilera Eaglet and Cagiva Roadster (and maybe some others I don't know about). the low RPM torque is what dirt bikes need to go through the rough terrain (they don't need to go that fast anyway), hence why you see a lot of single cylinders still on dirt bikes (putting 2 stroke vs stroke aside) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyDuke Posted October 22, 2017 Share Posted October 22, 2017 Low end high torque up to high rpm power levels on V8's is pretty much perfect. Not to mention they happen to sound awesome, even less performance oriented V8's oftenly sound good, and even they provide a buttload of torque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfoam Posted November 4, 2017 Share Posted November 4, 2017 (edited) Single cylinder engines are only used where you need light weight. Because you don't have other cylinders to help balance the power stroke or pull the intake charge in on valve overlap. Or use intake pressure waves from the other cylinders, they never make as much power as a multi cylinder can. Edited November 4, 2017 by elfoam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
