Every Engine in Motorcycle Explained | Single to Ten Cylinder Engines [Part - 1]

Every Engine in Motorcycle Explained | Single to Ten Cylinder Engines [Part - 1]

We have all been mainly exposed to one type of bike engine, i.e., Single cylinder engine found in most motorcycles. But there is lots of variety in the type of engines used in motorcycles. Know what they are?
So In today's video, we are taking a look at different types of engines used in a motorcycle.

Commonly Found Motorcycle Engine Types Are:
1) Single-cylinder engines: A piston engine with only one cylinder is a single-cylinder engine, commonly termed a thumper. Single-cylinder engines work best on small cc bikes. They are cheap to maintain and fix if something goes wrong. Single cylinders are sluggish at higher RPMs but are very aggressive and punchy down low, making them great for adrenaline-pumped low-speed rides.

2) Two-cylinder engines: As you can guess from the name, this engine has two cylinders. More cylinders mean more weight, more cost, and more power. Types of two-cylinder engines: Inline-Twin, V-Twin, L-Twin, & Flat-Twin.

3) Triple-cylinder engines: A straight-three engine (also called an inline-triple or inline-three) is a three-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line and a common crankshaft. Straight-three engines typically use a crankshaft angle of 120 degrees, resulting in an evenly spaced firing interval.

4) Four-cylinder engines: Most automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout. Types of Four-cylinder engines: Inline-4 & V4.

5) Five-Cylinder Engine: The straight-five or inline-five engine is an IC engine with five cylinders aligned in one row or plane, sharing a single-engine block and crankcase. The five-cylinder engine is almost as compact as an inline-four and nearly as smooth as a straight-six engine.
V5 engine: The engine design is a 5-cylinder in a V configuration, consisting of three front and two rear cylinders.

6) Six-Cylinder engine: The straight-six engine (also referred to as an inline-six engine; abbreviated I6 or L6) is an internal combustion engine with six cylinders mounted straight along the crankcase with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft (straight engine). Types of Six-cylinder engines: Inline-6, V6, & Flat-6.

7) Eight-Cylinder Engine: Motorcycles have rarely used V8 engines, with the few built for motor racing. In 1907, Glen Curtiss set an unofficial world record of 136.36 mph (219.45 km/h) on a homemade 4.0 L (244 cu in) motorcycle.

8) Ten-Cylinder Engine: A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft.

---- Time Stamp ---
00:00 - Introduction
00:18 - Single-Cylinder Engine
01:44 - Two-Cylinder Engine
06:43 - Three-Cylinder Engine
09:40 - Four-Cylinder Engine
12:52 - Five-Cylinder Engine
15:17 - Six-Cylinder Engine
18:55 - Eight-Cylinder Engine
20:06 - Ten-Cylinder Engine
21:18 - Wrap Up

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[ethanol-fb]

i like how 6 seconds into he says single cylinder and ignores that bike being a vtwin

[dADAquaHobby]

I love single cylinder 110 cc engine, No racing, riding with my family is so much fun.

[herksen]

Great video!!
I’m 66 years old now, and I remember almost all of those bikes very well.

And the sound were absolutely great.
Thanks a lot!!

[daviddowning]

I didn't see any mention of rotary engines, like the Suziki RE-8 had. There was a Hercules rotary too.

[jimclarke]

Honda motorcycle department have built every configuration of engine available, on and off the track

[andymcneil]

I did not know some of those configs. Thank you for the education. I only ever had a 1 cylinder 2 stroke. Kawasaki AE80 but I loved it. Best 6 months of my life, March-October 1985.

[RenanARodrigues]

thank you for the video, did u know about the upside-down engines? such as the one used on nembo motociclette 32? awesome video!

[ThiagoSilva-djqz]

This channel is absolutely amazing! Congratulations!

[ferenccsabatoth]

I had only 2-stroke bikes, my favorit was the CZ 485/2, made in Czehoslovakia, single-cylinder 246 ccm, 18 hp, but it had much more torque than you expected. It was easy to ride, and it was reliable and economical. And, I think, it was beautyful. Twelve years ago, I had a big mistake: I married... you can imagine the consequences... :(

[mustangzrx]

Nice video. Too bad you skipped the flat, or horizontally opposed, 4 cylinder. Very common engine in 1970’s and 1980’s Honda GL1000, 1100 & 1200.

[Kraken]

Judging by the characteristics it seems the triple is the best for street riding in terms of performance and sound. The MT-09 is a beast and sounds amazing.

[ache]

Oval Kolben von Honda fehlt noch
Die Zündapp 750 ccm hatte eine V - Motor von 175°Winkel ( also kein Boxer, der ja 180° Winkel hat ! )

[kkamino]

Best sounding motorcycle engines:
1 Cylinder
V-Twin
Straight 3
Inline 4
Flat Six
V8
V10


But overall, I think the Inline 4 sounds the best followed by the Inline six.

[HyadumHH]

I went from the most common inline-4, through single, twin, boxer, ending up with a triple now. Great mix of everything.

[sterlingroberts]

You really need to cover crankshaft designs in any video covering engine configuration, at least when you’re playing engine sounds. 360°, 180°, and 270° crank inline-two cylinder engines all sound quite different.

[nomadenview]

Thanks for this video....
Man the sound from 6 cylinder engine from Honda CBX are just beautiful....

[denniskrige]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but there is a distinction between a boxer and a flat twin.
Boxers move in and out in time and in relation to eachother, as you described. A flat twin has one cylinder doing the opposite of the other, ie one goes in while the other goes out.

[robertstout]

Lets see... you missed the 4 cylinder boxer motor as used on the early gold wings and the Wankel engines as used by Suzuki and Hercules.. And if you are listing one off configurations such as Allan Millyards' V10, he also did a V12 and Simon Whitlock did a 48 Cylinder motorcycle.

[sujalverma]

Great to see that our enfeild is featured here

[optimusprimum]

Never stop making these. You’re awesome thank you.