Ahh, two-stroke engines. Many individuals affiliate the sound (and scent) of a two-stroke with yard tools, however for motorbike followers, it signifies one thing else fully – efficiency. See, earlier than emissions rules have been as stringent as they’re now, two-stroke bikes dominated not solely off-road however on street and, extra importantly, on racetracks. But how did that occur?
The story of the success of the two-stroke engine is one which includes Nazi missiles, betrayal, industrial espionage and extra intrigue than you’ll be able to shake a bottle of castor oil at, and it’s laid out superbly on this 20-minute movie by YouTuber bart.
The first two-stroke engine was created in Scotland in 1881, however it wasn’t till 1908 that they grew to become sensible to be used in bikes and scooters. These engines have been used as a result of they have been easy and low-cost to supply, however there was a noticeable cap on their efficiency, which triggered most producers of efficiency and racing bikes to make use of four-stroke engines.
This modified when a German rocket scientist, Walter Kaaden (The video claims he labored on the V1 missile, however this isn’t true. He labored on the distant management Hs 293 anti-shipping missile which was chargeable for sinking dozens of Allied ships throughout the way in which) began tinkering round with a 125cc DKW motorbike after the battle. He finally took this bike racing which caught the eye of the IFA (which DKW was absorbed into post-war) racing staff, which employed him to run its racing efforts.
Kaaden’s largest contribution to two-stroke engine design was the perfection of the exhaust enlargement chamber, which might enable the engine to breathe extra successfully and which elevated energy by round 20 % over engines with regular exhaust pipes. The expertise remains to be in use with fashionable two-stroke engines at present.
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Eventually, Kaaden was introduced on to work for East German motorbike producer MZ the place he continued to innovate and increase two-stroke energy outputs. In 1961, Kaaden’s MZ 125cc racing engine grew to become the primary naturally aspirated engine to supply 200 horsepower per liter of displacement (that’s 25 hp for you non-mathletes on the market), a determine that’s nonetheless insanely spectacular at present.
Of course, nothing gold can keep, and finally, MZ’s prime rider, Ernst Degner, inked a secret deal on the Isle of Man TT with then-struggling bike producer Suzuki to provide them Kaaden’s expertise in alternate for 10,000 GBP (that’s round $183,143.57 in at present’s cash) and a full manufacturing unit trip for the 1962 season. Degner defected from the East German Republic and MZ bikes on the Swedish Grand Prix in 1961. He made his escape within the trunk of a automobile.
Two-stroke bikes remained the dominant drive in motorbike grand prix racing till 2002. After that, the principles have been restructured round a four-stroke engine design of 990cc. It’s uncommon now to listen to the traditional “ring-a-ding-ding” exhaust be aware of a two-stroke motorbike anyplace besides on dust due to emissions, and even these have gotten much less widespread. Still, they have been vital, and damnit, they’re fairly cool.
Source: jalopnik.com