The sweet sweet sound of a MERLIN:

[crack]

Tonight a colleague asked me to try and search for some parts for his Harley, I went onto Wgtn M/Cycles web page:

See the attached, this is nearly twenty odd years ago now, but still bloody amazing, OH for the sigh of a MERLIN:

[Edbear]

Wheeew!!! Any idea how it went? Or where it went?:gob:

[Lou Girardin]

Or you could buy a Speed Triple with Microns on it, that's the closest to a Merlin I've heard.

[Ixion]

That's not a full size RR Merlin. Merlin was a V12, real big. That looks like 2 cylinders cut off a Merlin on a special crankcase. Very interesting but, a proper Bert Munro effort

[smokeyging]

That's not a full size RR Merlin. Merlin was a V12, real big. That looks like 2 cylinders cut off a Merlin on a special crankcase. Very interesting but, a proper Bert Munro effort

The 2 pistons come from a Merlin, originally out of a mosquito bomber

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Std engine for Spitfires and Hurricanes as well. V 12 Engine. Replaced the std Allison engine in the US Mustang and turned it from an underpowered plane into a great one.

[Swoop]

Sigh for a Merlin, by Alex Henshaw.
An excellent read!

[James Deuce]

I always have a mental grump when I see discussions about Merlin's being "one of the finest piston engines built."

They were for the time quite good, but the the Bristol Centaurus range (sleeve valve) was a better technological product, with better power to weight and specific power output by engine volume.

The Merlin's roots lie in WW1, refined through the Supermarine seaplane racers of the '20s and '30s, and I reckon it wouldn't be hard to make one of these puppies put out around 6000hp using modern tolerances and metallurgy.

The Rotax single that powers a lot of Ultralight aircraft is probably one of that finest (and most reliable) piston engines ever built for an aircraft.

The Packard built Merlins suffered from the same issues that, for instance the US version of the 20mm Hispano suffered. US Imperial and UK Imperial standards are different in all sorts of ways. From talking to Spitfire pilots who flew Spitfire Mks VIII, IX, and XVI powered respectively by Merlin 66, 60, and 266, the 266 (2 denotes Packard built) never met it's rated power output above 16,000ft and the vast majority of Spitfire XVI's were built with the LF wing, which was clipped to provide better speed and roll rate at low altitude. The 266 also required (anecdotally) a great deal more maintenance due to slightly sloppier tolerances introduced by US Imperial measurement conversions in the production process.

Here's some pictures that show the differences between a mid-30s Merlin and an early-40s Merlin. The Merlin one was used in the very first Spitfires and Hurricanes, and the XX was used in a variety of Hurricane, Mosquito, and Lancaster variants.

[marty]

jim you spotter......

make sure the sound is turned up LOUD

[idleidolidyll]

Tonight a colleague asked me to try and search for some parts for his Harley, I went onto Wgtn M/Cycles web page:

See the attached, this is nearly twenty odd years ago now, but still bloody amazing, OH for the sigh of a MERLIN:

ahh that thing. it was about 5 litres wasn't it?
they used to use it before the Philipp Island GP to do burnouts for the crowd.

[Bend-it]

5 liters!?!? Try 27 litres mate!! :)

Edit:
27l for the whole engine... 2 out of 12 cylinders gives about 5l... ta-dah... you are likely kerrekt!

[James Deuce]

The VTWIN hacked off the end of a Merlin was about 5 litres. You muppet.

Though I think it's was more like 4.5 litres.

[Bend-it]

Boo hooo.... you said VTWIN... booo hooooo :crybaby:

sniff sniff...

Yes, you are right.

[bistard]

Jim,after reading that huge thread,Mate you need to get out more!
Is your back back on the road,that could give you an excuse to get out

[pete376403]

En route to a Brass Monkey some years back, we were in Wanaka on Friday night and staying at the motor camp. Late afternoon and we were stretched out on the grass in front of the cabins, having a few beers and lying (as you do) about the days events when a Spitfire came diving down out of the setting sun and levelled out over the lake, before hauling back into a climb. Was Tim Wallis having a play and for about ten minutes, not a word was spoken, our group just spellbound by the sight and sound. One of these days I'll go back for the Warbirds over Wanaka, but I doubt if it would be a magic as that evening.

[James Deuce]

Jim,after reading that huge thread,Mate you need to get out more!
Is your back back on the road,that could give you an excuse to get out

What do you know? You sell French cars.

[bistard]

Ha ha you are wrong,I dont sell them at all!!
As I said before Finance is the game
So if you want to replace the car that died let me now
No take that back,I have dealt with your better half before & we are here to make money,not be ground down & give things away
He he he

[idleidolidyll]

5 liters!?!? Try 27 litres mate!! :)

Edit:
27l for the whole engine... 2 out of 12 cylinders gives about 5l... ta-dah... you are likely kerrekt!

the 2 cylinder motorbike they started this thread for not the RR M itself

well done on catching yourself (edit) before i did :-)

[James Deuce]

Like I need ANOTHER French car. :shifty:

[slowpoke]

The first bloke to ride that thing in anger must have needed a wheelbarrow to carry to his balls around.....

[bell]

Ever thought you might have been a fighter pilot in a past life eh Jim? Impressive. Quite. Your kids must love their bedtime stories!

[Edbear]

Std engine for Spitfires and Hurricanes as well. V 12 Engine. Replaced the std Allison engine in the US Mustang and turned it from an underpowered plane into a great one.



Mmmm! Don't let my old school mate, Garth, hear you say that! He's chief mechanic for an Aussie mate running Merlins in his hydroplane - hit 200mph on Karepiro last comp. Garth builds dragsters himself, using the Allison 17ltr. He winds them out to 4200rpm, (std. 2000rpm), getting about 2000hp from them.

[Clivoris]

What do you know? You sell French.

Selling it now is he?

[crack]

[QUOTE=Jim2;850545][LEFT]I always have a mental grump when I see discussions about Merlin's being "one of the finest piston engines built."

For its time, yes, but still a bloody beautifully unmistakably sound at full noise,
Just as good as the Daimler Benz:

Cant beat a P&W, or a CFM, but hey whos going to mate either to, two wheels.

:love: :love: :love: :love: :rockon: :done: :scooter:

[R6_kid]

http://www.thundermustang.com/

These are pretty cool. 3/4 Scale P-51, the engine sounds pretty damn close to the original although it's smaller. Through use of modern technology they've actually mananged to end up with a better aircraft than the original P-51 power to weight wise.

[Big Dave]

I always have a mental grump when I see discussions about Merlin's being



Be nice if the blueprints were large enought to see em huh grumpy?

[James Deuce]

Get yer magnifying glass out.

[Big Dave]

Get yer magnifying glass out.



pixels is pixels - or lack thereof.

[Motu]

Gosh,you mean other people couldn't see then either? I was going to go to the Warehouse and get myself the next step stronger glasses for Xmas.I tend to keep quiet about the effects of the aging prosses....loss of vision,loss of hearing,loss of libedo.....but I still get a hard on for a double row radial.

[Big Dave]

...................not with you on the libido thing.

[Ixion]

What you never had , you don't miss, eh ?

[lb99]

some lucky bastard was just winding shit out of one RIGHT OVER MY HOUSE, man I wish the missus was home right now, well it was probably a Packard, cause it was a P51, but fuck it sounds awesome, I'm going back outside......:yes:

[lb99]

listen to this

http://www.alexisparkinn.com/photogallery/Videos/p51[1].wav

:Punk:

[marty]

, man I wish the missus was home right now, :yes:

does it make ya horny?

[lb99]

it causes definate stirrings :innocent:

[spudchucka]

I saw that bike in the flesh at a bike show in Townsville during the 80's. Didn't get to hear it running though.