V8 500 thing of beauty!

[dangerous]

Because he could ?
if he used a conventional v8 crank it would only have half the bearing area per rod and seeing as this engine is probably pulling well over 20,000 rpm that may not be so good
also he may have done it for cost reasons, by using off the shelf cranks rather than having to design and build a one off at very high cost
Maybe he just did it so a 15 yr old could explain it to you

Mike its not like you to be so arrogant, I thought we were over that shit...

I am well awear of the basic reasons why or why not, but I was asking someone who was involved in the project.

To me yes two cranks would make it easier to build, save on width, but be heavier, have more resistance... just to mention a couple of things that come to my wee swead.
Drysdale who did similer built his own botom end, a single crank IIRC... but I was more interested in what this desinger had to say.

[Yow Ling]

Mike its not like you to be so aragant, I thought we were over that shit...


I am well awear of the reasons why or whay not, but i was asking someone who was involved in the project.

To me yes two cranks would make it easier to build, sacve on width, but be heavier, have more resistance... just to mention a couple of things that come to my wee swead.
Drysdale who did similer built his own botom end, a single crank IIRC... but I was more interested in what this desinger had to say.

maybe you shoud have just pm'd him then

[dangerous]

If it has two cranks, its not a v8 is it? its a square 8 (or something)

Or something... the RZ5 is a V4 says so on the fairing, but it has two cranks... The RG5 also has two cranks but, the pots sit next to each other not in a vee thus a square 4, so really it is a V8

[dangerous]

maybe you shoud have just pm'd him then

I am and always have been more than interested to here what you have to say.. a lot can and has been learnt from you... but to reply "because he could" is a wast of internet webie space thing, and you know as well as I do it was a knee jerk comment aimed at meeeeeeeeeeeee.


ohh fuck I'm being all sensitive again aint I DOH

[Grumph]

Without being privy to the designers thinking I'd imagine the primary reason behind using two cranks would be economic....there are at least two guys in ChCh who could have made a flat plane crank for it. But prices would start around five grand then you factor in gear cutting and heat treatment incl nitriding....
If using two cranks enabled the thing to be built at all then fine...job done.
Very nice work sir...

[Mental Trousers]

That's fantastic. Although I hope he puts some sort of shroud around the shock otherwise it'll get about 2 laps before the back end turns into a pogo stick.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Yes, while the technical term is not a V8, a term that does apply, is fucking awesome!

Love how the pipes just dump out through the fairing.

absolutely agree.

want to hear/see this bad boy running.

[ducatilover]

If a stock zxr250 redlines at 19k , 20k isn't much more , I guess it all comes down to mean piston speed

Another 1000rpm is a lot, especially at those revs and relying on silly valve springs and conventional cams.

Either way, I really want it and I admire the engineering that's gone in to it.

[bogan]

Without being privy to the designers thinking I'd imagine the primary reason behind using two cranks would be economic....there are at least two guys in ChCh who could have made a flat plane crank for it. But prices would start around five grand then you factor in gear cutting and heat treatment incl nitriding....
If using two cranks enabled the thing to be built at all then fine...job done.
Very nice work sir...

Does the 5k include design too? Because a 19,000rpm crank sounds pretty difficult.

[Racing Dave]

...all will be revealed in Kiwi Rider. although if you leaf back to your October 2006 copy, the full engine design/build story is there. The coming story concentrates on the bike's development.

[Yow Ling]

if you ran it on 7 cylinders it would be eligible for F3 438cc

[Kickaha]

If it has two cranks, its not a v8 is it? its a square 8 (or something).

It has 8 cylinders arranged in a V regardless of how many cranks it has it is a V8

if you ran it on 7 cylinders it would be eligible for F3 438cc

Good thinking and it has already been suggested

[Zamiam]

Now tell me ya don't wanna throw a leg over this:

Attachment 244050

Its a Honda I'd rather throw my leg over a Sheep!

[bogan]

It has 8 cylinders arranged in a V regardless of how many cranks it has it is a V8

Except the arrangement of the cylinders only affects the operation (balance/stresses) if they all share a crank, thus defining some of the engine's characteristics. The angle of the second bank doesn't make much difference to how it runs, so in this it is closer to a U engine like the square fours etc. Maybe I am looking at it from too much of an engineering viewpoint, but wikipedia seems to agree.

[slowpoke]

Thousand monkeys with a thousand typewriters... sounds like Ducati.

Exactly! Or to be more specific: 1000 espresso fuelled monkeys.

Attachment 244062Attachment 244061Attachment 244063Attachment 244064

Don't get hung up on the smoke - that turned out to be oil from the crankcase breather dripping onto the rear set of headers.

To save speculation, the heads/barrels are ZXR250.

As stated earlier in this thread, there's a couple of minor teething problems to attend to, but that's neither surprising or serious. Last Friday was it's first outing and overall Chris was very pleased.

Me too!

Cheers.

Bugger the (cool as fuck) bike, I'd just be happy to have the pegboard setup in the background....my garage looks like a brothel just after the USS Missouri has left town.