Random Picture Thread Vers.4

'Smiths'.

When we went to the tip it occurred to me how extensive the GE Aerospace site is and, eventually, passing the front, that it's what used to be Smiths. Which it still was when I was coming up here 35, 40 years ago, on whichever interesting bike, coming over Wantage Plain from Newbury, through Faringdon, Lechlade, Stow, and left at Broadway. And where my mum worked after leaving school.

And they used to build instruments for the Harrier and Concorde. And phosphor bronze bearings and stainless parts for my AJS, unofficially.

 

In a similar Vein to the twin Turbo Hayabusa, how this works will get the brain cells working:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megola

Note "The cylinders rotate around the front axle at six times the wheel speed"

How you get the fuel to the cylinders and a connection to the spark plugs will be interesting to work out.

 

I remember seeing a video of a similar/same motorcycle and thought exactly the same, how on earth does that work I also couldn't help thinking what were the perceived advantages of such a concept.

Evidently it was extremely stable but cornering was errr.... adversely affected by the massive gyroscopic inertia.

 

By a curious quirk, the Megola was not the first motorcycle to have a rotating radial engine within the front wheel; and nor was it the last.

 

Do expand on that.
I'm genuinely interested.

 

One lovely advantage of the internet is that it's all there for our lazy*, leisurely perusal if you like exploring.

I use Wiki a lot for this, and can rarely fault it.

Re: "rotary" - only quoting, but most would argue it starts with one Félix Millet.


*speaking for myself

 

Correct. The Millet still exists. I have seen it, in the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris.

The later one was German. Can you find it?

 

Nothing worth quoting but fascinating to read about Mr Redrup, no luck with motorcycle pictures on "his" so far either, but one specimen resides at Sammy Miller's place apparently.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Benjamin_Redrup

 

Is that a radial engine mounted in the rear wheel?

 

(answering for Pete - cheekily) Yes - but it's technically a "rotary" - the crankshaft does not rotate.

 

Frog one.

 

Yes, but there was also a version with the rotary engine in the front wheel

 

The Redrup is a radial, but not rotary and not in the wheel.

 

aware of this, and I didn't claim that it was either!

 

Try looking up:
Killinger und Freund

 

an engine mounted in the rear wheel and of rotary type to be clear, Wikipedia have confused matters somewhat.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millet_motorcycle