Classic Motorcycle Race Engines: Expert Technical Analysis of the World's Great Power Units
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Description
This authoritative book, elegantly written in highly digestible style by the foremost expert on the subject, provides in-depth analysis of classic motorcycle race engines spanning eight decades, from the 1930s Guzzi 500 120-degree twin to the latest Yamaha YZR M1 in-line four. Packed with technical detail, the book provides an absorbing insight into the technology employed in a wide variety of motorcycle engines, investigating the diverse approaches taken by various manufacturers over the years in the search for race-winning performance. Read more
Publisher : Haynes Publishing UK (January 1, 2013)
Language : English
Hardcover : 416 pages
ISBN-10 : 1844259943
ISBN-13 : 46
Item Weight : 2.45 pounds
Dimensions : 7 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #446,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #110 in Motorcycle Repair & Performance (Books) #837 in Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement (Books)
#110 in Motorcycle Repair & Performance (Books):
#837 in Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement (Books):
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Top Amazon Reviews
If you are a serious student of engines and engine design -- whether such engines are to be found in cars, motorcycles, boats, go-karts, or the like -- stop whatever you are doing and immediately buy and read Kevin Cameron's new book "Classic Motorcycle Race Engines", hot off Haynes Publishing's (UK) press in November, 2012. To my knowledge, there has never been a book such as this, and you are not likely to see anything like it again. Kevin's book is a herculean effort that is unique and immensely valuable to anyone in the automotive and motorcycle racing industry. This is no book for reading dilettantes that can only handle a one page memo in one sitting. Kevin's wisdom and experience are spread throughout 397 pages that thoroughly describe some 52 motorcycle race engines and one Formula 1 automotive engine from manufacturers around the world spanning the past 80 years of motorcycle (and auto) engine development. Cameron writes with his usual clarity and elegance, with some occasional tweaks of humor as well. You can read his book straight through as I did, or you can skip around from chapter-to-chapter, focusing on either two-stroke or four-stroke engines, or engines from your favorite manufacturer(s) or country, or those engines from the pre-1950 era or the latest MotoGP engines circa 2010-2011. Here's what makes Cameron's book so valuable and entertaining. * Cameron covers the development of motorcycle racing engines from the 1920s through 2011. This includes obscure brands such as Aer Macchi, DKW, Konig, Mondial, Morini, MZ, and NSU, as well as Harley-Davidson and most of the British and Italian brands, and, of course, the big four Japanese brands. * In the racing world, there are usually either four-stroke engine experts, or two-stroke engine experts. Kevin covers the development of both two and four stroke engines with equal passion and expertise. It is a rare treat to find such knowledge in one book. * Not only does Cameron describe in great detail each engine's development, but he adds tremendous value for the reader with his comments on racing engine engineering and technology. He covers in fine detail the development of the Cosworth Formula 1 DFV V8 racing engine -- the first "modern" engine design in 1967 that pioneered (or "assembled") so many new four-stroke engine design concepts. Kevin's tremendous knowledge of engine design, not only in motorcycles, but in auto engines, diesel engines, and reciprocating aircraft engines gives him a rich basis for his insight into the 53 engines he chronicles in this book. * Kevin's engine histories are supported by solid engineering facts and principles -- from the fields of thermodynamics, combustion chemistry, air flow, exhaust tuning, mechanical engineering -- vibration, dynamics, lubrication, metallurgy, etc. If you have Cameron's book, and Charles Fayette Taylor's two books "The Internal-Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice: Volumes I and II" published by The MIT Press in 1966 and 1968 respectively, you will be way ahead in having a solid foundation of engine design principles. * Cameron knows the theories of race engine design. But in addition, he has performed race engine testing and development work himself as a member of many professional motorcycle racing teams. He understands the values of simplicity, accessibility, low cost, and the minimization of parts as keys to a successful racing effort. He knows what it is like to work 7 X 24 during race week to get ready for a big event -- to try to correct factory engineers' mistakes and rectify manufacturing and suppliers' quality problems, to keep engines intact, and to produce a motorcycle engine that will last long enough to not only finish but win the race. * Cameron's extensive contacts in racing and the motorcycle industry allow him to share the real stories behind the scenes that entertain his readers with rich "you are there" stories and insight. Three big lessons stand out from reading Cameron's fine book. 1. There are subtle differences in cylinder head and combustion chamber design that influence whether a race engine produces top-end horsepower or torque, but not both concurrently. You have to know what you want your engine to do well in a particular race event. 2. Most races on the average racing circuit are won in the corners, not on the straightaways. All other things being equal, manageable torque out of 10 to 20 corners usually beats a few miles per hour advantage at the end of one straight. 3. There is no end to the eternal quest for more manageable engine power, durability, simplicity, ease of maintenance, and low cost. Racing is a study in small incremental gains, 100 rpm at-a-time. Every year, small incremental improvements, often enabled by new technologies, keep things interesting and competitive in the motorcycle (or any racing) industry. You never get to rest on your laurels in racing. Kudos to Cameron for an extraordinary book. It represents the best race engine knowledge-per-dollar book investment available. You will enjoy and treasure this book. I guarantee it.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2013 by Tom G
Fascination technical insight, presented in an engaging style that is easy to understand.
Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2023 by SEAN P BURKE
Hooked on the sound of a Japanese inline four at 16,000 rpm, or the roar of a Ducati V-twin or the wispy smoke of a hot two-stroke? Does the idea of a 14:1 compression ratio get your heart racing? Want to learn about the historical foundations of modern engine technology, about who invented what and why it was important? This is your book. Kevin Cameron is both a master engineer and a fine, skilled journalist. He brings highly technical material to the general reader and interested enthusiast. The best part of this book is that it teaches you the technical material without deteriorating into textbook arcane. It makes you FEEL like a skilled engineer when you read it. Cameron has the skill to pull this off. The book features detailed chapters about the historical and technical backgrounds of 53 important motorcycle engines. It's a varied mix of configurations, from the Harley XR to the Honda NR to the modern Yamaha inline fours. Most of these engines were race only designs, but more than a few were eventually configured for street use, such as the Suzuki GSX-R. The color photographs and few technical graphics which are included are from archival sources, and were not commissioned specifically for this book. Generally, the feature of this book is the text, and the illustrations serve to enhance the text. More of a motorsports history book than a technical manual, the book nevertheless includes enough wizardry to keep even the most fanatical engineers engaged.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2014 by Jon L Albee
If you like Top Dead Centre then you'll enjoy this book. A walk through the development of Kevin's choice of significant racing engines from the 30's to the present day, the book covers each engine with a good mix of history, politics and personal stories about the men, their machines and the times they lived in. As someone who entered motorcycling in the Japo-centric early 80's, I learnt and gained a much bigger appreciation for the significant European marques that dominated the 50 and 60's before the coming of the dominant Japanese two-strokes. I would have liked more diagrams and some explanation of the terms used in glossary form, but otherwise this is a typically well-written, well-researched piece from one of my favourite columnists.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2013 by T. Smith
This is the book I've been waiting for ever since I first became addicted to motorcycle racing, way back in the early 1960s. Cameron covers the history and development of every important and ground-breaking motorcycle racing engine since 1927, and he does it in language that will keep everyone from casual enthusiast to expert motorhead engaged. While the engineering details are all there, the author also includes the personalities of those involved in engine development and racing, with hundreds of great photos, many of them showing engine details usually hidden from we mere mortals behind fairings and closed pit doors. This book is the real deal, worth every cent, and a must-have addition to any ardent motorcycle racing fan's bookshelf.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2014 by Chuck Lantz
I've been enjoying Kevin Cameron's technical writing since he first appeared in the pages of Cycle Magazine. He has the ability to express complex technical concepts in simple clear and interesting prose. This book is no exception. It is well written with a nice collection of both technical and racing photos. My only minor complaint is the organization of the contents. Each manufacture is in alphabetical order with their engines in historical order. That does make it easy to find a specific engine but I would have preferred to see them all in chronological order. It would make comparing engines from the same era much easier. It's a minor thing, does not take away from the wealth of excellent info presented here.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2013 by Ferd