Unless we regularly ride one, motorcycles in dreams often represent youthful energy and/or adolescent rebelliousness. A sense of freedom and/or a sense of danger.
a two-wheeled or three-wheeled (tricycle) vehicle with an internal-combustion engine having a displacement of more than 49.8 cu cm. The first motorcycles appeared in Western Europe in the late 19th century. Between 1924 and 1932 experimental models were developed and tested in Moscow, Izhevsk, and Leningrad (the Soiuz, IZh-1, IZh-2, IZh-3, IZh-4, IZh-5, and NATI-750). Serial production was begun in Leningrad in 1933 (model L-300: piston displacement, 300 cu cm; power, 4.7 kilowatts [kW]) and Izhevsk (model IZh-7, which is similar to the L-300).
Motorcycles are classified according to purpose as touring (transportation), sports, and special-purpose types. Touring motorcycles (Tables 1 and 2), which are small and light, have good maneuverability and excellent rough-road performance, and are simple to maintain, are used for personal transportation. The special-purpose types include patrol, escort, and commercial motorcycles.
A motorcycle consists of several groups of mechanisms: the engine, the power train (transmission), the running gear (undercarriage), and the electrical system. The engine is a two- or
| Table 1. Specifications of touring motorcycles produced in the USSR | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-106 | Voskhod-2 | Planeta-3 | IZh lupiter-3 | Ural-31 M-66 | Dnepr1 MT-9 | |
| 1Manufactured only with sidecar 2For motorcycles with sidecars 3One speed in reverse | ||||||
| Engine displacement (cu cm).......... | 123.5 | 173.7 | 346 | 347 | 649 | 649 |
| Number of cylinders (number of cycles).......... | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 1 (2) | 2 (2) | 2 (4) | 2 (4) |
| Cylinder bore (mm).......... | 52 | 61.75 | 72 | 61.75 | 78 | 78 |
| Piston stroke (mm).......... | 58 | 58 | 85 | 58 | 68 | 68 |
| Compression ratio.......... | 9.5:1 | 7.5:1 | 7.2:1 | 7.5:1 | 7.0:1 | 7.2:1 |
| Maximum power, kW (hp).......... | 6.62 (9) | 8.1 (11) | 13.2 (18) | 18.4 (25) | 23.6 (32) | 23.6 (32) |
| Engine speed at maximum power (rpm).......... | 5,200 | 5,400 | 5,000 | 5,400 | 5,000 | 5,200 |
| Maximum speed (km/hr).......... | 85 | 95 | 110 | 120 (90)2 | 105 | 100 |
| Number of speeds.......... | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 43 |
| Empty weight (kg).......... | 100 | 112 | 156 | 158 (253)2 | 320 | 320 |
| Standard fuel consumption (1/100 km; speed in km/hr shown in parentheses).......... | 2.75 (50) | 2.8 (50) | 3.55 (55) | 3.75 (55)2 (5.8) 2 | 5.8 (55) | 5.8 (55) |
| Table 2. Specifications of some foreign-made touring motorcycles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JAWA 50 (ČSSR) | Motobecan D125 (France) | ČZ 175 (ČSSR) | MZ250 (GDR) | Pannonia P20 (Hungary) | Kawasaki 305S2 (Japan) | BMW P60/5 (FRG) | Honda SV750 (Japan) | Munch TTS (FRG) | |
| Engine displacement (cu cm).......... | 48 | 124 | 172 | 249 | 246 | 346 | 599 | 736 | 1,200 |
| Number of cylinders.......... | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Number of cycles.......... | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Cylinder bore (mm).......... | 58 | 43 | 58 | 70 | 56 | 53 | 7.35 | 61 | 75 |
| Piston stroke (mm).......... | 65 | 43 | 65 | 65 | 50 | 5.23 | 7.09 | 63 | 66.6 |
| Compression ratio.......... | 7.8:1 | 10:1 | 8.7:1 | 8.5:1 | 10.5:1 | 7.3:1 | 9.2:1 | 9:1 | 11:1 |
| Maximum power, kW (hp).......... | 2.9(4) | 11.04(15) | 11.04(15) | 13.9(19) | 16.9(23) | 33.2(45) | 29.4(40) | 49.2(67) | 64.8(88) |
| Engine speed at maximum power (rpm).......... | 6,500 | 7,000 | 5,600 | 5,500 | 7,500 | 8,000 | 6,400 | 8,500 | 6,500 |
| Maximum speed (km/hr)........... | 60 | 120 | 115 | 130 | 130 | 170 | 165 | 200 | 215 |
| Number of speeds............. | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Weight (kg)............ | 69 | 108 | 112 | 143 | 142 | 150 | 210 | 218 | 240 |
four-cycle carbureter type, which is cooled by the airstream (some sports and high-performance touring motorcycles are water-cooled). The power per liter of displacement for two-cycle engines of touring motorcycles is 51.5–98.2 kW/I (70–130 hp/l ); for four-cycle engines, 37–66 kW/l (50–90 hp/l ); and for sports motorcycles, 146–220 kW/l (200–300 hp/l ). The power train consists of a clutch, a gearbox, a front (motor) transmission, and a rear (main) transmission. The clutch is of the single-disk or multidisk type (the latter type is used on most motorcycles). The gearbox has two to six speeds, with four in most touring motorcycles. The front transmission (from the engine to the gearbox) is of the chain type or, less frequently, of the pinion type. The rear transmission (from the gearbox to the rear wheel) is of the chain type (sometimes a propeller shaft). The electrical equipment includes a power source (AC or DC generators and storage batteries), an ignition system, a light system (headlights and taillights), and a signal system (turn, brake, and horn signals).
In the USSR, motorcycles are produced in Minsk (displacement, 125 cu cm), Kovrov (displacement, 175 cu cm), Izhevsk (one- and two-cylinder types with a piston displacement of 350 cu cm), and Kiev and Irbit (displacement, 650 cu cm). The output of motorcycles and motor scooters in the USSR was 533,000 in 1960,711,000 in 1965, 833,000 in 1970, and 1,022,000 in 1973. In terms of combined production of motorcycles, motor scooters, and motor bicycles, the USSR is second in the world (more than 1.5 million per year); production in Japan is about 3.5 million (1973).
S. Iu. IVANITSKII and B. V. SINEL’NIKOV