Motorcycle components

1.ENGINE

A motorcycle engine is an engine that powers a motorcycle. Motorcycle engines are

typically two-stroke or four-stroke internal combustion engines, but other engine types,
such as Wankels and electric motors, have been used.

Almost all production motorcycles have gasoline internal combustion engines. Both four-stroke and
two-stroke
engines are used, but strict emission laws have led to far fewer two-strokes. A few have used Wankel
rotary engines, but no Wankel bikes are currently in production. Motorcycle engines can be air cooled
or liquid cooled, and optionally include oil cooling as well. Some scooters use batteries and an electric
motor

Engines with more cylinders for the same displacement feel smoother to ride.
Engines with fewer cylinders are cheaper, lighter, and easier to maintain. Liquid-
cooled motorcycles have a radiator which is the primary way their heat is
dispersed. Coolant or oil is constantly circulated between this radiator and the
cylinder when the engine is running. Air-cooled motorcycles rely on air blowing
past fins on the engine case to disperse heat. Liquid-cooled motorcycles have
the potential for greater power at a given displacement, tighter tolerances, and
longer operating life, whereas air-cooled motorcycles are potentially cheaper to
purchase, less mechanically complex and lighter weight.
An air-cooled engine contracts and expands with its wider temperature range,
requiring looser tolerances, and giving shorter engine life. The temperature range
of an air-cooled two-stroke is even more extreme and component life even
shorter than in an air-cooled four-stroke.
As applied to motorcycles, two-stroke engines have some advantages over
equivalent four-strokes: they are lighter, mechanically much simpler, and produce
more power when operating at their best. But four-stroke engines are cleaner,
more reliable, and deliver power over a much broader range of engine speeds
Two-stroke and four-stroke
Two-stroke engines have fewer moving parts than four-stroke engines, and
produce twice the number of power strokes per revolution.
Fuel economy is better in four-strokes due to more complete combustion of the
intake charge in four-stroke engines.
Nevertheless, two-strokes have been largely replaced on motorcycles in
developed nations due to their environmental disadvantages. Cylinder lubrication
is necessarily total-loss and this inevitably leads to a smokey exhaust, particularly
on wide throttle openings. Two-stroke-engined motorcycles continue to be made
in large numbers, but mostly low-power mopeds, small scooters and step-
through underbones where they still compete strongly with four-strokes (including
the highest-selling motorcycle of all time, the 50 cc Honda Super Cub). The major
markets of two-stroke motorcycles are in developing nations.

Cylinder heads (four-stroke)

Cylinder head design has a significant effect on the efficiency of
combustion, and hence the power output of the engine. The head may be flat,
in which case the combustion chamber resides within the cylinder and/or
a depression in the piston crown, but usually a "dome" within the cylinder
head provides most of the combustion volume. Motorcycles, use poppet
valves in a range of designs: side valve, overhead valve (OHV)
with pushrod operation, overhead cam (SOHC), and double overhead
cam (DOHC)
Unit construction
Engines and gearboxes were originally separate items, the gearbox being
driven by a "primary chain". Later designs combined the two elements into a
single "unit construction". Some manufacturers, such as Norton and Enfield
continued with "pre-unit" construction until recently, and Harley-Davidson still
makes pre-unit engines today.
2. Clutch
The clutch in a manual-shift motorcycle transmission is typically an arrangement
of plates stacked in alternating fashion, one geared on the inside to the engine
and the next geared on the outside to the transmission input shaft. Whether wet
(rotating in engine oil) or dry, the plates are squeezed together by a spring,
causing friction build up between the plates until they rotate as a single unit,
driving the transmission directly. A lever on the handlebar exploits mechanical
advantage through a cable or hydraulic arrangement to release the clutch
spring(s), allowing the engine to freewheel with respect to the transmission.
Automatic and semi-automatics typically use a centrifugal clutch which operates
in a different fashion. At idle, the engine is disconnected from the gearbox input
shaft, allowing both it and the bike to freewheel (unlike torque converter
automatics, there is no "idle creep" with a properly adjusted centrifugal clutch).
As the throttle is opened and engine speed rises, counterweights attached to
movable inner friction surfaces (connected to the engine shaft) within the clutch
assembly are thrown gradually further outwards, until they start to make contact
with the inside of the outer housing (connected to the gearbox shaft) and transmit
an increasing amount of engine power. The effective "bite point" is found
automatically by equilibrium where the power being transmitted through the (still-
slipping) clutch is equal to what the engine can provide. This allows relatively fast
full-throttle takeoffs (with the clutch adjusted so the engine will be turning near its
maximum-torque rpm) without the engine slowing or bogging down, as well as
more relaxed starts and low-speed maneuvers at lower throttle settings and
rpms.
Friction clutches
The vast majority of clutches ultimately rely on frictional forces for their operation.
The purpose of friction clutches is to connect a moving member to another that is
moving at a different speed or stationary, often to synchronize the speeds, and/or to
transmit power. Usually, as little slippage (difference in speeds) as possible between
the two members is desired.
 Transmission (mechanics)
A transmission is a machine in a power transmission system, which provides
controlled application of the power. Often the term transmission refers simply to
the gearbox that uses gears and gear trains to
provide speed and torque conversions from a rotating power source to another
device.[1][2]
In British English, the term transmission refers to the whole drivetrain,
including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive), differential, and final
drive shafts. In American English, however, the term refers more specifically to
the gearbox alone, and detailed usage differs.[note 1]
The most common use is in motor vehicles, where the transmission adapts the
output of the internal combustion engine to the drive wheels. Such engines need
to operate at a relatively high rotational speed, which is inappropriate for starting,
stopping, and slower travel. The transmission reduces the higher engine speed to
the slower wheel speed, increasing torque in the process. Transmissions are also
used on pedal bicycles, fixed machines, and where different rotational speeds
and torques are adapted.
Often, a transmission has multiple gear ratios (or simply "gears") with the ability
to switch between them as speed varies. This switching may be done manually
(by the operator) or automatically. Directional (forward and reverse) control may
also be provided. Single-ratio transmissions also exist, which simply change the
speed and torque (and sometimes direction) of motor output.
Gearset

A gearset is a set of gears that enable a rider to move from a complete

stop to a cruising speed. Transmissions on motorcycles typically have four
to six gears, although small bikes may have as few as two. The gears are
engaged by shifting a lever, which moves shifting forks inside the
transmission.

The job of a clutch is to engage and disengage power from the

engine crankshaft to the transmission. Without the clutch, the only way
to stop the wheels from turning would be to turn off the engine -- an
impractical solution in any kind of motorized vehicle. The clutch is a
series of spring-loaded plates that, when pressed together, connect the
transmission to the crankshaft. When a rider wants to shift gears, he
uses the clutch to disconnect the transmission from the crankshaft.
Once the new gear is selected, he uses the clutch to reestablish the
connection.
 3.Suspension
Modern designs have the two wheels of a motorcycle connected to the chassis
by a suspension arrangement, however 'chopper' style motorcycles often elect to
forgo rear suspension, using a rigid frame.
The front suspension is usually built into the front fork and may consist of
telescoping tubes called fork tubes which contain the suspension inside or some
multibar linkage that incorporate the suspension externally. There is another type
of front suspension system which is Earles type which highly used in off-road
motorcycles.[3]
The rear suspension supports the swingarm, which is attached via the swingarm
pivot bolt to the frame and holds the axle of the rear wheel. The rear suspension
can consist of several shock arrangements:

 Dual shocks, which are placed at the far ends of the swingarm
 Traditional monoshock, which is placed at the front of the swingarm, above
the swingarm pivot bolt
 Softail style suspension, where the shock absorbers are mounted horizontally
in front of the swingarm, below the swingarm pivot bolt and operate in
extension.
Final drive
Power transfer from the gearbox to the rear wheel is accomplished by different
methods.
Chain drive uses sprockets and a roller chain, which requires both lubrication and
adjustment for elongation (stretch) that occurs through wear. The lubricant is
subject to being thrown off the fast-moving chain and results in grime and dirt
build up. Chains do deteriorate, and excessive wear on the front and rear
sprockets can be dangerous. In a chain drive the power is transmitted into the
rear wheel via a cush drive. Conventional roller chain drives suffer the potential
for vibration, as the effective radius of action in a chain and sprocket combination
constantly changes during revolution ("chordal action"). If a drive sprocket rotates
at constant RPM, then the chain (and the driven sprocket) must accelerate and
decelerate constantly. Most chain-driven motorcycles are fitted with a rubber
bushed rear wheel hub to eliminate this vibration issue.

Wheels
The wheel rims are usually steel or aluminum (generally with steel spokes and an
aluminum hub) or mag-type cast or machined aluminum. Cast magnesium disks,
produced by one-step hot forging from magnesium alloys ZK60 and MA-14, are
also used for many motorcycle wheels.
At one time, motorcycles used wire wheels built up from separate components,
but, except for dirtbikes, one-piece wheels are more common now. Performance
racing motorcycles often use carbon-fibre wheels, but the expense of these
wheels is prohibitively high for general usage.

Tires

Motorcycles mainly use pneumatic tires. However, in some cases where

punctures are common (some enduros), the tires are filled with a tire
mousse which is unpunctureable. Both types of tire come in many configurations.
The most important characteristic of any tire is the contact patch, the small area
that is in contact with the road surface while riding. There are tires designed for
dirt bikes, touring, sport and cruiser bikes.
Dirt bike tires have knobbly, deep treads for maximum grip on loose dirt, mud, or
gravel; such tires tend to be less stable and noisier on paved surfaces.
Sport or performance tires are designed to provide maximum grip for street use
on paved surfaces but tend to wear faster.
Brakes

There are generally two independent brakes on a motorcycle, one set on the
front wheel and one on the rear. However, some models have "linked brakes"
whereby both can be applied at the same time using only one control.
Front brakes are generally much more effective than rear brakes: roughly two
thirds of stopping power comes from the front brake—mainly as a result of weight
transfer being much more pronounced compared to longer or lower vehicles,
because of the motorcycle's short wheelbase relative to its center of mass height.
This can result in brake dive.
Brakes can either be drum or disc based, with disc brakes being more common
on large, modern or more expensive motorcycles for their far superior stopping
power, particularly in wet conditions. There are many brake-performance-
enhancing aftermarket parts available for most motorcycles, including brake pads
of varying compounds and steel-braided brake lines.

Instruments

Most road motorcycles have an instrument panel, usually consisting

of speedometer, odometer and tachometer.
Fuel gauges are becoming more common, but traditionally a reserve tank
arrangement is used with a petcock (petrol tap) on the side of the motorcycle
allowing the rider to switch to a reserve fuel supply when the main fuel supply is
exhausted. There is not actually a separate reserve tank: The intake for the
petcock has two pipes, one extending higher into the fuel tank than the other.
When fuel no longer covers the longer pipe the engine will lose power/splutter
and the rider switches the petcock to the "reserve" setting, which accesses the
shorter pipe.