Engine derivations?

[Mike Farmer]

 

Hi This just may not be the place to put this but I thought it may be of some minor interest.

Picking up from some of the previous comments regarding the Rotax motor being used in OUR new Gold Star, lets go to basics.

All piston engines are derivations of Otto Daimler's first 4 stroke engine. and when it comes to derivations the mind boggles. I started browsing and got lost within a very short time.

RR Merlin--V12 27litre engine, derivant of 1927 BMW V12 27litre engine. 65% + were made by Packard in the USofA. RR Meteor engine. Same format but downrated, Manufactured by Rover Never anywhere near a Rolls factory.

Villiers, lovely little engines in their day, so many of them being used for so many different jobs, they were almost a pandemic. However were they DKW derivants.

Much later Rover 820D powered by an italian Marine engine which in itself may well have been an Isuzu base. Heaven only knows how many Isuzu diesels have other Companies names cast into them. I THINK the Australian Military re engined its entire L/Rover fleet with Isuzu's.

I guess with this sort of engine history the use of the Rotax aint really that unusual. Trust you aren't totally bored and hope someone will pick up on this and see where it leads us. There are bound to be some interesting facts on this line tucked away somewhere.

Mike

[chaz]

Mike
still goes on today.
the old Honda C Cubs were fore runners of the Chinese step thru , likewise the CB125 was the starter motor for Chinese 125's be it Skyteam, Skygo, Hongdu and many hundreds of village made derivatives.
one of my ex customers had a Hyosung 650 which was a cheap version of the Suzuki SV650, Ive known him buy parts for his, from ebay for the SV , better quality, longer lasting.

[Spaceman]

The Rotax 650 cc engine used in the BMW F650 from about 1993 to 2007 was an updated design of the 1987 Rotax engine I have in one of the bikes I ride. The main improvements were a change from SOHC to DOHC and the replacement of the rubber timing belt by a chain and an increase in CR to 11.5:1. My F650GS was a 2006 twin spark, fuel injected version and what I didn't like about the engine was the harsh sound it made at lower revs although this might well have had more to do with the fuel mapping or the exhaust system. It was definitely not a bike for use in heavy slow traffic much more so than my other Rotax engined bike.

The F650GS was the first single made by BMW since 1947 and was a great sales success. However, in 2011, the G650GS was introduced which was basically the same bike as the F650GS but with the engine now made by Lonchin in China. Unfortunately, the G650GS was not a great success and there were a number of problems with the engine especially its build quality which certainly put me off from buying one.

So the engine used in the new Gold Star has a bit of a chequered ancestry but the success of the new engine will depend on how well it performs on the road which will depend to some extent on gearing but also fuel mapping. I have quite a history with Rotax engines, most of which is not particularly good, but nevertheless I would be interested in a test ride on the new Gold Star to see how it compares.

[chaz]

one of my customers had a F650, paint on the cases was terrible, peeled badly, yet the Rotax powered MT350/500 lumps never had a problem.
now the owner of a DL650, a far better bike. Eldest sons wife also had a F650 but she had short legs...