Engine Freak

Bugatti Chiron :The Next-Gen Land Rocket

2016-03-13T09:55:00.000+05:30

Records are meant to be broken. Falling under this purview are land speed records. It becomes doubly impressive if the record set by the outgoing, predecessor model is in the crosshairs of the successor model. Talk about raising the bar.

Bugatti Chiron - Worthy successor to the Veyron's legacy?

The Bugatti Chiron is the latest offering from an exotic brand housed under the marquee umbrella of Volkswagen. Bugatti dates back to the early twentieth century as a maker of high-performance automobiles. Its vehicular models participated in numerous competitive races. Infact, the name Chiron belongs to a race driver ( Read Louis Chiron ) who manned Bugatti's creations in a number of racing seasons.

Chiron's styling is largely reminiscent of the Veyron

The odds were set against the engineers responsible for the Bugatti Chiron. The predecessor Veyron had set a phenomenal benchmark, which would be a near-unsurmountable challenge if the barriers set by physics were taken into consideration. However, it appears that they have successfully overcome all the odds and created a worthy successor to the legacy of the Veyron.

If the Veyron was often criticised for being lumpy, bulky and awkward, the Chiron appears leaner and meaner. Still carrying the traditional horseshoe Bugatti grille, it sports a new face consisting of eight LED eyes. The rear end of the car is where more dramatic changes have taken place. A long and futuristic-looking LED strip functions as the rear lamp. In addition, there is a mechanically actuated rear wing spoiler which also doubles up as an air brake in its fully-extended position. Chiron has stayed true to the Bugatti design language, which can be compared as a sort of antagonist to the modern sportscar design language. Instead of possessing angled cuts or plain lines, Chiron carries a beastly form accentuated by gentle curves.

Bugatti has provided a host of two-tone color options

It is being claimed that the Bugatti Chiron's form actually allows for its optimum functioning. Take for example the C-shaped curve along the doors. These curves on both sides also double up as air intakes for the mammoth 8.0 liter W16 engine powering the Chiron to a governed road legal speed of 420 km/h. Nevertheless, form is where the Chiron seems to source inspiration from its predecessor. Underneath this cocoon of form, wider technicalities have been changed to live up to the heights scaled by the Veyron. The massive W16 engine now churns out a scary 1479 bhp. What's even more earth-shattering is the 1600 Nm of torque that is available from a lowly 2,000 rpm all the way upto 6,000 rpm. Bugatti claims that this torque is evenly distributed across all engine speed ranges, thereby ensuring blistering acceleration that fades only at speeds near 400 km/h.

Bugatti Chiron : Front Three-Quarters View

This, they say, has been made possible by an innovative system of four turbochargers. Two of the turbochargers keep whirring all the time, whereas the other two spin up only when the driver demands brutal acceleration. The whole system sucks in about 60,000 litres of air per minute when running at full whack! To manage the heat generated by these components, the cooling system has been reworked. Now, there are two coolant circuits. The bigger one is responsible for soothing the fiery engine, while the smaller coolant circuit is tasked with keeping the temperatures of the turbocharger and braking systems as well as the interior temperatures under control.

To surpass the limits set by Veyron, other aspects of the Chiron have embraced radical steps. Weight is a major factor literally weighing aginst the Chiron in achieving its mark, and therefore efforts had to be made to reduce flab wherever possible. Carbon fibre has assumed paramount importance in constructing the Chiron, with claims pointing out that the total length of the carbon fibre used in making Chiron can circle our planet about eight times. These measures, along with others like a titanium exhaust system, have succeeded in keeping the Chiron's weight under control and enabled it to reach the performance figures set by Veyron. Interestingly, the Chiron weighs almost the same as a Veyron, even though it is longer, wider and taller. For example, the Chiron can launch itself to 100 km/h from standstill in about 2.5 seconds.

Reminds of a beast that can run over you without hesitation

Bugatti even claims that the Chiron is not just aimed at blazing straight stretches of tarmac. Still untested though, the Chiron could handle upto 1.5g of acceleration forces while cornering. This has been made possible by the giant tyres, measuring 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear. These tyres have been specially crafted for the Chiron, aimed at reducing the running costs. Earlier, the costs incurred on replacing the tyres of the Veyron were prohibitive. In addition, the all new monocoque chassis is nearly as stiff as Formula One cars, says Bugatti. To bring the massive Chiron to a stop when it is hurtling down at lightning speeds, one needs immense braking power. This is provided by the silicon carbide brakes with eight pistons at the front and six at the rear wheels. All these components help in making the Chiron a poweful yet extremely docile and agile-to-handle machine.

Never mind! You are stepping into opulence

Chiron's performance specifications scream of an obvious excess, an unmistakable outlandishness. Similarly, the Chiron's interiors are no way behind. They give new meaning to the word opulence. Talk about redefining moving in style. Possessing only two seats, the interior is flush with premium leather. There are numerous instances of precious metals having been used to adore the interiors. One such area is a piece on the steering wheel, which uses metals like silver. Also, there is a one carat diamond fixed on the membrane of each of the four tweeters distributed around the interiors of the car. Bugatti claims they help in making the sound even more crystal clear.

Aluminium has been generously used in crafting the interiors

Another notable piece of construction on the interiors involves a light conducting strip that emulates the shape of the external central fin of the Chiron. Partitioning the interior between the passenger and the driver, this strip also houses a few controls for some of the interior functions. The whole interior of the Chiron has been draped in a shade of beige.

One of the important parts of the brand image of the Veyron, as well as the Chiron, is the exclusivity attached to it. Hence, Bugatti plans to produce no more than 500 of such Chirons. Each one is rumoured to cost around 2.6 million euros in the base variant, and mind you, this price doesn't entail taxes and other expenses. Nevertheless, Bugatti stated in the 2016 Geneva Motor Show that orders for the production of about a-third of all the projected Chirons have already been received.

Notice the glowing central strip that divides the cockpit into two halves

We wonder if Bugatti will continue milking the Chiron after the production of these 500 cars by introducing some Special Editions. It seems yes, rather than no. It is being heard that the Chiron is capable of a top speed much higher than the stated 420 km/h limit. Expect Bugatti to perform a full-blown test drive soon. Even till then, the Chiron has now replaced the Veyron as the world's fastest and most exclusive production sports car.

The Lexus LF-SA Subcompact Concept at a Glance!

2015-03-01T10:31:00.001+05:30

The Lexus LF-SA Subcompact Concept car appears to be a time traveller from the future. It is something that has travelled back in time to bestow upon us some new ideals in car designing, so that the automobile design world reinvents itself!

The design philosophy of the Lexus LF-SA Subcompact Concept is outlandish. Beginning with an engine grille that consists of prismatic shapes and appears to have been pinched in the centre, the statement gets carried over brilliantly to the headlights. Also present are cleverly designed air intakes, which can also help in cooling the front braking systems.

All the surfaces of the Lexus LF-SA Subcompact bear exaggerated angles, and sharp cuts. Drive it around the city, and you are sure to distinguish yourself! What's more better is that you can direct the compact form of the LF-SA Subcompact around the tight environs of the urban environment with ease!

The LF-SA is a three-door vehicle. Even though it claims itself as a Subcompact car, it's assumed shape looks more like a coupe. However, the small dimensions will let it carry out the functions of a subcompact car very efficiently. Lexus has used chrome trimmings intelligently throughout the car. When you combine that with the two-tone paint job, you get a statement that isn't garish, but yet different from the current landscape.

The Lexus LF-SA Subcompact Concept showcases Lexus' philosophy of constantly pushing its design and engineering limits to create cars that define the current age's automobile landscape. It also showcases that the future vehicles will be more luxurious, stylish and driver-focused as compared to the current crop of automobiles.

Not much is known about the interiors of the Lexus LF-SA Subcompact Concept, though. We expect it to be even more eye-catching than the exteriors. The only photo that we have reminds us of the Ford GT90's interiors, another car that had pushed the design and engineering limits at its time.

The Lexus LF-SA Subcompact Concept car will make its first official public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2015. Expect some more heads to turn towards the Lexus stall at that event.

Lamborghini Phenomeno Super Veloce Concept at a Glance!

2015-02-28T11:11:00.001+05:30

Lamborghini produces some of the most futuristic and aggressive-looking cars on this planet. And the new Lamborghini Phenomeno concept is a strong testimony to that!

Lamborghini Phenomeno in Super Veloce trim

The Phenomeno Concept is the brainchild of design apprentice Grigory Gorin. The concept includes two versions, one of them is the Super Veloce trim. It is more sinister and wicked-looking, bound to turn some heads with ease! The other version is the Standard trim. Though it possesses a more-laid back style statement, it still manages to carry forward the legacy of Sant'Agata Bolognese with flair.

Lamborghini Phenomeno in Standard trim

Grigory has stayed true to the Lamborghini family DNA code, and has introduced many angled cuts and slashes throughout the body of the car. In fact, he has seamlessly combined design cues from the more modern Raging Bulls like the Aventador and Reventon with those from the older ones like the Countach and the Diablo. The sweeping roofline bears more resemblance to the Countach, whereas the light setups at the front and rear remind us of the Aventador and the Reventon.

Is this thing built for rooftop-to-rooftop jumping in Gotham city?

To take things even higher, an evil-looking fixed rear wing spoiler has been bolted on to the Super Veloce trim. It would feel at home on the streets of Gotham City, wouldn't it? :D The Standard trim doesn't include this rear wing. Another difference between the two trims lies in the paint-job.

The Lamborghini Phenomeno Super Veloce Concept is powered by a hybrid drivetrain. It harnesses the combined output of a rear mounted gasoline engine and two electric motors for a combined power of a mind-boggling 990 horsepower! Solar panels are placed on the roof of the car, and they help to recharge the batteries of the car.

Damn! That Ass!!

As is the trend with supercars, use of traditional materials like steel and aluminium has been replaced by composites and ultra-light weight polymers to help the Lamborghini Phenomeno shed some weight. We really don't need to mention about those scissor-style doors, do we?

Yamaha R15 Gets Two New Paint Schemes

2015-02-27T16:57:00.000+05:30

Yamaha India has done it again! Just before Holi, they decided to play with colours and have launched the YZF-R15 in two new paint schemes.

Yamaha YZF-R15 in Streaking Cyan

The two new paint schemes are : Streaking Cyan and GP Blue. The GP Blue bears striking resemblance to the paint used on the MotoGP versions of Yamaha's motorcycles, whereas the Streaking Cyan appears more funky.

The bikes are offered as Special Edition variants, and we are unsure if they will be available indefinitely. Nevertheless, these two editions possess no mechanical changes over the regular variants of Yamaha YZF-R15 already on sale. The motorbike will be powered by the same 149.8 cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder powerplant. It will be capable of churning out a peak power of 17 PS, and 15 Nm of peak torque.

Yamaha YZF-R15 in GP Blue

Both the Special Editions will be priced at an ex-Showroom price of INR 1.17 lakhs in Delhi.

This was what Roy Kurian, VP - Sales and Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd had to say about the new editions :

Yamaha R15 is a pure sports vehicle designed especially for racing enthusiasts so that they can experience the power and passion that a sportsbike has to offer. The racing DNA, sporty look and superior technology have been synonymous with the R15. While, the core concept of R15 remains the same, with these new colours we strive to continuously interact and excite our target audiences. As we launch the R15 Version 2.0 in 2 new avatars, we are again very confident that this new introduction will help to keep our target audiences absolutely delighted.

New Bajaj Pulsar Launches to Begin From Next Month

2015-02-20T15:06:00.000+05:30

New Bajaj Pulsars will start making their way into the market starting from the next month. Rajiv Bajaj, MD of Bajaj Auto, made this revelation in an interview session with CNBC-TV18.

He stated that the first new product aimed at the "Sportier" segment will hit the market in the month of March 2015. More launches will follow, and the product onslaught will carry on till the month of June 2015.

Few days back, we had reported about the spyphotos of a Pulsar 200SS sporting a Black-and-Gold paint scheme. The source claimed that the bike was being showcased to some Indonesian motoring enthusiasts. The display was being done at Bajaj Auto's Akurdi plant, and had reportedly been carried out on the behest of Kawasaki.

Here is a list of the upcoming products from Bajaj Auto :

Pulsar 200SS
Pulsar 200AS
Pulsar 150NS
New Bajaj Avenger

Spied Bajaj Pulsar 150NS

The surprise in the list is the new Bajaj Avenger! It was revealed by Rajiv Bajaj in the interview, and could be a step towards infusing life into the struggling Avenger. While the absence of spyshots and other relevant information makes it difficult to speculate the changes, let's just hope that Bajaj hands over it a new mill with a changed state of tune more suited to cruising.

The Bajaj Pulsar 150NS will sit over the current Pulsar 150. The styling will be an exact rip-off from the Pulsar 200NS, albeit a little smaller in dimensions. Expect a change in the powerplant, as the Pulsar 150 accounts for a major chunk of Bajaj's sales. The auto major wouldn't want the replacement to be weak on any front.

The Pulsar 200SS and the Pulsar 200AS will be the remaining products to be launched, if Bajaj doesn't have any aces up its sleeve. The Pulsar 200SS will be the full-faired variant, sporting a peppier engine and the possible introduction of fuel injection and ABS as options. The Pulsar 200AS, on the other hand, will continue with the same state of tune found on the Pulsar 200NS.

There still remain a few more To-Be-Launched products from Bajaj Auto. They are the Pulsar 400SS, and the Pulsar 400CS. They were on display at the Delhi Auto Expo last year. But we don't expect them to be ready for launch so soon. Stay tuned to us for more information!

A big shout-out to BikeAdvice for the spy photo of Bajaj Pulsar 150NS!

Bajaj Pulsar 200SS Spied with Black-Gold Livery

2015-02-13T14:44:00.001+05:30

New Bajaj Pulsar 200SS spyshots suggest that the bike could come with a Black-Gold paint scheme. This takes the tally of speculated paint jobs on the Bajaj Pulsar 200SS up to four, including the black and white, yellow, blue and red ones spotted earlier.

The source claims that the spy pictures originate from Bajaj's Akurdi manufacturing facility near Pune. These vehicles were showcased to a bunch of interested "Naked Wolf Community" members from Indonesia, at the behest of Kawasaki Motor Indonesia. It is to be noted that while spy photos of the Bajaj Pulsar 200SS have been flooding the Indian media for some time now, there has been no official statement from Bajaj Auto so far about the launch.

In this backdrop, a private showoff gig for our Indonesian friends suggests something! :D

Indonesia could turn out to be one of the major markets for Bajaj's upcoming generation of sport bikes. Infact, it could assume much more importance than that of the Indian market. Even though it is moving northwards, the Indian market probably still remains geared towards smaller, more fuel-efficient motorcycles due to economical and infrastructure reasons. Much of Bajaj's reach in the Indonesian market is built around Kawasaki's network, and the Japanese company could arm-twist Bajaj for some demands. :D

The Bajaj Pulsar 200SS will be powered by the same 199.5 cc powerplant used in the Pulsar 200NS. However, the manufacturer could carry out some retuning to tilt the characteristics a bit towards the sportier side. There will be two variants of the Bajaj Pulsar 200SS; one equipped with ABS and the other without ABS. Speculations point that the ABS variant will be around 15k-20k INR pricier over the Non-ABS variant.

Bajaj Auto has claimed a total of six new model launches within the first six months of this year. Will the Pulsar 200SS be one of them? Rumor mills have pegged the probable price in the region of 1.2 - 1.4 lakhs INR.

Source - TMCBlog.com

Hero MotoCorp Pulls Five Rabbits out of its Hat!

2014-01-30T15:31:00.000+05:30

It was today that Hero had said that they are going to launch two new products, a scooter and a motorcycle was what was said and here we see, not just two but five products, of which two are motorcycles and the rest three are scooters.

Let's just skim the products one by one.

1. Hero Xtreme Sports :

Hero Xtreme got a minor facelift in the form of Hero Xtreme Sports. Although, the engine, transmission and design remains the same, the sports version gets some mild cosmetic changes. Powering it is a 149.2 air-cooled engine which churns out 15.2 bhp of power at 8500 rpm and peak torque of 12.80 Nm. The changes include restyled headlamps, LED pilot lamps and wider rear tire. This will also be showcased at the 2014 Auto Expo.

2. Hero Leap Hybrid Scooter :

Powered by lithium-ion batteries, the Hero Leap has 8kw Permanent Magnet AC (PMAC) Electric Traction Motor with an on-board generator set that is powered by a new fuel injected 124cc engine that delivers max torque of 6 Nm right from 0 rpm. Hero claims that the flat acceleration curve is better than other petrol scooters in the market. The top speed claimed is an impressive 100 kph.

3. Hero Dash :

The Hero Dash is a more main stream product, mainly focusing on the 110cc scooter market which is presently ruled by Honda with their dominance in it. Powering this scooter is a 111cc, force air cooled engine with 8.5 PS at 8500 rpm of maximum power and a peak torque of 9.4 Nm at 5750 rpm, those figures will suffice and are good for the segment.

Other features include :

Enhanced driving experience with a 12″ front wheel and telescopic hydraulic suspension
Service Due & Side stand indicator in the console
Mobile charging and socket
Bold styling with commanding on road stance
Stylish digital analogue meter console
Dual tone mirrors
Large under seat space
Integrated braking system for precise braking even at high speeds
Tubeless tires

Overall, with new features on board, we gotta see how it changes the game.

4. Hero RNT Diesel Hybrid :

The Hero RNT diesel hybrid scooter, features a diesel hybrid technology. Hero has introduced turbocharging to the segment with its liquid cooled 4-stroke direct injection turbocharged diesel engine. The 150cc Hero RNT boasts peak power of an impressive 13.5bhp @ 4000 rpm and a mind boggling 35 Nm of peak torque at an ultra low 1600 rpm. We also expect some absolutely mind shattering fuel efficiency figures from this scooter too.

The load carrying capacity would be something extraordinary as well, going by those specs. The marvel of a new engine is mated with a six-speed constant mesh transmission. The new bike weighs 136kg, has a fuel tank capacity of 6 liters for mains and manages to do a 0-60 km/h sprint in 5 seconds. Top speed, however is limited to a rather slow 70 kmph. There are lots more to say but let's just keep it to this much.

5. Hero HX250R :

Lastly, I guess this is what I and you were all waiting for. Hero has shocked everyone with the announcement of this. After seeing the new Karizma twins' designs, almost all started criticizing Hero about the design and other stuffs about them. Hero with the showcase of HX250R have proven to all of them that they are not what they are criticized about. Let's stop it here and go with the bike now.

Powering this is a 249cc, 4 stroke single cylinder DOHC, liquid cooled engine. The highly impressive thing is that this bike has a maximum power output of 31 Bhp of power and 26 Nm of torque with a bore x stroke of 81.0 mm x 48.5 mm. It is coupled to a 6-speed transmission and the exhaust is placed under the seat.

The Hero HX250R uses telescopic forks at the front and a 5 speed adjustable rear monoshock with shim valve damping. The braking duties are carried out by a 300 mm disc at the front and a 200 mm disc at the rear. There is also an option of ABS. The tire specs are that the front is 110/80-17 and the rear is 140/70-17 which are Pirelli Sport Demon. The bike gets LED Lights at the front and rear. The length, width and height of the Hero HX250R is 2085 mm, 735 mm and 1145 mm respectively.

The wheelbase is 1370 mm while the ground clearance is 145 mm. This bike uses a geodesic tubular frame for the engine used as a stress member. The bike is expected to be priced around 1.5 Lacs. This will put in direct competition against the soon to launch 200ss which will be a little lesser in pricing. The 0-60 kph is 2.7 secs. This bike brings new features and we are really hoping for it to hit the showroom soon.

Other than this, they said that the products Hero had showcased last year of which some of them will be on sale from next month, bookings have opened though.

Regarding the availability of the new bikes, yes the bookings are opened and it's said that the new ZMR is priced at 1.27 lac price from what details we got. We expected something good from Hero and they have given us the best. Indeed, this is one great way to start off for Hero. Hope we see better products like these in the future.

Picture Courtesy - Motoroids.com

Suzuki Gixxer Testing in Noida

2014-01-26T14:10:00.000+05:30

Yes you heard it right, it's Suzuki Gixxer!! Or at least that's what the source MotorBeam.com claims.

Recently, a person found the above bike testing in Noida. As the name reads, it clearly shows that this is a product of Suzuki and that it reads something as Gixxer. Finally relieved to see that Suzuki have taken the market bit seriously and listening to what the customer needs, especially after the launch of their Suzuki Inazuma. No more details are available now, and we are thinking that it should be a sub-200cc motorcycle, considering it only has a single disc at the front and also from the body of the bike.

The bike looks more of a mixed up but still looks good. Seriously, a welcome change like this from Suzuki is welcomed with a BIG Smile :). The bike as we can see is not camouflaged and it looks like it's in the final stage of release / ad shoot.

Personally, we liked the exhaust of the bike which looks unique and cool. The bike as we got details, was doing a good speed which might make it a good bike and also if the pricing is below that of the present FZ then this definitely will bring good sales to Suzuki.

One more Kwacker launched in India, Z800

2014-01-21T18:01:00.000+05:30

Japanese two-wheeler maker Kawasaki has added a seventh motorcycle to its Indian line up with the launch of the Z800 at a price tag of Rs 8.05 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The company now aims to sell around 400 units of the five CBU models this year which includes the Z800 as well. The other CBU models are available in India are ZX-10R, Z1000, Ninja 1000 and ZX-14R.

"In 2014, we expect to sell around 400 units of five CBU models in the country, including the Z800", India Kawasaki Motors deputy managing director Shigeto Nishikawa told PTI. The Company is expected to launch at least two more motorcycles in India this year, the Versys 1000 and ER-6n.

Now with the launch of a new motorcycle, the Company has a total of seven models in the Country. The company plans to sell a total of at least 400 units of CBU models, eyeing for a 25% share of superbike market by 2015 and also plans to sell around 1400 units of Ninja 300 and Ninja 650 models.

When asked about the plans to expand sales network in India, Nishikawa said: "We are currently studying options for expanding dealer network. By the end of 2015, we could have around five dealers". Asking about company's plans to assemble more bikes in India, Nishikawa said that the company would have to sell more bikes in the country to be able to do that.

Now coming to the Kawasaki Z800, it is aggressive looking with a he 806cc engine with a peak power of 113 PS at 10,200 rpm and peak torque is 93 Nm at 8,000 rpm. Being a budget motorcycle abroad, the Z800 doesn’t get the kind of fancy equipment or electronics like the ZX-10R but the international reviews say the steel backbone frame and adjustable suspension come together very effective.

Here are the specifications of the Kawasaki Z800 :

806 cc four-stroke, Inline four cylinder
Liquid-cooled engine
Peak power of 113 PS @ 10,200 rpm
Peak torque of 83 Nm @ 8,000 rpm
6-Speed tranny
A couple of Four-piston, semi-floating 310 mm petal discs at the front
A solo single-piston, 250 mm petal disc at the rear
A weight of 231 kgs for the ABS-equipped variant; 2 kilos less for the one which lacks the “Electronic Guardian”

Not much needs to be said about the Kawasaki Z800!! It is a sheer traffic-stopper, and as mentioned by us earlier, it carries the looks of an assassin armed with a rifle in bullpup configuration.

The Kawasaki Z800 will definitely be less pricier than its bigger sibling, the Kawasaki Z1000. In the lineup of Kawasaki, this will be a model which could sell in greater volumes as compared to the faired / naked 1000 cc variants, thus giving a fillip to its Indian expansion plans.

A Glimpse at the Machines Present at Auto Expo Mysore

2014-01-13T22:21:00.001+05:30

There was a small Auto Exhibition being held at Mysore from the 9th January to 12th of January, 2014. One of Team Engine Freak's members was present at the glorious exhibition of mean, wheeled machines. There was a handful of glorious beasts at the exhibition, ready to soak up all the attraction. Here is a photo episode of how the show went, and who all were present there!

The main attraction in this was obviously the presence of Aprilla RSV4. The Aprilia RSV4 is a super bike manufactured by Aprilia. The RSV4 is Aprilia’s flagship model. Aprilia offers two models of the bike: the RSV4 Factory and RSV4 R.

From now on, we will let the pictures do the talking,

The BMW 650GS is an adventure bike that is powered by a Rotax single-cylinder engine. No terrain is too harsh for this bike, as the graphiti art of Unstoppable suggests!

Hyosung GT250R Limited Edition is an attempt to make the already rare-on-the-streets bike even more exclusive by adding a new decal-cum-paint-scheme, and then push up the price tag.

It is quite difficult to differentiate it from the regular, no-frills edition...isn't it?

And this one is for the admirers of Gixxer! The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is a sport bike from Suzuki's GSX-R series of motorcycles. It is powered by a liquid-cooled 999 cc (61.0 cu in) inline four-cylinder, four-stroke engine.

Maverick Italian manufacturer Moto Guzzi was even present at the show. Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the company is noted for its historic role in Italy's motorcycling manufacture, its prominence worldwide in motorcycle racing, and industry innovations—including the first motorcycle center stand, wind tunnel and eight-cylinder engine.

Aprilla Caponord 1200 is a wicked-looking dual-purpose motorcycle powered by a 1197 cc liquid-cooled, 4-stroke engine that has two cylinders arranged in the longitudinal 90-degree V-Twin configuration. The bike is jam-packed with electronics – Selectable engine mapping (sport, touring, raing) and Ride-by-Wire throttle for smooth, consistent power delivery. The engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox, operated via a hydraulic clutch.

Aprilla Tuono V4R has been completely redesigned since the year 2012. It was modelled on the lines of the Superbike RSV4. As with that bike, it received Aprilia's APRC (Aprilia Performance Ride Control) package with 8-position traction control, 3 position wheelie control, and 3 position launch control.

The CBR1000RR, also known as the Fireblade, is a 999 cc liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder sport bike that was introduced by Honda in 2004. The Honda CBR1000RR was developed by the same team that was behind the MotoGP series. Many of the new technologies introduced in the Honda CBR600RR, a direct descendant of the RC211V, were used in the new CBR1000RR such as a lengthy swingarm, Unit Pro-Link rear suspension, and Dual Stage Fuel Injection System (DSFI).

KTM RC8 1190 is the flagship bike of the eccentric bike-makers based at Matighofen in Austria. One look at the bike and you realize that it sends conventions for a toss with the drastic cuts and slashes on its body panels, and a twin cylinder engine that defies general notion about vibrations and torque output, among others.

Here are two massive beasts lying side-by-side : the Suzuki Gsxr1000R and the Yamaha R1!!

And here there is another one that joins alongside the Yamaha R1; it is the Honda Fireblade.

To end our report, we have a challenging-looking scooter that threatens to redefine the limits of the scooter world. Yes, it is the Aprilla SRV 850! It is powered by a two-cylinder 90-degree V-twin water-cooled motor equipped with electronic fuel injection.

We had even more pictures, but this is just the tip of the iceberg! The show was an extremely teeny-weeny version of the Auto Expo that is about to kick off in Delhi next month. Stay tuned to us for a detailed coverage of the Indian Auto Expo 2014!

STUNT TUTORIAL : How to Pop a Wheelie on A Bike?

2014-01-04T13:55:00.003+05:30

Team Engine Freak has a new addition in their team. The maverick guy is known as Aman Ali, and he is a talented and budding stunter. Along with the regular dose of automobile related news and stuff, we have decided to bring in nuggets of information for our fans and followers. The nuggets come in the form of stunting and riding tips.

We begin with a tutorial on how to pull off one of the most interesting stunts : The Wheelie

By definition, the Wheelie is a trick show where the bike's front wheel starts defying gravity and goes airborne. While the basic stunt just includes the front wheel landing back on the ground after a short time, experienced stunters can keep the front wheel raised while they roll about. These are some of the many variations that can be done to a wheelie; let's first begin with just the "Wheelie".

Now, before embarking on the tips, we will want you to be equipped with a full set of riding gear. These include helmets, elbow pads, knee pads and a spine protector too. Stunting, and more importantly motorcycling, is an inherently risky job. We, at Team Engine Freak, would want that your skin stays where it looks good, and not on the tarmac.

And oh, do ensure that you have a tank full of hydrocarbons ready to push and prod the piston inside your bike's cylinder(s)!

Step-by-Step Guide :

To pop a wheelie you need to get your bike rolling at 10-15 Kmph
Then disengage the clutch ( Pull in the clutch lever ) to level out the bike's speed
Next step would be to release the clutch while giving the bike enough torque to lift up the front wheels
Give the bike some throttle at the time of releasing the clutch lever
The amount of throttle that you need to give depends on your bike's geometry and the engine capacity.
To keep rolling the bike while having the wheel up in the air, bring your bike to a lean angle of about 60-70 degrees
You also need to keep gunning the bike's engine,with a little bit of braking to maintain the height of the front wheel
Never jab the front brake lever, as the gyroscopic effect of the rotating front wheel helps in maintaining the bike's balance

Remember fellas, practice makes a man perfect! So, if you are a beginner, then we would suggest you to spend some time trying out the stunt on an isolated stretch of road. Who knows you might end up embarassing yourself infront of the girl you are trying to impress if you fail to pop up the perfect wheelie? :-D

We will keep coming back with variations of the wheelie, and many more stunts as well. stay tuned to Engine Freak. If you have any problems in defying gravity with your front wheel, remember we are just a FB message away!!

- Aman Ali ( Ryder™ )

Single-Cylinder Kawasaki Ninja Spotted Testing in Indonesia

2014-01-04T13:06:00.002+05:30

Taking their history, Kawasaki always believes in the saying "bigger is better". We can see that through Ninja ZX-6R which has dominated the 600cc supersport segment with its 636cc engine and then we had the Ninja 300 which came last year replacing the Ninja 250R, which is better in every aspect.

Recent spyshots from Indonesia, however, suggest that Kawasaki are also planning for smaller engines in their plant. In one of the Jakarta based blogs, Iwanbanaran.com recently uncovered few images of a new single cylinder motorcycle. Unfortunately, all the photographs are taken from the rear.

The white license plate as you can see in the above images indicates that it is a prototype and the photographer who is identified as "Reshtu" says that the fairing is disguised with tapes. Nevertheless, we can see from the above images that the tail appears identical to the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300/250. It was also observed that the bike had only one exhaust with a smaller opening than the larger models.

The photographer says that the bike has a single cylinder, the instrument panel is fully digital and also a single eye-shaped headlight (likely similar to the KLR650's) and ABS.

Kawasaki presently has a 149cc Ninja which is the Kawasaki Ninja 150RR (shown in the pic above) which is a two-stroke model and has a carburetor. The test mule, though uses a four stroke and that it is likely fuel-injected.

Source : Motorcycle.com

DSK Hyosung to launch scooters and commuter bikes in India

2013-12-28T15:02:00.000+05:30

It seems like DSK Motorcycles India are having aggressive plans for the 2-wheeler industry. In order to make their presence felt strong here in India, DSK-Hyosung are all set to launch new scooters and commuter bikes in India. Recently, the company also announced to localize its products to reduce the high costs. The company is aiming to localize all it's products in India by 2018. Currently, Hysoung has 31 dealers across India and is aiming to increase it further.

DSK-Hyosung will launch the GD250N by the end of the next year which will be assembled here locally via the CKD route. The GD250N will take on it's rivals, the KTM Duke 200 and Pulsar 200 NS. A more powerful 400cc motorcycle which is likely to be called the GD400N is said to be in works, which will take on the Duke 390.

DSK also has plans to reduce the price of the GT250R once it starts locally manufacturing it, which will not happen before 2015. The company already is selling GT250R, GT250N, GT650R and ST7 in India.

We feel DSK-Hyosung should really work harder to reach that goal as presently as we can see they ain't selling good numbers. We can hardly notice their bikes on our Indian streets. It's a long way for Hyosung to achieve the goal but I hope that after taking these measures, they are sure to get some good sales in India.

Yamaha To Venture into Producing Motiv City Cars

2013-12-25T14:45:00.001+05:30

Wondering if this is something new from Yamaha's side? Then you are absolutely wrong. Yamaha has a long and distinguished history of making fine car engines and outstanding motor cycles. It has been developing and building car engines for other companies including Toyota, Ford and Volvo for some years now. They even raced in F1 with their own V12 motor in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Howewer, they had not particularly entered the automotive industry until now when they have decided to make one.

Yamaha in an actual shocking announcement made at the Tokyo Motor Show revealed that they are going to soon have a new four wheeler soon, with their partner Gordon Murray. He is a South African who is behind some of the most successful F1 racing cars in history and also designed the 240mph McLaren F1 road car. For some time now, he has been developing a small city car, instead of making and selling the cars himself, he has planned to sell the licenses to use his designs to other companies. It's like Yamaha is in the verge of signing this contract.

The Yamaha Motiv takes design cues from Murray's T25 prototype and also another of his T27 prototype. Instead of the fashioned three seater which Murray's T25 cars have with the driver seat in the middle and the passenger seat a bit on the rear on each sides of the driver's seat, the Yamaha Motiv is going to be having a two seater only. The car if gone to the production is said to have 25 kW and one liter three-cylinder engine likely to produce well over 100 bhp. The pricing is expected to be the same as around a small fourtwo car, something in the range of £10k.

So here's the question : What do you think about this, a four-wheeler with an Yamaha Logo?

Source - VisorDown

Royal Enfield to Enter Other Markets and Ensure High Growth

2013-12-24T22:57:00.000+05:30

After seeing a substantial growth of over 50 per cent in sales, the profit margins of Royal Enfield have increased to 16.5 per cent from that of 13 per cent in the last year. The growing numbers have attracted a lot of people to look into the mid-size category of motorcycles.

" We will enter countries where we can lead the market and grow ", stated Siddhartha Lal, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Eicher Motors ( Note: Eicher Motors are the parent company of Royal Enfield Motorcycles ). In an exclusive interview with Business Standard, Mr. Lal has let out his company's strategy and plans.

Here is the broad overview :

Royal Enfield will focus on creating and improving the mid-size motorcycle market in India.
New products and platforms will be developed.
Distribution will be worked upon to ensure that the distinctive brand identity is retained.
Inroads will be made into newer markets.

Presently Royal Enfield holds 95 per cent share of the market but the Mr Lal says that it might not be the same in the future as there are competitions that are going to emerge soon. Triumph and Harley who are presently attracted and are working for motorcycles in this class, the CEO says that he will be well satisfied at least 60-70 per cent of the share after the newer brands make a landing.

Source - Business Standard

Porsche asked to check Walker's Carrera GT

2013-12-21T15:49:00.004+05:30

1^st December 2013… the morning we were all terrified to know that actor Paul Walker was no more. Brian o’ Conner of the fast and furious series faced a fatal accident that set a blaze the car he was in with his friend.

Previous day at around 3:30 p.m. Walker and his friend Roger Rodas,
a former professional racer, left an event for Walker's charity reach out worldwide for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan. They took a right to Kelly Johnson Parkway from Constellation Road and this is the spot where during the turn, which is very popular spot for drifting cars, the Carrera lost traction in its rear end and what followed was a high speed sideways slide and the car crashing into a pole resulting into a fire that burnt Walker and Rodas to death.

While many people think that excessive speed was the reason of their death, or there was an mechanical failure, No one actually knows that or even has a concrete evidence for it. Investigation is still ongoing, but the LA County Sheriff's department has asked Porsche to do a post mortem of the Carrera GT for the exact cause of death. But as for Walkers fans and friends, we'll surely miss a great actor.

Hyundai Grand i10 is Indian Car of The Year for 2014

2013-12-20T22:05:00.001+05:30

The Indian market being spiced up with automotives of different specifications and designs, definitely puts the jugdes of the unternational-level competition in a dilemma. The above proposition has been proved by Hyundai’s Grand i10, bagging the much coveted Indian Car Of The Year ( ICOTY ) award for 2014.

The so called "Teeny-Weeny-Automotive–Bombshell"– Hyundai’s Grand i10 with its 2^nd Generation CRDi technology U2 Diesel engine ensuring better performance and more efficiency with lower running costs plus the updated stylish interiors has attracted the Indian customers like a powerful magnet. To count, within its 90 days of launch, the GRAND i10 has managed to lure 35,000 Indian customers .

BMW 1-series, Chevrolet Enjoy, Mahindra Verito Vibe, Nissan Terrano, Mercedes Benz GL350 and the Skoda Octavia made a fancy retreat by making it to the finals of the most competitive event in the automobile sector in India. The award was adjudicated by a jury comprising of eminent editors from Top Gear, Auto India, Motoring, Car India, Hindu Business Line, AutoX, Auto Bild, Overdrive and EVO and were presented by JK Tyre.

The Grand i10 surprisingly defeated the Honda Amaze for the top slot. Even though the Honda Amaze is the hot seller with its i-DTEC diesel engine, the Grand i10 is no fluke. With dashing looks and a peppy engine, the Grand i10 has captured the imagination of the youth as well as other car buyers.

No wonder then it won the Indian car of the Year Award for 2014!!

Source - MotorBash

Hyundai To Unveil Santa Fe on February 6th

2013-12-20T21:03:00.000+05:30

Hyundai has always been the one company to bring new avenues to the Indian market. It has proved it once again with the announcement of the new Santa Fe. Though speculated to be released in mid-2013, but due to it being ridiculously expensive, its launch has been postponed to the 6th of February, 2014.

The Santa Fe SUV comes in three variants, namely :

1. Hyundai Santa Fe 2WD ( 2199 cc Diesel, 14.66 kmpl )
2. Hyundai Santa Fe 4WD ( 2199 cc Diesel, 14.66 kmpl )
3. Hyundai Santa Fe AT ( 2199 cc Diesel, 11.72 kmpl )

The Santa Fe will definitely face stiff competition from Mahindra XUV500, which though being a very old campaigner, has still managed to retain a good market . While a person can get a XUV500 in the price range of 10 to 15 lakhs, the Santa Fe`s three models are all in the range of 23 to a sound 28 lakhs .

The Hyundai Santa Fe is tipped to be the rivals of Toyota Fortuner and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. It is often claimed to be the safest 4X4 vehicle, giving even tough competition in safety category to the Range Rover. With a 2.2 litre diesel engine which outputs 200 PS of power and 431 Nm of torque, it does seem to be a power packed monster set to be the Juggernaut of Indian streets .

Well, that can only be ensured if it can take down a few challenges that are looming on the horizon. They include the now-reigning, low-priced Mahindra XUV500 accompanied by the powerfully masculine Toyota Fortuner and a new competitor in the sleek and stylish form of Ssangyong Rexton from Mahindra.

It appears we can only wait and watch, as the Battle-of-the-Biggies unfolds. Which one of them is your pick?? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source - MotorBash

Here is the 2014 Indian Bike of the Year Award (IBOTY)

2013-12-20T17:58:00.000+05:30

The Royal Enfield Continental GT has emerged the winner of the Indian Bike Of The Year Award, edging out the Duke390 and the Hyosung Aquila Pro. Meanwhile in the four wheeler arena, the award was won by Hyundai Grand i10, making over the Honda Amaze and Ford Ecosport.

The awards ICOTY and IBOTY are given once in a year for a specific car/bike, keeping in mind the parameters of the car/bike such as price, fuel efficiency, styling, comfort, safety, performance, practicality and technical innovation, value of money and most importantly, the suitability for our Indian road conditions. The awards are instituted by leading automobile magazines and also their partner in India, JK Tyres. All these big names are associated with these awards.

The Royal Enfield Continental GT

There were a total of four contenders for this year's IBOTY award; namely the Duke 390 which is a fun to ride bike, the Aquilla Pro which is a comfortable cruiser and the Mahindra Centuro which is one of the best entry level bikes according to us. Oh yeah, and there was the Continental GT too! Though it was tough competition, the Continental GT won over all taking 6 out of 9 votes voted by the jurors.

The Continental GT is powered by a 535cc air-cooled UCE engine which produces 29.1 bhp of power and 44 Nm of peak torque. Though the specifications of the bike are a bit lower as compared to others in the same segment, the Continental GT is good looking and comes with a cult status attached to it.

The IBOTY Award winners of the last few years :

1. KTM Duke 200 for the year 2013.
2. Honda CBR250R for the year 2012.
3. Honda CB Twister for the year 2011.
4. Kawasaki Ninja 250R for the year 2010.
5. Yamaha R15 for the year 2009.
6. Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi for the year 2008.

What is your opinion?? Which bike according to you should had been the IBOTY Award Winner?

Source - BikeAdvice

Harley-Davidson Thumps into Rajasthan with Dealership in Jaipur

2013-12-15T20:14:00.001+05:30

With an aim to expand its customer base in the state of Rajasthan, Harley-Davidson has auspicated its first dealership in the state. The move represents Harley-Davidson's growing ambitions of cornering a lion's share of the Big Bike market in India.

Official data suggests that there are about 40 residents of the state who own Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The company wants to see a surge in this number, and is optimistic about the growth prospects in the state. The dealership in Rajasthan will thus offer all the eleven models of the Indian line-up of Harley-Davidson.

As times and preferences change, Harley-Davidson faces an uncertain and difficult future. Soaring gas prices and increasingly difficult economic conditions have dampened its growth prospects in its traditional stronghold, the United States of America. Accompanying that challenge is a new competitor ( Read Indian Motorcycles ) on the horizon with a refreshed lineup and a shot-in-the-arm from the parent company.

Harley-Davidson has come up with a prompt retort to the challenge, in the form of two new bikes aimed at young riders in developing markets. The two bikes have plunged to a low in terms of engine capacities ( Street 500 and Street 750 ), showing that Harley-Davidson is indeed considering newer markets seriously.

India, being the second most populous nation in the world, provides an untapped opportunity for Harley-Davidson. The Indian market is riddled with a plethora of small-capacity bikes, and as consumer interests widen, manufacturers like Harley-Davidson will be at the receiving end of the benefits.

Source - Economic Times

SPIED : Mini Cooper Spotted Testing in Cuttack; New Paint Technology in Pipeline

2013-11-09T22:41:00.000+05:30

Oh spyshots, how we love to hate thee!!

In a surprising turn of events, a Mini Cooper D was spotted undertaking test runs on the chaotic, lawless streets of Cuttack. Engine Freak's very-own Editor was thatch-weaving his way through the muddle, when he spotted this sexy siren pulling off even more eye-catching swerves.

Prima facie, the car appeared to be a regular vehicle, devoid of the customary black garb or a swirling paint job. However, the car seemed to be splattered in a different kind of paint. It appeared sort of wet...we will even go ahead to call it slimy!! You might not be able to make it out from the photographs; blame it on the poor optics of the Sony ST21i.

It appears Mini is working on a revolutionary paint technology. Such paint is said to be self-repairing in nature, and can mend scratches upto a certain degree on its own [ Source ]. Nissan was the only manufacturer which had attempted to make widespread use of it, but it had to be shelved due to lack of customer enthusiasm.

Mini could be preparing together a cocktail of chemicals which rebond and thus repair the scratch, upon exposure to ultraviolet light

And what better place to test this other than the wild streets of Cuttack, India?? The sun is beating down, ensuring enough quanta of ultraviolet light. And the crazy traffic will do its job! Here, motorcycle clip-on bar-ends often come within kissing distance of car body panels and four-wheeler mirrors often leave their indelible marks on bike fairings. Unless you own a 200 Duke / Pulsar 200NS, the shiny chrome heat-shield on your end can will definitely be carrying some sort of battering and bruising!!

A curvaceous, gorgeous car like the Mini Cooper will definitely be groped on the streets, notwithstanding the fact whether the surroundings are pitch-dark or not!! :-)

The Mini Cooper D is powered by a 1,598 cc turbocharged, straight-four engine that manages to whip up maximum spunk of 110 hp @ 4, 000 rpm and a peak torque of 270 Nm within 1,750 - 2,200 rpm. We do not expect any changes to the mechanicals of the Mini Cooper. Expect this sort of paint technology to make it to other Mini as well as BMW models once it passes out the field testing with intact colours!

Stay tuned to us, here!!

Two Days; Two Hyundai Eons Caught In Fire

2013-09-26T21:06:00.002+05:30

Frankly speaking, vehicle recalls have been quite a dominant flavour in the last few seasons of the Indian Auto Industry. No matter how much auto-journalists would praise an auto-manufacturer for being proactive in considering customers' safety, the fact is that automobile recall still remains a double-edged sword. Read on...

Forget about a loose nut or rivet causing a catastrophic event due to Ripple Effect at high enough speeds. We commoners never really stray into that zone of speed from where the above effect would start dominating proceedings. But does it warrant a let-down from the auto-makers, and more importantly their independence in having customers at their beck and call to demand a callback of vehicles as and when necessary??

Let's move over to the Indian scene. Automotive recalls were largely No-man's territory few years back. But at some point, it picked up. People raved. Journalists cheered. That India was becoming an advanced market. Automakers wouldn't be able to shrug away the concerns and worries of the customers. I guess the humongous recall of around 1,00,000 Maruti-Suzuki A-Stars was the tipping point. It happened way back in February 2010, and an aftershock followed in June 2010. It saw the recall of around 6000 Maruti-Suzuki Altos.

Another Massive Recall in the offing ??
NEW THINKING, NEW POSSIBILITIES

Those events are now out of vogue. the numbers have been re-written over and over again. The generally-viewed-as-technically-superior Honda hogged limelights in 2012, when it called back its popular sedan City twice within a gap of about six months. GM, however, erased all those memories when it recalled around 1.1 Lakh units of the Tavera in July 2013. Nissan wasn't far either, with around 22,000 Micras making a return journey to showrooms for checks and replacements. (Source -Economic Times)

No one, however, comes close to Ford regarding this dubious distinction. Two of its blockbuster models, the Figo hatchback and the Classic sedan, grabbed unsavoury eyeballs when 1.1 Lakh units were called back in August 2012. The run continues, with Ford having set a new milestone for the largest ever recall in the annals of Indian Automotive Industry. Few weeks back, they notified around 1.7 lakh units about the need for a check in the rear suspension as well as the power steering hose.

MotorBash, India's Fastest Growing car blog, reported in detail about the latest recall of Ford India. You can have a look at the areas of the Figo and Classic models which will come under scrutiny, and even more, here!!

Finally, let's come to the point. We have been getting a whiff of what could be another disastrous run in the making. Reports flow in about two Hyundai Eons that caught fire in two consecutive days. Both the incidents happened in Mumbai, and noticeably, both of the cars were demo models. One of them belonged to Shreeram Hyundai and was engulfed in flames at Borivali. The second car belonged to Modi Hyundai and it ended up in a charred heap on the Vikhroli Eastern Express Highway.

Bells have started tolling!! Cars getting enveloped in flames attract enough attention to give whole PR teams jeepers. Indis's very own Tata Nano had to go through agni-pareekshas in the initial days. Frankly, we can't really say if it emerged out of it stronger and burnished!!

Eon has enjoyed good success in India. As far as our horizon goes, we aren't aware of any such incidents to have grabbed the arc-lights before. Suddenly, we have two freak happenings on two consecutive days. Do you feel these are the sown seeds of another massive recall in the Indian Automotive landscape??

Source - Flywheel

2 Stroke versus 4 Stroke : An Analysis

2013-08-11T23:52:00.000+05:30

As many 2-stroke and 4-stroke vehicles have already been in the motorcycling market, most of you must have already heard about them. As you may guess, it should have something to do with the number of strokes in an engine. Let us talk about it in detail.

Overview :
In my previous article, I had explained about a 4-stroke engine. I told that it works on the Otto cycle which has 4 steps. These steps are called strokes and the number of strokes defines the type of engine. There have been three major type of reciprocating engines (piston engines), namely 2-stroke, 4-stroke and 6-stroke, of which the 6-stroker is not so popular.

2-stroke Engine :

Two stokers have been used for long in automobile industry for their low weight and high power-output according to their engine displacement/cubic capacity. They have tremendous power benefits over their 4-stroke counterparts. This is due to their special engine construction and usage of a lot less internal moving parts. It doesn't has any mechanically operated valves, so it doesn't need any cam-shaft, cam-followers, timing chain, rocker arms, valves, etc. Its intake and exhaust valves are opened and closed by the up-down motion of the piston itself.

As at many times its intake and exhaust valves are opened at the same time, a considerable amount of fuel mixture is wasted, making it very inefficient. Actually a 2-stroker follows all the four steps as the 4-strokers but only in 2 strokes, i.e. in one downward and one upward motion of the piston. So, a 2-stroker will produce power after each 360degrees i.e. in one complete rotation, while a 4-stroker will produce power after each 720 degrees i.e. in two complete rotations.

Advantages :

Higher power-to-weight ratio.
Less wastage of mechanical power.
Intoxicatingly sweet sound(not to all).
Ideal choice for off-road biking, motocross events and light-weight & handheld instruments, such as lawn mowers, chain saws, etc.

Disadvantages :

Not very efficient in converting fuel's chemical energy into mechanical energy, so fuel efficiencycy is less.
Doesn’t use sump lubrication, so a separate carburetor fed lubrication system is required.
Very bad for environment as it produces many harmful gases, that’s why is has been banned on the streets of most parts of the world. Narrow power-band and lower torque.
A noise pollution machine, for some.

4-stroke Engine :

Almost all of the automotive engines used these days, be it petrol fueled of diesel fueled, are 4-strokers. These engines, by virtue of modern technological advancements, fit to each and every application where portability is not a concern. Today’s 4-strokers can produce a lot of power, are more fuel efficient, more environment friendly, guzzle less fuel(diesel/petrol) and produce less noise as compared to their 2-stroke counterparts, so they have left only a limited areas in which 2-strokers can be used. The ever increasing cost of fuel and stricter pollution regulation norms have led to the vast development of 4-stroke engines. As I have already told about 4-stroke engines in my previous article, I won’t explain about them much.

Advantages :

They have a broader power band and are torquier, so more practical for daily usage.
Very efficient in converting fuel’s chemical energy into mechanical energy, so fuel efficiency is better as compared to 2-strokers.
They use sump lubrication, so any separate carburetor fed lubrication system is not required.
Comparatively good for environment as it produces less harmful gases and noise as compared to 2-strokers.
Ideal choice for day-to-day usage, stunt riding, towing, race event, jet skies, ATVs, and many more.

Disadvantages :

Comparatively lower power-to-weight ratio.
More wastage of mechanical power.
Uses a lot of moving parts, so maintenance cost is high.

Which one would you prefer?? Let us know below. For more details on engines, you can look at our previous post.

Article by Ishan Dev

Carburetion versus Fuel Injection

2013-07-29T16:01:00.001+05:30

Dear auto-enthusiasts, Hello again !

In my last article, I had discussed about the components of the Engine (ICE) and how they work in a synchronized way to convert heat energy into mechanical force (Generating Power). During exploring the Otto Cycle, I had told you that its second step is the “Induction Stroke” in which the Charge( Fuel+Air) is sent into the Combustion Chamber of the engine. I assume, most of you already know that the Charge is prepared either by a Carburetor or a Fuel Injection System. Today, I am going to explain that how both of them work, where they are best and where they are not so good. Let’s have a look.

OVERVIEW

To generate power efficiently, the fuel should be mixed with air (oxygen) in such a way that almost all (most of) the fuel present in the Combustion Chamber is burnt and produce maximum possible power without wasting any fuel. This can be achieved by some sort of Carburetion technique, such as a Carburetor or a Fuel Injection System. Whatever the Carburetion technique be, there should be a source of fresh/dust-free air for it. This is achieved by using an air filter. This air is then sent into the Carburetion Module to mix with fuel. The charge so produced is then delivered into the Combustion Chamber through the Intake Valve. Now let us discuss the different Carburetion techniques.

WHAT IS CARBURETION ??

The first word that you might think of while reading this section would surely be a “Carburetor”.

Yes, carburetor is one way of carburetion but it is not the only way. Actually, Carburetion means the process of mixing fuel with a suitable amount of air to make a stochiometric mixture which can be completely burnt. So, be it any method, using a carburetor or a fuel injection system, it will be called as carburetion.

There have been various techniques that have been adopted for carburetion in past, but the most common methods that are currently used are Carburetors and Fuel Injection Systems. These systems can also be sub-classified.

CARBURETOR:-

Carburetor is the most common Carburetion equipment in small capacity motorcycles and many modified cars. They are cheap to manufacture and can be tuned to obtain maximum power at low cost. A carburetor consists of 4 to 5 different fuel circuits to create the Charge based on different positions of the throttle(accelerator) and load on the engine. These circuits consists of different type of fuel jets, namely:

Main jet.
Pilot jet.
Jet needle.
Needle jet.
Slow jet or Air/fuel-screw.

These jets are of different sizes and they open up at different requirements of engine, such as, high load or wide-open throttle conditions.

There are many different types of carburetors depending on the usage, for example, down-draft and up-draft carburetors were used in Aircrafts(rarely used now) while side-draft carburetors are used in Automobiles. In some cases, a carburetor is used with a fuel pump which is often called a pressure carburetor. It is considered as an early form of Fuel injection.

ADVANTAGES:-

They are cheap to manufacture.
No complex electricals are involved.
Good for engine tuning and low budget performance modifications.
No fuel pump is required.

DISADVANTAGES:-

Not very fuel efficient.
Many harmful gases are evolved as it is not very precise.
To fully exploit its capabilities, a great deal of experience is required.
It is dependent on atmospheric pressure for working, which is not the same at places situated at different altitudes. So, jet replacement is required every time one moves to a different altitude.

FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:-

Fuel injection Systems are less common in small capacity motorcycles but they are widely used in large capacity motorcycles and almost all production cars at present due to the fuel efficiency benefits and harder emission regulation standards. They use highly advanced electronic sensors such as Oxygen sensor, Intake Manifold Pressure sensor, Crank Angle sensor, Fuel Pressure sensor and Throttle position sensor to calculate the correct amount of fuel to be delivered for any situation like high load or high power requirements. They also use a fuel pump to create pressure in the fuel injector nozzle, pressure regulator to provide the right pressure required for any required situation and an ECU(Engine Control Unit) to control all these electronics as well as the Ignition of spark plug(s), if any.

They can be of many types, of which can be classified as Direct Injection, Multi-point Injection or Manifold Injection depending on the type/location of Fuel Injector(s), Closed-loop or Open-loop depending on the inclusion/exclusion of Oxygen and Manifold Pressure sensor and Programmable or Non-Programmable depending on the ROM chip used in the ECU.

ADVANTAGES

1. They are very fuel efficient.

2. They are very precise, so very less amount of harmful gases are evolved during combustion.

3. Some highly advanced and fully-programmable Fuel Injection Systems can be used to exploit the full potential of an engine, just by using some programming software installed in a laptop.

4. It uses an intake manifold pressure sensor, so it can automatically alter the fuel delivery according to the atmospheric pressure(different altitudes)

DISADVANTAGES

1. They are very costly as compared to carburetors.

2. A lot of complex electricals are involved, which makes it very difficult to repair.

3. A fuel pump is required for it.

4. Every thing in it depends on electricity. So in case of a battery failure, the vehicle will be unable to start at all.

I hope that you guys understood and enjoyed the article. I will come up with more technical articles in coming days.

-Article by Ishan Dev

Insight : A Look Into the Metal Hearts That Propel Our Beasts

2013-07-22T00:54:00.000+05:30

A big Hello to all Motorbike and Car enthusiasts !!

I am Ishan Dev , the new Technical In-charge for the budding blog, Engine Freak.

I am here to share some information about Automobiles (Cars and Motorbikes) to endow our readers with some in-depth knowledge of the same, so that you guys can atleast stop the mechanics and the Service Centre crooks from making a fool of you, and if you want, a lot more. This is my first article here, so I would like to start with the basics of an engine, or should I say the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), for what it is called in the Automobile industry.

Overview
Engines can be of many types.. Any machine which can convert one form of energy into another to do some useful work is called an engine. It may be a mechanical, electrical, thermal, computational, or any other type of engine.

Our concern here is only the thermal engine that converts thermal energy into mechanical energy. There are two types of thermal engines, the External combustion engine and the Internal combustion engine. The difference between them is the way of burning fuel.

As you may guess, in external combustion engine, the fuel is burned outside of the engine to warm/change the state of the working fluid and then use it to do some kind of work, for example, pushing a piston or rotating a turbine.

In the Internal combustion engine (ICE), the fuel is burned inside of a closed chamber, known as Combustion Chamber, from where it gets its name..

There are other types too, but they are far from what we are concerned about. Here, our discussion is limited to 4-stroke ICE only.

Combustion Events
An Engine (I will use it in place of ICE in this article) consists a lot of parts to easily confuse an average Joe, but then it isn't so difficult either.

Like we have the Motherboard in a PC, the engine has an Engine Block in which most of the parts of the engine are fitted. The main part of the engine, as discussed above, is the combustion chamber. Here the fuel(mostly petrol or diesel) is burned in a 4-stroke cycle.

Now you may be thinking, “What is a 4-Stroke Cycle..???”

4-stroke engines work in a cycle of 4 steps, namely, Induction stroke, Compression stroke, Combustion(Power) stroke and at last, Exhaust stroke, where a stroke is equal to half a rotation of engine or one up/down motion of the piston. From here it gets its name, 4-stroke. These are performed repeatedly in same sequence, so it is called a cycle. It is also called the Otto cycle in the name of Nikolaus Otto, who built the first 4-stroke engine.

To help the engine perform these tasks, Intake and Exhaust valves(mechanically operated doors) are provided in the combustion chamber. They are opened and closed by a cam-shaft with the help of rocker-arms or push-rods, depending on the technology used. Let us see how all these things happen.

INTAKE STROKE

The first step is the Intake stroke. In this stroke, the Intake valve(s) is(are) opened and the Charge, a stoichiometric mixture ( theoretically 14.7:1, 12.5:1 in real world, for petrol ) of air and fuel is sent into the combustion chamber through it. The charge can be prepared by using a carburetor or a fuel injection system and controlled by using the throttle(accelerator). The air is taken from the atmosphere through an air-filter. We will present a separate article for this topic in a few days.

COMPRESSION STROKE

The second step is the Compression stroke. The Intake valve(s) is/are closed and charge is compressed by the piston, normally in the ratio 8 to 10:1 for petrol engines and 14 to 22:1 for diesel engines.

COMBUSTION STROKE

The third step is the Combustion stroke. There is a spark plug in the combustion chamber of engine which ignites the compressed charge and creates a blast, which pushes down the piston. The spark plug gets it electricity (upto 35000 volts) from the ignition coil which is controlled by an ignition system. Usually CDI(Capacitor Discharge Ignition) or TCI(Transistor Controlled Ignition) ignition systems are used in carbureted Motorbikes & Cars, whereas ECU (Engine Control Unit) is used in Fuel Injected Motorbikes & Cars. This is the actual step in which we get power from the engine. That’s why it is also called the power stroke.

EXHAUST STROKE

The fourth and last step is the Exhaust stroke in which the exhaust valve(s) is/are opened by the cam-shaft and the exhaust gases, which were created during power stroke, are expelled out of the engine through it and they pass through a platinum coated Catalytic Convertor, which converts these poisonous gases into other not-so-harmful compounds.

As you may have noticed, till now only an up-down motion of the piston is generated. This linear motion needs to be converted into rotational motion to drive the vehicle. Let us see how…

Motion Conversion
The piston is connected to a Con-Rod(short form of connecting rod) which in turn is connected to the crank-shaft. The crank-shaft is a device which converts the linear up-down motion of the piston into a usable rotational motion.

The Crank-shaft is connected to a Clutch system, which then connects to transmission (gear) system, with a reduction ratio of normally 3:1. This means that the transmission system rotates at about one-third of the speed of engine (rpms). This is called the Primary Reduction. A clutch is a device which can engage or dis-engage the transmission, as required by the rider/driver, by using a system of clutch plates(generally 4 or 5), Pressure plates(generally 3 or 4) and some springs (generally 4).

Each Pressure plate is sandwitched between two Clutch plates. It can be actuated either hydraulically or by using cables. The transmission converts the rotation for more torque (lower gears) or more power (higher gears) and provides the output through output shaft. As all the internal components of an engine are constantly sliding on each other, an engine oil is put inside the engine case for lubrication.

In motorcycles, a sprocket is connected to this output shaft, which in turn, is connected an another sprocket(usually larger) at the rear wheel. This means that the rear wheel rotates at a further reduced speed. This is called the Secondary Reduction. Normally it is around 3:1. This means that the rear wheel rotates at about one-third of the speed of the output shaft.

In a car, the output shaft connects to the front two, rear two or all the four wheels using a differential system (we will cover it later on). The differential reduces the rotational speed of output shaft and prevents the wheels of any one side from slipping while the car is taking a turn.

And that’s how an engine converts thermal energy into the car’s movement.

I hope you guys liked and understood my words. Feel free to express any questions that are in your mind and also help us to make this blog better.

Article by Ishan Dev