Carberry Enfield Double Barrel V-Twin

The Royal Enfield as currently produced is a throwback to the mid 1950s, same style and engineering as the original with very little change until just this past year. The 500cc thumper is a very basic machine with British bloodlines and pretty much the performance you would expect from a mid 50s half liter single, which is to say, it could use a boost. Paul Carberry, down in Australia, had the idea of adding another cylinder and creating a V-Twin out of the basic engine, doubling displacement, giving it a satisfying sound and getting a nice performance increase at the same time.

Paul enlisted the aid of Ian Drysdale, a fellow Aussie, who you may remember builds the Drysdale V8, and together they took the concept and turned it into the machine you see here. The "Double Barrel" as it's called, is a 55 degree V-Twin with 50 horsepower running through a 5 speed transmission. Hydraulic lifters run above the cams eliminating the need to modify the barrels. The 55 degree angle was chosen over anything tighter to provide clearance for the carbs and also for style and balance. They also retained as many standard Royal Enfield parts as possible to keep maintenance costs down.

This engine looks right at home in the bike without any cobbled together appearance whatsoever, it looks to be very well engineered. Although it doesn't have massive horsepower, it's an appreciable boost over stock and delivers decent performance for someone who wants the look of a classic British V-Twin and everyday reliability.

The Double Barrel requires a stock Royal Enfield Bullet as a base, then:Essentially the Petrol tank is modified, the frame is modified (the front half of the frame is modified by us and it is a much stronger design with twin backbones , twin down tubes and also has front and back cylinder head mounts and includes the engine within the strucure). The motor is modified with a new crankcase and internals and an extra barrel and head is needed! The seat is also modified. In each case if no disc is present one is ftted.

Cost of modifying your donor Bullet is $A13,000, which currently is $8,892 in US dollars. Paul can also supply the donor bike and simply sell you the complete machine when he's done.

I mentioned this engine project over 4 years ago!, and though I checked in from time to time, things didn't seem to be going anywhere. Then I got a tip from Mark (Thanks!) that it looked like it was going into production. I followed up with Paul Carberry and indeed, he's ready to build one for you right now.

The prototype has been exhaustively tested and Alan Cathcart (shown below) has put some miles on it, too. This seems to be a well done build with a little bit of a Vincent look to it. The short video on Paul's website gives you a taste of the sound. Very classic, very nice. I like it.

Ducati V-One – Twin to Supercharged Single Conversion

Some guys come up with really interesting engine modifications and Bart Crauwels is one of those guys. Bart is currently working on a project that converts a Ducati 1000 DS, a 2 valve air cooled twin, into a supercharged single, using the rear cylinder as the blower. The 498cc single has 15 HP more than the original twin putting out 102 HP at the rear wheel, torque is increased and it runs fine to 10,000 rpm, 2500 rpm over stock. It's about 30 HP more than the well known Ducati Supermono. The Ducati V-One, as he calls it, is for racetrack use only and when things get sorted out he plans to build 40 of them for customers.

In recent years there have been some custom builders, Roger Goldammer comes to mind, who have replaced the rear cylinder on a V-Twin with a supercharger. Since the cylinder is already an air pump, Bart just used what was already there. Of course, the first question before doing this is whether the blown single will have more power than the twin it's derived from and the answer, in this case, is yes.

Another cool feature is the air tank under the seat, limited to 40 bars, which is good for a 10 second burst of compressed air when acceleration begins after which the blower's output kicks in. On deceleration, the tank is recharged. It's hard to see everything that Bart has done by looking at the photos, I notice an intercooler in the plumbing, too, but overall, I like this a lot.

Royal Enfield Musket – Update

Some of you may have missed the new video Aniket made of his Royal Enfield Musket V-Twin, ... he added pipes. The little shorties worked during the shakedown runs but you really need to hear the sound of this twin with the long pipes to believe it. Sweet! They look good, too. Have I mentioned how much I like this project?

UPDATE: Aniket sent in photos with the new exhaust and twin mufflers installed. He tried a 2 into 1 but couldn't get the right look so he opted for the 2 into 2.

World’s Fastest Production Electric Motorcycle – 2010 Mission One from Mission Motors

Just unveiled at the TED2009 conference, the Mission One from Mission Motors, a hi-tech California startup company, building what is about to be the world's fastest production electric motorcycle. How fast? 150 mph. Range? 150 miles. Torque? 100 foot pounds, instantly available whether you're standing still or cruising at 60 mph, no gears, just roll it on ... I think the game just changed.

Mission Motors, working under the radar as Hum Cycles, has been quietly developing their motorcycle for 2 years. Last year, a Ducati converted to electric power began showing up on the back roads of California. This was their prototype, undergoing extensive testing and a few lucky riders got a chance to sample the performance of the bike coming back amazed by what they had just experienced.

Forrest North, co-founder of Mission Motors, began dreaming of building an electric motorcycle when leading the Solar car Team at Stanford University. The dream continued, even as he joined Tesla Motors to help engineer the company’s cutting-edge battery pack. In 2007, Forrest launched Mission Motors with the help of Edward West and Mason Cabot. Their mission: Build an electric motorcycle that could finally compete with gasoline.

They've assembled a top notch team: Dan Kaplan - CFO at Ducati North America from 2003 - 2006, Jeremy Cleland - AFM Racer & Product Mgr at Ducati NA, graduates from Cal Tech, Stanford, Virginia, Dartmouth, and MIT plus Engineers from Ford, Tesla, Google, IDEO, Intel, and Agilent.

The Mission One is the closest thing yet to a no compromise electric motorcycle. Excellent performance, excellent range, zero emissions and quiet.

The throttle can be programmed by the rider for the most suitable response, how far it must turn for a given level of acceleration and how much regenerative braking on roll off. The production bikes will have what the engineers believe to be a best initial setting but owners will most likely tweak it as their experience increases.

I spoke to Forrest North about the Mission One and asked about the materials used in construction. The frame is aluminum but, while I expected carbon fiber for the body, Forrest said it doesn't fit especially well with their mission due to the environmental impact of its manufacturing process. The final decision about what specific materials will be used for the fairing and body work is yet to be made. Likewise, when I asked about weight, he stated it will be about 30 to 40 pounds heavier than a normal sportbike but the number will depend on a few final material choices so an exact weight is not yet specified.

The question some of you might have is how long to recharge? Electric motorcycles have 3 criteria of interest for many of you: performance, range and recharge time. Recharge is about 2 hours at 240 volts, 8 hours from a standard 120 volt outlet. With 240 volts, you can get roughly an 80% charge in 1 hour. As Forrest said, once you have the range, recharge is less of an issue, though 150 miles may not be touring bike territory, it certainly covers a large percentage of daily riding requirements and plugging in when you get home, the bike will be ready to go the next day or in a couple of hours if you want to head back out. Yes, it's still a trade off, but, nowhere near what we've come to expect with electric motorcycles.

Forrest also mentioned the most noticeable characteristic when switching back and forth between the Mission One and a standard bike is the total lack of vibration. The electric drive is completely smooth, something that quickly spoils the riders who have had the opportunity to ride it.

Specifications:

Powertrain
Battery Pack:	High Energy Lithium-Ion w/ Integrated Thermal Management System
Motor:	Liquid-cooled, 3-phase AC Induction
Torque:	100 lb-ft @ 0 to 6,500 rpm
Transmission:	Single speed
Chassis
Suspension/Front:	Ohlins 43mm inverted fork; fully adjustable, 4.5-in travel
Suspension/Rear:	Ohlins Single shock w/piggyback reservoir; fully adjustable, 4.5-in travel
Brakes/Front:	Dual Brembo 310mm disc; Brembo radial-mount forged 4-piston calipers
Brakes/Rear:	Brembo 220mm disc; single-piston caliper
Wheels/Tires/Front:	Marchesini forged aluminum 3.5" x 17", 120/70ZR17 - race Compound
Wheels/Tires/Rear:	Marchesini forged aluminum 6.0"x17", 190/55ZR17 - race Compound
Target Performance
Top Speed:	150mph
Range:	150 miles per charge (est. EPA drive cycle)
Recharge Time:	Under 2 Hours @ 240V (8 Hours @ 120V)
Interactive Feature:	Adjustable regenerative rear wheel braking
Interactive Feature:	Intuitive / adjustable data acquisition system

Racing:
Mission Motorsports, their green racing team, figures a little track time is a good thing, too. They will test the Mission One when they take on the world in the TTXGP on June 12, the first zero-emissions motorcycle race on the Isle of Mann.

First deliveries and Pricing:
The first Mission One motorcycles will be delivered early in 2010, First year production will be 300 units. The first 50 units will be offered as the Premier Limited Edition version at a price of $68,995. Yes, a bit pricey for the average rider but I will be surprised if these don't sell out.

If Mission Motors holds to their schedule and the bikes roll out on time with the stated specifications, they may change the way many people think about electric motorcycles. This is very, very cool. I like it, ... A LOT!

Mission Motors press release:

LONG BEACH, CA - February 4, 2009 –Today, Mission Motors unveils a revolutionary vehicle, the Mission One, the world’s fastest production all-electric motorcycle, at TED2009. Mission Motors CEO, Forrest North, along with lead designer Yves Béhar, founder of fuseproject, will present the vehicle in development onstage to the TED audience on February 4. Mission Motors will exhibit the vehicle throughout the conference at the Kohler LivingHome at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, and will be on hand to discuss the company’s vision for a radically new brand of motorcycles. The company will also provide attendees the opportunity to see inside the product development process through the installation of a motorcycle design studio inside the Kohler LivingHome.

“The Great Unveiling,” the TED2009 theme, makes a fitting platform for the launch of Mission Motors’ first vehicle, the Mission One. It is the first production electric sportbike that features uncompromised performance and an iconic new design created by world-renowned designers Yves Béhar and fuseproject. With a top speed of 150 MPH and an estimated range of 150 miles, the Mission One rivals gasoline sportbikes while dwarfing the performance of any other electric motorcycle on the market. The electric drivetrain creates a riding experience unlike anything currently available on a production vehicle. The electric motor’s linear torque curve provides peak torque at zero rpm, a feature gasoline engines cannot match. The motor delivers faster acceleration than most gasoline sportbikes without ever having to shift gears.

The announcement formally debuts Mission Motors, a San Francisco-based company geared to redefine the world of performance motorcycles, which was founded in 2007 by entrepreneurs Forrest North (CEO), Edward West (President), and Mason Cabot (VP of Engineering).

Building on their backgrounds in engineering, a desire to develop clean vehicles, and a passion for motorcycles, the Mission Motors founders developed a proprietary high energy lithium ion battery pack that could provide both the range and acceleration needed for a high performance sportbike. The company (named Hum Cycles at the time) placed second in the transportation category of the 2007 California Cleantech Open, the largest cleantech business plan competition on the West Coast.

“As a motorcycle enthusiast and engineer I knew I could combine my passion for motorcycles with my passion for innovation and create a motorcycle that truly sets a new standard in the perception of electric vehicles,” said Forrest North, Founder and CEO, Mission Motors. “With the Mission One, we’re writing the next chapter in motorcycle design, delivering a new riding experience without sacrificing performance or design in a zero emissions vehicle.”

With core engineering underway and an attractive business model, North and his co-founders turned to Yves Béhar’s fuseproject to create Mission’s unique brand and creative direction, as well as an iconic industrial design for the first product. The engineering team at Mission Motors and the design team at fuseproject worked in close collaboration to design the Mission One from the ground up, creating a machine that makes a bold statement about performance, technology, sustainability and design.

”This project was a dream come true: a statement about how design can make performance and sustainability come together without compromise,” said Yves Béhar. “I believe Mission is an icon for a new era of efficient and exciting vehicles. Designed to express speed and efficiency in it’s overall sharp lines, the Mission bike is also highly detailed with special attention to a riders needs, bringing a high level of product design and ergonomics to a new generation of performance transportation.”

About Mission Motors:
Mission Motors is building the fastest production electric motorcycle in the world. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company combines innovative technology, iconic design, and superb performance with the freedom of a zero emissions riding experience. Mission's elite team of engineers is creating the first motorcycle company built on the innovative spirit of the Silicon Valley. The concept is simple: Redefine the world of performance motorcycles.

Royal Enfield V-Twin – The Musket

What you see here is a 700cc Royal Enfield V-Twin constructed using two 350cc top ends. The whole bike appears to have come from the factory, or maybe the "special vehicle operations" section, instead of the mind and work of a creative and determined owner. Aniket Vardhan, the builder, still wants to come up with a better exhaust arrangement, than short open pipes, but already, the bike looks fantastic. Aniket calls the 700cc Enfield V twin, "The Musket", to keep the vintage gun (ala Bullet) reference alive. This is very impressive work. I have to admit, when I watched the videos at the end of this post, I just started smiling and kept smiling all the way through. I really like this bike!

When you read the story of the build, take note of the process, ... he had an idea and over many years kept at it, continued learning, continued working, he just kept going until the idea became real and he was riding this bike down the road. Far too many people hardly finish the idea stage before stopping, the work never begins. Aniket is a "doer," and you know what i say about doers.

What normally happens when I get a tip like this, is follow up with the owner or builder for a few details so I can put together a story, but when I received Aniket's response, I found he had already written the post and there was no need for me to add anything. So, I'll just turn the keyboard over to Aniket and let him fill in the details of "The Musket."

From Aniket Vardhan:

I was born in and lived in Delhi, India till 1999 when I came to the USA - ostensibly for a Masters in Industrial Design, but here's the dirty truth- I came because of the sound of a Harley Davidson. Saw one once in Delhi, long ago, belonged to some filthy rich type, heard it start up and rumble away, wet myself publicly and resolved that one day, I would visit their homeland.

That didn't seem likely at the time I was studying architecture in Delhi so the next best thing was to see what I could do with my Bullet, dearly loved as the only real motorcycle available in India back then (and perhaps even now). Thats when the idea was sort of baked into my brain, in the heat of 115 degree Delhi summers, over cigarettes, the smell of steaming cow dung and chats with biking buddies in the college cafeteria. I would build a V twin Enfield- it should feel right,

with its long stroke, heavy flywheel, beautiful cylinder and head. Looked for any and every book I could find on vintage motorcycles, V twins, engine design, metal casting, machining- all of it. Bought an old enfield engine to use as reference.

Jump ahead to 2002. I did in fact find myself in the USA, now an industrial design faculty member at an art and design college. On a trip to Delhi in 03, I picked up my old engine and brought it back Began to work on the idea on weekends, sketching, 3d computer modeling, measuring all internal parts, figuring out how to make the whole thing work using only standard enfield parts. You guessed it - came across the Norcroft V twin Enfield online, sort of destroyed me for a week. Then I figured, this is sort of fun anyway, so lets keep at it. I guess a couple more years passed, about 18 developments of my CAD model later, I was ready to start building patterns, and then, what do you know, the Carberry comes to my attention! By now, I was beginning to suspect that my next door neighbors were working on an Enfield V twin as well. As you'd expect, after a month of depressed moping, it was back to the basement again and I also noticed that my approach was rather different anyway, so why not put forward the way I thought made sense to me? Here is my rationale:

1. Keep it as ridiculously simple as the original Bullet engine. Therefore, no modern updates to major engine internals, so it still has the stock tappets, no hydraulics, and the stock piston oil pumps. Vintage bike lovers really like to tinker and tappet adjustment is almost a religous ritual for many.
2. Improve the oil filter - I machined a new filter housing which uses a standard modern cartridge type filter available at Advance. This is not a screw on car type filter - that doesn't look right, so I have a finned aluminum housing I made.
3. Aesthetically, and this was very important to me being an industrial designer- keep the "vintage" and "Enfield" cues strong. I thought I would pick up from the last Enfield big twin- the

Interceptor. The rounded profile of the front of the crankcase and pleasingly smooth and gently radiused forms of the castings and the cooling fins on the side of the wet sump. A wet sump simplifies matters and also ties in with the last Enfield big twin- the Interceptor Mark 2, which also had a wet sump.
4. I love the external copper oil pipes that are such beautiful visual elements on vintage engines, so I decided to incorporate that as well. This also helps to keep the oil cool as it travels through them, exposed to the air.
5. Keep the frame mods to a minimum and again keep the "vintage" feel going by keeping the single down tube- the Enfield big twins of yore had single down tube frames and handled well. The look of the "vintage V twin" I think is the very simple and elegantly "cradled" engine between two tubes- front sloping forward and rear sloping back.

I ended up quitting my teaching job last year, was getting the feeling that my heart was in projects like this. Since I wasn't a machinist, I had to learn that too. This is where the stars lined up - a student's family business is a machine shop close to my home, and his dad, Mr. Boggs was sufficiently amused by the project and my excitement to allow me to come in and start working on my project, early last year.

Well, it took about a year for the machining to get done, I learned everything as I went along and here we are. I have skipped all the "oh darn!" moments but there weren't too many, just one huge one, when the first foundry I went to pretty much destroyed my patterns built over 3 years by leaving them near an open window in the rain...still get stressed out when I think of that- had to cut away and repair the whole thing after a couple of months of very evil thoughts.

But...the holy rider in the sky must have smiled upon me because from the very first firing, it runs like it WANTS to! It starts first kick every time! It isn't quite as explosive as my 750 Triumph Bonny, but it has the very mild Bullet cams and stock 7:1 compression and small carbs, so a healthy increase in output can be expected with the usual mods. But, the torque is really lovely- cleanly pulls top gear at around 20 mph (!!) and accelerates from there without any snatching! I'm keen to try the new 5 speed gearbox the new Enfields have - my old one has 1-2-3 really low and a huge gap to top. My final ratio is 4.22 to 1 right now and she feels like she could pull even taller.

The amazing part is that its SMOOTH! It shakes much less than my Triumph and I think less than my old 350 single engine! That second piston is really helping to cut the vibes.

XJ500T Jaybuilt Kawasaki 500 Bellytank Triple

Builders of incredible homebuilt machines keep popping up and here's another example of a very impressive motorcycle designed for the purpose of handling the twisty roads of California's canyons. This bike consists of a Kawasaki 500cc 2 stroke triple engine, front and rear suspension from a ZX9 and everything else "Jaybuilt." Total weight is 310 pounds!The whole project was really well thought out. His intention was a minimal part count and easy maintenance, engine swaps are under 30 minutes. He built an engine stand that holds the engine with 1 bolt and slides under the bike. Remove a few bolts, disconnect a few wires and hoses and slide bike away, the engine is on the stand. The entire bike can be disassembled with about 20 bolts in under an hour. The fuel is carried in the foam filled bellytank, the area over the engine encloses the expansion chambers. He says heatwrap and directed airflow keeps everything cool.Performance, as you might expect, gets your attention. He geared the bike for a top speed of only 120, he figures he wouldn't be riding anywhere at 160 so why not keep the power where you can use it. There's a lot of interest in 2 strokes among builders of back road specials. I can only imagine what this bike is like to ride, lots of grins for sure. The readers over at the Bay Area Riders Forum, where the builder talks about it, all seem to like it, a lot, and I have to agree with them, this is one superb build.

Moto Guzzi Makeovers

Italian motorcycles are often recognized for their beautiful styling, but one brand (Ducati) tends to overshadow all of the other smaller marques. When you step outside of the Ducati world and look at the other bikes, there's much to appreciate. Recently, I've been noticing more and more really nice examples of the Moto Guzzi lineup, both current and classic, so I thought I would take a closer look at a few.

Bill Johnson, over at DucCutters, was pointing out another bike on his site, a Ducati of course, but while I was there I spotted this Moto Guzzi, the Marrano 1160 and it just struck me as a beautiful piece of work. It's the blue bike shown above and built by Das Mototec of Germany. It's a really clean makeover.

Moto Guzzi's longitudinal crank V-Twin engine has a unique look. If the styling focuses your attention on the drivetrain, like the one shown above, the bikes look great.

After seeing that I dropped over to Ghezzi Brain, the well known Guzzi aftermarket company, to check out their latest work and they have a couple of kits for modifying your bike, this one is the Sport Monza 1100 for your V11. You can add the parts and pieces in stages, body pieces first, suspension components next and finally, engine parts. It looks lighter and tighter than the stock bike and, as any Guzzi should, it shows off the engine to advantage.

One custom shop in Japan that I've mentioned before, Ritmo Sereno, does a variety of bikes, but some of their Moto Guzzis are especially impressive. Browsing their custom Guzzis should give anyone a lot of good ideas for starting their own modifications.Some are quick to point out that these customs can look good because they don't need to meet the restrictions the manufacturer has to consider and it's a valid point but it takes nothing away from what these builders have done. Also, except for the Ghezzi Brian example, the others are modifications to older models no longer produced.

Moto Guzzi has had a number of interesting models over the years and some that don't get the attention they deserve. The Daytona, originally developed by Moto Guzzi working closely with Dr. John Wittner of Pennsylvania, who campaigned a Guzzi in the USA, the 4 valve sportbike looks good and performs very well, maybe not to the standard of Japanese bikes of early 1990s, but definitely a notch up from any standard Guzzi. Another model, only produced for a few years, the Centauro, which actually evolved from the Daytona, looks good to me and works well as a high performance sport touring machine or an all around ride. Buy one of these and you'll stand out from the crowd on bike night, because there just aren't many around and they have an impressive stance. Occasionally, you'll see one or the other come up for sale, and I think, if you like Guzzis at all, you would be smart to keep your eye out for a well maintained used example. They'll probably appreciate over the years and you'll get a lot of enjoyable riding in the meantime.

Of course, some enthusiasts don't care for Moto Guzzis at all, it's really a matter of personal preference, but to my eye, the engine really makes it. The V-Twin was designed with visual appearance in mind, with cooling fins on the cylinders and ribs cast into the cases, it's a nice piece of mechanical eye candy. The longitudinal mounting allows perfectly symmetrical dual exhausts without any extra curves and bends necessary to get equal length pipes and the shaft drive doesn't require an extra 90 degree turn to get to the rear wheel. Nothing extraordinary in these features but they're a nice little extra compared to conventional V-Twin positioning.

If you're really looking for entertainment, Koehler even makes supercharges for the Moto Guzzi V-twin which look like a natural fit but they do seem to take up a lot of space so you would need quite a bit of room to install one.

With the new V7 Classic, a retro model bringing back the appeal of the earlier models, a lot of people may get the chance to see why Moto Guzzis are so popular with some owners. I haven't seen any makeovers of this new model yet and some might see no need for it, but there's always room for a little original thinking so we'll have to see what shows up.

If you think a Moto Guzzi might look good in your garage, if you don't already own one, check out the Moto Guzzi for sale page. If you've never really thought about owning one, they're worth considering, a V-Twin that looks better than some, (especially if you're a motorhead that looks at the engine first) sounds good and not on the road everywhere you look, it's a nice combination.