"Bob Kuykendall" wrote in message
...
On Mar 5, 11:31 am, bildan wrote:
'been scratchin' some paper.

It looks like a 2.6L flat opposed 8-cylinder could be made will not
too much difficulty from two Suzuki Hyabusa motorcycle cylinder
blocks...

Interesting. I'd like to see the SolidWorks and FEA on that crank, I
bet the webs and bearings get awful narrow when you go and double the
number of big ends strung along it.

Also, is there any credible evidence that this little motor actyally
does put out 130hp for any appreciable amount of time?

Having developed and raced tiny Formula IV road bikes, I came to
appreciate that the devil is in the details. And the more details you
have, the greater the opportunity for bedevilment.

The more I study airplane engines and their operating environment, the
more I come to appreciate the underrecognized genius of the big,
simple, slow-turning flat fours that came out of the 1930s. Parts you
leave on the ground will never break in flight.

Thanks again, Bob K.
www.hpaircraft.com/hp-24

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I have always been a big fan of alternative power plants, but Bob just said
a mouthful, and it's very well stated.

Forgive me for plagiarizing your analogy Bob, but I really like it.

Much like the sound barrier, there is a demon that lives in every PSRU.
Although several designs are quite promising these days, I still don't think
anyone has found the proper solution. They just can't compare to the overall
reliability of the status quo. It's a design thing, that has never been
resolve without adding too much weight.