Speaking of Mazda, everyone will first think of the rotor engine, after all, this engine is definitely a miracle in the history of the automobile industry, and it was also a BUG-like existence in le Mans. In fact, the inventor of the rotor engine was not Mazda, it was first invented by the German Figas Wanger, until 1967, when the Japanese Toyo Industries Company installed the rotor engine on the Mazda sedan and produced it in batches.
The advantages of the rotor engine are obvious, but the disadvantages are fatal. First of all, the advantages, the rotor engine can do work three times per rotation, with a higher horsepower volume ratio, and the rotor engine does not need a precise crankshaft balance to achieve a higher operating speed, in addition to the advantages of low failure rate, small size, light weight, low center of gravity, etc.; and then the disadvantages, the rotor engine does not have a high compression ratio, so that the fuel can not be fully burned, resulting in high fuel consumption, heavy pollution, and because the rotor needs to be constantly rubbed on the cylinder block, which leads to fast wear speed in the cylinder, In turn, it causes air leakage problems, and the key is not good maintenance.
Because the rotor engine is not economical enough to be installed on civilian models, it has been eliminated, but there are still a lot of fans. Brian Clayton, a rotor engine enthusiast from the United Kingdom, believes that rotor engines have considerable potential in the motorcycle field, so he has been developing motorcycles with rotor engines for the past 12 years, and has finally come to fruition.
According to the uncle, this motorcycle has a displacement of 690cc, a maximum horsepower of 220hp (inch horsepower), and a peak torque of 142N·m. It is worth mentioning that the weight of the engine is only 43kg, and the motorcycle due to the use of carbon fiber wheels and a variety of lightweight accessories, so the dry weight is only 129.5kg, the ultimate lightweight will undoubtedly greatly improve the performance of the vehicle.
The rotor engine is indeed not suitable as a drive engine for civilian vehicles, but it does not mean that the rotor engine has disappeared, and it is said that Mazda's new car will use the rotor engine as a range extender, so that it can still shine in the new energy era.
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