Curtiss V8
| Curtiss | |
|---|---|
 Curtiss V8 |
|
| Manufacturer | Curtiss |
| Production period | 1906 to 1907 |
| class | Racing motorcycle |
| Motor data | |
| Four-stroke engine , air-cooled eight-cylinder V-engine, IOE , oil sump lubrication, two carburettors, magneto ignition | |
| Displacement (cm³) | approx. 4000 |
| Power (kW / PS ) | over 40 hp at 1800 rpm |
| Top speed ( km / h) | 219.45 |
| drive | wave |
| Brakes | front: none rear: rubber sliding block |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1630 |
| Empty weight (kg) | 125 |
The Curtiss V8 (1906-1907) was a racing motorcycle made by the American manufacturer Curtiss . It was built specifically to set speed records and was the world's first motorcycle with a V8 engine .
Development and technology
Glenn Curtiss , American racing driver, aviation pioneer, pilot and entrepreneur, received in 1906 from Dr. Silverton from Milwaukee received an order to develop a V8 engine for an airplane. With Dr. Silverton agreed with Curtiss to test the engine prior to delivery. Curtiss built the engine, which was later used in the Curtiss Golden Flyer , into a reinforced motorcycle frame. The cylinder angle was 90 degrees as this was found to be best according to Curtiss. The record motorcycle had eight separate cylinders on an aluminum engine block and a carburetor for four cylinders each. It was propelled by a wave. The motorcycle was controlled via an extremely long handlebar attached to the steering head and the wheel axle.
Record runs
In January 1907 Curtiss traveled to Ormond Beach , Florida on various motorcycles ; Record drives had already been made on the sandy beach there. In a first record run, Curtiss managed to cover the mile in 46.4 seconds with his own mass-produced two-cylinder V-Twin . In unofficial time measurements, Curtiss succeeded in driving the V8 through the mile in 26.4 seconds on January 24, 1907, Curtiss needed another mile to bring the motorcycle to a standstill. The speed Curtiss achieved was 136.36 mph or 219.45 km / h. Nobody was faster until then, neither on land nor in the air. Curtiss was the fastest man in the world. The record for all vehicles lasted until 1911, the record for motorcycles was not broken until 1930 by Joseph S. Wright at OEC Temple JAP.
The motorcycle is in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum today , except for the drive shaft in its original condition.
literature
- Kirk W. House: Hell-Rider to King of the Air. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: SAE International, 2003. ISBN 0-7680-0802-6 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Wolfgang Wiesner: American motorcycles. 2nd edition 1992. ISBN 3-613-01362-2 . P. 45
- ↑ a b Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle. ISBN 3-86047-142-2 . P. 124
- ↑ House, p. 39
- ^ The Art Of The Motorcycle. Guggenheim Museum, Las Vegas. ISBN 0-89207-207-5 . P. 107
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