Rokon (motorcycle)
Rokon is a motorcycle manufacturer based in Rochester, New Hampshire , United States . He manufactures all-wheel drive off-road motorcycles .
history
The vehicle in its original form was developed by Charles Fehn, who was able to win the Nethercutt family as an investor. In 1958 the first prototype was completed and in 1963 the series production of the Rokon Trail-Breaker started in Sylmar ( Los Angeles ) in California .
In 1964 the Nethercutts sold the company to their most successful dealer, Orla Larsen. In 1965 he introduced the name Rokon (pronounced Rok-on according to Larsen) and technically revised the motorcycle. At first, sales continued from Vermont before the company moved to New Hampshire, where - after another move - it is still based in Rochester today.
In 1971 an extension of the model was offered, the off-road machine RT 340, which was modified in 1976 (Mk II) and then - too late - was taken out of the range again and left a huge hole in the company's coffers. The development of a new range of models and the financial hole that the RT 340 had torn led Rokon to bankruptcy in 1978.
Enthusiast Tom Blais bought the bankrupt Rokon estate and has continued production ever since. Every year around 400 to 500 Rokon motorcycles are produced by a 10-man workforce, i.e. around two motorcycles per working day, whereby the production capacity would be around 1000 motorcycles per year at full capacity.
construction
Rokon motorcycles are equipped with centrifugal clutches and an automatic continuously variable V-belt transmission . The driving range (maximum speed) can be selected with a three-speed gearbox that can be shifted when the vehicle is stationary . The all-wheel drive distributes the power to the front and rear wheels via shafts, angular gears and chains. The front wheel freewheels and can therefore turn faster than the rear wheel when cornering. In the first few years, the vehicles were powered by two-stroke engines made by the outboard engine manufacturer West Bend Company (US Motor / Chrysler Marine) with a displacement of 134 cubic centimeters and had a fluid coupling; later four-stroke engines from Honda or Kohler with around 6 hp (4.5 kW) were installed. The wheels on the Trail-Breaker model can also serve as canisters for water or fuel.
The motorcycles are not intended for high speeds, but for maximum off-road mobility even in the most difficult terrain. Current models are the Trail-Breaker , the Ranger and the Scout . They have rigid frames and unsprung forks, except for the trail breaker. This is sprung at the front with a short swing arm, which is optionally available for the other models. Accessories include sidecars and luggage or logging trailers . Working machines such as pumps and power generators on the Rokon's engine can be operated via a power take-off shaft.
The technical concept of the Rokon seems to be sustainable. The Russian Alexander Y. Zinin developed the Tarus, optically very similar to the Rokon-Ranger, whereby the Tarus 2 can be dismantled (in 2 pockets in the trunk) and the Tarus 2m can be folded up. There is currently no series production due to a lack of financiers (investors are wanted), but you can purchase kits to build yourself.
| Technical specifications | Trail braker | Scout | ranger |
|---|---|---|---|
| drive | Permanent four-wheel drive | ||
| engine | Kohler, single-cylinder, four-stroke, fan-cooled | Honda, single cylinder, four stroke, fan cooled | |
| Displacement | 208 cm 3 | 160 cm 3 | |
| power | 7 HP (5.2 kW) at 3600 min -1 | 5 HP (3.7 kW) at 3600 min -1 | |
| Torque | 9.1 ft-lb (12.4 Nm) at 2800 rpm -1 | 8.0 ft-lb (10.9 Nm) at 2500 min -1 | |
| Power transmission | Automatic V-belt transmission with three-speed countershaft | ||
| Speeds | 1st gear 0-10 mph (16 km / h) 2nd gear 0-20 mph (32 km / h) 3rd gear 0-35 mph (56 km / h) |
1st gear 0-10 mph (16 km / h) 2nd gear 0-20 mph (32 km / h) 3rd gear 0-35 mph (56 km / h) |
1st gear 0-10 mph (16 km / h) 2nd gear 0-22 mph (35 km / h) 3rd gear 0-30 mph (48 km / h) |
| Tank capacity | 2.69 US gal (10.0 L) | ||
| fuel | Unleaded gasoline | ||
| Brakes | Hydraulically operated disc brakes front and rear, with control levers mounted on the handlebar | ||
| Starter | Electric starter and pull starter with compression release | Pull starter | |
| ignition | Electronic magneto ignition | ||
| Electrical system | 12 volts | ||
| Exhaust | Silencer and US Forest Agency approved spark arrester | ||
| Carburetor | Fixed nozzle carburetor (optional high altitude nozzle available) | ||
| Air filter | Dry filter with foam as a second stage | Dry filter | |
| Climbing ability | 60 percent | ||
RT340 TCR Automatic
In 1974 Rokon built the "RT340 TCR Automatic" for cross-country driving in not so difficult terrain. Their engine, designed for chainsaws, had a pull starter . The model had rear-wheel drive only and a Salsbury continuously variable transmission ( CVT ) originally designed for snowmobiles . The RT340 TCR Automatic was a financial disaster for Rokon.
Web links
- rokon.com - official website
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b rokon.com/about - official website. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ www.mtv-t.ru