Megola Motorcycle, German motorcycle, rotary engine

[13w5able]

what must u do to stop this bike at traffic light?

[rappapappa123]

Sehr schön

[aleks070777]

In Russian, this engine call rotative in contrast to the Wankel rotary engine

[Zarcubezwinger]

Fantastische Technik! Heutzutage soll eine Megola 100000 Euro wert sein.

[jeffiegirl]

Hi,can you upload the rest of this program,i haven't seen it since channel 4 aired this in 1993! Cheers

[monstrddg]

Technically it IS a radial. Its called a rotary radial while the ones most are familiar with are static radial (used on the likes of the B17s and the Lockheed Connie). The biggest downfall of the rotary radial was the fact its flight characteristics banking right was drastically different than banking left.

[jweeks007]

But will it blend?

[spentacle]

If anyone else thinks like DJSuperSou1, go to Wikipedia and type in "Rotary Engine". This is the type you will see and the Megola is mentioned. Felix Wankel gets 3 lines at the bottom of the page and a separate article

[RippedWookie]

That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!

[TheMickvee]

This is an extract from a six part series called "Classic Bikes" which aired on Channel 4 here in the UK, in the early 90's. It covered Veteran, American, British, German, Italian, and Scooters. I have the series on VHS, which I recorded at the time. I've never seen it for sale.

[Sigbarth]

Wow, nice bike

A brilliant idea to put the motor in the front wheel

but this is a radial engine like in an airplane not a rotary (wankel motor)

[bonecrime]

@Sigbarth It's a rotary radial engine. Nowhere does it say it's a wankel. :)

[tarapita]

@Sigbarth google first then comment

[oiseautempete]

@Sigbarth

No it's not a radial but a rotary like the well known "Le Rhone" rotaries in WW1...

The wankel isn't realy a rotary but only a rotative piston engine...

[Sigbarth]

@oiseautempete oh ok. my bad.

It's rotatry as in "the cylinders rotate around the shaft".

Not the other way around. But I guess it's still radial non the less.

I thought rotary and rotating piston is the same thing since mazda call their engines "rotary engines" on ocasion.

Even though I'am a certified car technician I learned all the expressions in german and french so please excuse my confusion. :)

[TheWingflyer]

@Sigbarth Yeah, it's a radial, not rotary.

[spentacle]

@TheWingflyer It is a radial engine because of the cylinder arrangement., It is ALSO ROTARY because the cylinders REVOLVE about the fixed crankshaft. It CAN be both, and engines were known as "rotary" a long time before Felix Wankel had his bright idea. In the day people just said "rotary" and knew what it looked like.

[TheWingflyer]

@spentacle I remembered that weird type of engine (that made planes fly oddly due to gyroscopic forces) after I posted. You're right, it's a "rotary" and also a radial at the same time. I guess it's ok having that mass in the front wheel of the bike as the gyroscopic forces obey the dynamics of motorcycle steering.

[DjSuperSou1]

@spentacle its not a fucking rotary engine... do not say things if you do not know the, rotary engine have a rotary piston. radial engine do not have this! video is also missleading in that matter

[spentacle]

@DjSuperSou1 Oh that was really called for I don't think. Go and read some books on the history of engines, especially aircraft engines, and you will find I do know what I am talking about. There's no need to be so bloody rude about it.

[ShortyLaVen]

@DjSuperSou1 Ha!! This made me laugh so hard! Maybe your right, we shouldnt say things we don't know. And I can tell you know as much about Wenkel engines as you do rotary radials... Wankels DON'T have pistons.

[hankeybillfred]

@DjSuperSou1

Mazda rotor piston motor = Wankel engine.

Pistons revolving aroung one crankshaft = rotary engine.

Wankel motor = 1960s

Rotary engine = 1910s

[DjSuperSou1]

@hankeybillfred no. rotary engine is wankel engine. its just called wankel cos of... mr wankel. radial engines have, as you said, pistons revolving around one point. rotary engines have a rotating piston. how more simple i have to say this??!?!?!!?!

[MiG21aholic]

@DjSuperSou1 en(.)wikipedia(.)org/wiki/Rota­ry_engine

[IronicallyVague]

That's amazing...

I had no idea something like this even existed, I've played around with making a cross between a rotary & a stirling engine for a bicycle 

[steezergeezer]

ExhausthenPuffenHaffen (means exhaust in German) hhahahhahaha

[TheKmk4420]

cool shit

[ike6116]

What is this from?

[quicklyheizer]

Karl Reese, a very nice guy :P How old is this Video?

[stopglobalswarming]

That bike is so badass! You made my day posting this! I WANT ONE.

[stopglobalswarming]

SF Moped Thread, more about bikes and small motorcycles. This Megola bike is awesome. Why doesn't he push start it? This looks like someone is going to run over their nuts with the bike if the stand fails.

[JGMagoo]

INCREDIBLE!!

I saw an orriginal one of these Megola motorcycles in the Guggenheim "Art Of The Motorcycle" exhibit in Las Vegas, Nevada a couple of years ago. I NEVER thought I'd ever get to see one run! This video is a treasure!!

Thanks so much for posting it. Take care of that wonderful piece of history.

There is some wonderful footage of the Sopwith Cammel airplane that also had a rotary engine where the crankshaft was stationary and the engine went around!

[montey1017]

does it have any form of transmission? if so how does it work? innerresting desighn

[KenMacMillan]

@montey1017 No clutch, no transmission. It's best to live at the top of a hill when you own one of these.

[stopglobalswarming]

@KenMacMillan Seriously, no clutch? They should make a moped of it then, so you can start it easily. Also, if a piston throws a rod or ring, wouldn't you endo hard! Scary.

[KenMacMillan]

@stopglobalswarming Next time I travel back in time to 1920, I'll tell them that.

[AnokaGuy123]

What program is this video from, I would be interested in finding/watching the whole thing.

[theyellowfury]

That's radial, not rotary. I remember seeing this on tv. Do you know what the name of the program was? I'd love to watch the whole thing.

[calineophyte]

Neat video but the makers are confused about the origin of the BMW logo. A search on YouTube for "origin BMW logo" has the truth from BMW itself that the logo is an amalgamation of a logo for RAPP Motorenwerke and the blue and white of the Bavarian flag and appeared as early as 1918. The myth of the airscrew inspiration for the logo is due to an image on the cover of a BMW aircraft magazine printed in 1929. The origin video is interesting and BMW fans would surely enjoy it. Ride well friends.

[schlusselmensch]

@calineophyte As Rapp was a manufacturer of aircraft engines, I don't think that the propellor theory can be dismissed out of hand simply because the logo is blue and white. When you watch the video and explanation from BMW, it's apparent that they don't really know either. It's not possible to know what was going through the logo designer's head way back then. He might have come before the board with a green and yellow logo that was liked but changed to blue and white after consideration.

[c0nv1ct1337]

@calineophyte

This is true but this video never directly said that the BMW logo comes from the propeller. They just said the logo is a clever abstract view through a propeller.

“A German advertising agency in the 1920s produced an ad that showed the [BMW] roundel against the spinning propeller of an airplane to reflect the company’s origins as an aircraft engine manufacturer”

-Dave Buchko, company spokesman for BMW North America.

[calineophyte]

@c0nv1ct1337 I was talking about this "Megola Motorcycle" video that directly states "The radial engine in this 1933 (brand name) aircraft were made by BMW, in fact, the BMW company logo is a clever abstract of a view through a propeller. I was not talking about the "logo of BMW origin" video.

[Britbike20]

wahhhhh.......it's so beautifullll

[dingotookmybaby]

I have this on tape somewhere. great to see it again

[msmb94]

nice vid!