Cycle World Podcast
Cycle World
Updated 2 days agoJoin Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer for the weekly Cycle World podcast for lively conversations about motorcycles and the people who build and ride them. Cameron’s legendary knowledge and ability to describe highly technical subjects in ways that are easy to understand allies with Hoyer’s massive testing background and hands-on work in the CW garage.
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Episodes (125)
Harley-Davidson Big Twin, Knucklehead to Now!
Harley-Davidson debuted the Knucklehead in 1936 and millions of subsequent Big Twins built in its image continue to "potato-potato" down the road! Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the origins of Harley-Davidson's EL and journey through the Panhead, Shovelhead, and up to the modern era. Think of it as the engine that grew with the American highway system! Join us on the ride!
How MOTORCYCLES improved because of AIRCRAFT!
As Technical Editor Kevin Cameron likes to say about aircraft, they have to be light enough to fly and heavy enough to make it to the destination reliably. This drove innovation in design and metallurgy in aircraft that made it all the way to motorcycles, of course! Roller tappets for camshafts? Check! And so much more. Kevin and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the flow of technology and design from aircraft to motorcycles.
Where did Norton Motorcycles come from and why do we love them so much?
The new Norton debuted a full line of new bikes recently as parent company TVS finally pulled back the curtain after 5 years of work. Cycle World's Kevin Cameron and Mark Hoyer start about 125 years earlier, at the beginning of the company and its reputation for remarkable singles and following racing success. Isle of Man TT! Norton Manx! Up through Commando and the demise of the company in the 1970s. Join us for the ride and then visit cycleworld.com to see the new Nortons on cycleworld.com/eicma landing page.
EICMA! New Motorcycles From the Biggest Show of the Year! China, India, Japan, Baggers!
Kevin and Mark take a look at new motorcycles from EICMA, the huge annual show in Milan, Italy. The guys talk about Chinese motorcycles, the Indian-made Nortons, and, of course, Honda's electric-supercharged V3R and, as always, "more." Visit cycleworld.com/eicma so see all the bikes and read about these interesting new models.
How Ducati history might have changed! The 60-year-old V-4 that never made production.
Long before the Ducati Panigale V4 the American Ducati importer convinced Ducati and legendary engine designer Dr. Taglioni to build a 1200cc V-4 that made 100 hp in 1962. It was designed to chase after sales in the lucrative police bike market in America. It was a 90-degree V-4 with four carburetors and very American styling. Join Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer as they explore the origins of this engine and motorcycle. The Ducati V-4 you never heard of!
The GREAT Dan Gurney: MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIAST and ENGINE DESIGNER! The 280-hp Moment-Canceling TWIN!
American racing hero Dan Gurney's exploits in auto racing and car construction are legendary, but Dan was also mad for motorcycles. So much so he built his own feet-forward machine (the Alligator) with a few different production engines modified to his specs. But he also got his company All American Racers to design a compact 1800cc Twin that was projected to make 280 hp with perfect smoothness. Oh, the glory! Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief made many trips to All American Racers to interview Dan and see what was going on over the years, all shared here in this special Cycle World podcast.
EMPIRE OF RPM: Learn How HONDA built its MOTORCYCLE BUSINESS ON REVS
Soichiro Honda visited into Isle of Man TT in 1954 and was shocked to see how high Italian and German racing machines revved. The company got to work! By 1958 when the Honda Cub and its 50cc four-stroke debuted, its engine made peak power at 9000 rpm with great reliability. Honda went on in racing to develop Grand Prix engines revving beyond 20,000 rpm. This expertise led to street bike 350 twins such as the CB350 that made all the power and more than the prevailing British 650cc parallel-twins of the 1960s. Kevin and Mark discuss Honda's origin and the path the company took to deliver exceptional performance at competitive cost.
How Exhaust Pipes MAKE POWER (or KILL IT!)
How does your motorcycle exhaust system help your engine make more power, be more efficient, and sound amazing? Like many parts of the motorcycle, there are near-infinite variations. For exhaust systems Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss: length and diameter of the tubing, collector size and shape, how long each element of the system is, overall length, silencer type, cam design, port length and shape, cylinder grouping, and so much more. We get into four-into-one vs. four-two-one, the "power bulge," what is reversion, stepped headers and, well, like we said, so much more. Join us!
Makin' FLAMES! The ART and SCIENCE of mixing FUEL and AIR.
Sounds crazy but early engines ran on "city gas," generated by roasting coal. Liquid fuels like gasoline improved our lot in Combustion Life, but there have been many experiments to get the most out of it. How close are we to perfect combustion? How do we get liquid fuel--which will not burn--to turn to vapor that will burn? So many questions that Kevin and Mark set out to answer. Let's get into the molecules, shall we?
Ninja! Kawasaki's brand within a brand and how it came to mean "Sportbike" to the masses.
How "Ninja" came to define Kawasaki and what it means to the company. The bikes that built this brand within the brand started in the early 1970s and Ninja just put a name on it. What's "it"? Listen as Kevin and Mark of Cycle World talk about where the Ninja ethic began and where it's taken Kawasaki, from screaming two-stroke triples to supercharged 1000cc sportbikes.
Fun With Materials: What are Motorcycles Made of and Why?
This week Kevin and Mark are getting MORE MOLECULAR than usual! We know, it's awesome, right? The motorcycle mostly started with iron, then steel and some bronze, and then we got aluminum, titanium, beryllium and more, plus all kinds of composites. Despite getting molecular, it's a big topic, so join us on our epic journey.
Yamaha V4 vs. Inline Four! Will a new engine design save Yamaha in MotoGP?
Yamaha is a passionate racing company but recent success has eluded the tuning fork folks. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer dig into Yamaha's new V4 MotoGP racer that debuted at Misano and is under continued testing. Will the V4 solve all the company's problems? Will rides love the new engine and bike? What are the advantages and disadvantages of V4s and inline-4s. Listen to find out!
HOW FAST COULD WE GO?! What's making new motorcycles slower than they should be?
Kevin and Mark dive into what's holding back the ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE of your motorcycle. What could be changed in the engine or with aerodynamics that could help us hit 250 mph? What are the tragic shortcomings and amazing strengths of motorcycles today? Jump in the slipstream and take the ride with us on the Cycle World Podcast.
SHAKE IT! Does Vibration Eat Horsepower?
Engine vibration...does it eat horsepower? How do we control it? Where does it come from? What's secondary vibration vs. primary? Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss the many types of vibration in engines and the various schemes used to control it or let those vibes we love come through.
How has Honda Sold MORE THAN 100 MILLION SUPER CUBS?!
The little step-through that changed transportation around the globe and helped Honda achieve Grand Prix Racing success, technical dominance, and massive wins in automobiles, the 1958 Super Cub hit a target for buyers no one had yet considered. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss how Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa helped conceive of this little motorcycle to function easily in broad conditions and the unique features that helped it fly off the showroom floor from the very beginning.
How Emissions Regulations Improved Motorcycles
All we've ever wanted is complete control of combustion in our motorcycle engines and we are closer than ever. Find out how cleaning up emissions has enhanced power, running quality, engine life and more as Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss the combustion process and all the tricks used to move ever closer to stoichiometric. What's that? Listen and find out. Also, there's a chance someone might say "Velocette" or "TZ750," so don't miss it!
Ran when parked?! HOW TO GET AN OLD MOTORCYCLE RUNNING!
Barn finds, garage finds, yard finds and alley finds, that abandoned old motorcycle isn't going to start itself! Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer run through the steps and tricks to get an old carbureted or fuel-injected motorcycle running. Two-stroke oil in a four-stroke? Yes! De-rust a gas tank--we have a way! Listen as discuss the smell of old gas and getting a motorcycle out of the barn and back on the road.
10 Crazy Cool Concept Bikes You Probably Don't Remember
Concept bikes can be crazy weird looks at a possible future or be hints about new models to come. Some are even intended as near-production but never make it. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer run down a list of 10 concept bikes that might have been and one that actually made it to the streets of America. Hybrids, superchargers, inline-sixes, alternative front suspensions, and one called "Biplane"?! And if it has four wheels but leans, is it still a "motorcycle"?
CONSISTENCY IS EVERYTHING! Kevin Cameron gets molecular on Cyclic Variation. What?! Listen to learn!
If every combustion event in your motorcycle engine was the best it could be, power and efficiency could rise by as much as 20 percent! Find out how engineers and designers work toward this optimal goal and how chaos just keeps getting in the way. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Mark Hoyer talk about all the things that influence how the charge lights off in the cylinder of your motorcycle engine.
INSIDE THE HOT ROOM! The magic in your motorcycle engine's combustion chamber.
Leave it to Technical Editor Kevin Cameron to start in 1862 with the first guy who conceived the four-stroke combustion cycle. KC proceeds with Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer on the journey to the combustion chamber we have today and why it's shaped how it is, flatheads to hemis, two valve, four valves and more valves! There's so much to cover in such a small space. Join us!
Do YOU know about these 7 (or so) STRANGE MOTORCYCLES that made it to market?
Motorcycle manufacturers made some strange experiments as they looked for new customers or that novel idea that would create a new type of machine. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer go down a list of odd and wonderful machines that made it to the market--sometimes not for very long. Did you know about the two-wheel-drive dirtbike? The cruiser with the fabulously expensive front suspension? What's a Monotracer? Watch now and join us on this oddball journey.
GOING IT ALONE: When Kenny Roberts Quit Yamaha and Built his own MotoGP bikes FROM SCRATCH
What causes a world championship-winning rider/team owner to quit the factory racing world and build his own engines and chassis? FREEDOM! Kenny Roberts took the considerable talent of his Yamaha factory team and forged ahead alone, first with the Modenas KR3 and then the Proton KR5. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the development of these bikes, and manage to get a few other Alternative Engines in such as the Aprilia Cube three cylinder. Listen now!
SUZUKI in GRAND PRIX racing! Sheene, Schwantz, Gammas, the Suzuki Amazing GP Journey.
Suzuki found early Grand Prix success with two-strokes in the early 1960s and it bloomed into 500cc championships in the '70s, '80s, and '90s and 2000s with riders like Scheene, Uncini, Lucchinelli, Schwantz and Roberts. Suzuki even scored one in MotoGP's four-stroke era. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor Mark Hoyer talk about Suzuki's early days in GP racing and the Hamamatsu company's rise to the top.
Inside Legendary Honda V-4!
Honda's VF750F arrived in 1982 with is square-tube steel frame that elevated the motorcycling handling game to new heights and launched a production V-4 dynasty at Honda. AMA Superbike championships followed as did many remarkable motorcycles including VF1000R, RC30, RC45, VFR750, 800, and 1200, plus the amazingly exotic oval-piston NR750. Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer discuss the origins of the V-4 and its successes and failures.
The Unlikely Success of Triumph's Modern Rebirth!
Triumph died along with the British motorcycle industry in the 1970s, with last-gasps into the 1980s. Then John Bloor came along and breathed new life into the storied British brand. And it wasn't some half-hearted retro effort, the company jumped right into modern motorcycles. Now, the company is a Moto2 engine supplier, has a full high-performance retro line, a collection of sporting streetbikes and the world's largest-displacement cruiser. It's even making 450 and 250cc motocrossers! Technical Editor Kevin Cameron and Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer talk about the resurgence and evolution of Triumph from the 1990s to the present.