first edition Hardcover
1986 · Pitlake, Croydon, England
by Willoughby, Vic
Pitlake, Croydon, England: Motor Racing Publications Ltd.. Near Fine in Very Good+ dj. 1986. First Edition. Hardcover. 0947981101 . [light shelfwear to bottom edge, otherwise a nice clean copy; jacket has some minor wrinkling along top edge, faint rubbing/soiling]. (B&W photographs, diagrams) Compilation of some of the "more stimulating" analyses of motorcycle engines published over the course of the author's long career as a writer and editor for a popular motorcycle journal -- not simply reprints but, as he explains, "rewritten and expanded in the light of hindsight, subsequent engineering developments, and, in many cases, further interviews with the original designers and development engineers." The selection was made to reappraise "designs of outstanding merit, engines which in various ways have provided milestones in motorcycle engineering." Covered are: the last Rudge Ulster; DKW three-cylinder racer; Mark 8 KTT Velocette; Postwar Vincent Rapide; 500cc Speedway JAP; Works BMW flat-twin; NSU Rennmax twin; Moto Guzzi flat-single; MZ disc-valve single; Pushrod Jawa Eso; 125cc desmodromic Ducati; Outside-flywheel Norton; Honda CB450 twin; 250cc Royal Enfield GP5; Twin-camshaft Bandit/Fury; Six-cylinder Honda CBX; Prototype NSU Wankel; Moto Morino 3-1/2; Kawasaki Z1300 six; Suzuki RG500 square-four. . (Inventory #: 14154)