No Valves, No Heads

This new concept, developed by a Polish engineer, Andrew Feliks eliminates the most complicated mechanism in the combustion engine: the head and valve train.
The idea is to replace the camshaft with a crankshaft and replace the valves with pistons. Making it new yet very simple four stroke engine.

In this invention, the piston with compressions rings slides in a cylinder which has a side port. A pair of these pistons and cylinders replaces the intake and exhaust valve.

As the principal crankshaft rotates twice, the timing piston assembly crankshaft turns only once - similar to a camshaft in traditional teaming gear. The set of "pistons valves" doesn't have the disadvantages of traditional valves such as clearance tolerance. The lubrication system is not a problem - it is a normal engine turned "upside-down".

So what is so good about this? Needless to say, eliminate the need of valve adjustment, supposedly have more efficient and less-pollution.

I am no engineer, but anything that makes less-pollution and more power is always welcome on my world.

For more info,

visit: New 4stroke

Also mechanically inclined folks at Go Fast News talked about this in details.

Paths of Hate

I always liked fighters with reciprocating engine. I think it is similar to motorcycles. Jet plane don't do it for me. This is a short animation film directed by Damian Nenow, and produced by Platige Image. I love the art work.



The (translated) synopsis of the short from their website:

A tendency to blind hatred, a peculiar amok or a destructive fury lead to total destruction in the end. Neither the scale nor the ideology matters. It doesn't matter whether it's about two people or a million people. Human life lasts only a second. Future generations get no more than scars - bloody traces, paths of hate...

Platige Image is a Polish production house perhaps best known in the States known for their work on Lars Von Trier's Antichrist. Hope to get to see English version or subtitled of whole film someday.

Sokol 1000cc M111

Also known as a CWS M111. Always referred to as "designed" and produced in Poland However it was obvious copy of US bikes. Frame and running gear - visibly the Castle-style forks were direct copies of Harley items...while the engine was an out-and-out copy of an Indian.

It was made mainly for the army which wanted heavy, reliable, home motorcycles - no matter how expensive to build they would be. The bike was perfect - no mater how tough the road (or off-road) was. Starting cold bike at -40°C ( It is also -40°F) was NOT difficult. By using special injector you pumped some fuel to both cylinders (through special valves) what helped you start the engine.

Only 5% or so of parts were imported, and Sokols were turned out to be very reliable motorcycles, more so than the original Harleys - but it was expensive-as much as the price of a period car. Just like Harleys or Harley clones now.