How to choose a used Japanese motorcycle? Step-by-step instruction

Choosing a motorcycle type

First of all, you need to decide in what conditions the motorcycle will be used. This will determine the most suitable variety.

The classification of motorcycles is broader than that given below. We will consider only those categories among which it is advisable to make a choice depending on the intended purpose.

City driving. Classic

An ideal option for city trips are classic and neoclassical motorcycles. This variety is the most common on sale and has a relatively low cost.

Neoclassics are motorcycles with the same classic structure, but with a modern design. Functionally, there is no fundamental difference between these two subspecies.

Classic motorcycle configuration (pictured: Honda CB1100)

Long trips. Tourer

For those who like to travel on a motorcycle from city to city, a tourer-type model is suitable. This variety is distinguished by a spacious trunk in which you can keep the things you need for a trip, and a comfortable seat in which it is convenient to sit for a long time.

Pay attention to the comfortable seat and spacious case of the tourer (pictured: Yamaha V Star 950 Tourer)

Speed ​​driving. Sportbike

Sports motorcycles are distinguished by several key features:

• low driver position,
• high maximum speed,
• short passes.

An ideal option for those who want to “drive a motorcycle.” It’s not very comfortable for long trips due to the specific seating position that relies on your hands, which makes you tired after an hour of driving (or even earlier).

Sportbike with a predatory face – Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636

Motorcycle trips. Enduro

Enduro-type motorcycles allow you to turn off the road into the forest or mountains without fear for the condition of the “iron horse”. This is especially valuable considering that almost the entire road system in Russia creates conditions more suitable for SUVs than for conventional vehicles.

Enduros are ideal for motorcycle trekking and cross-country riding.

The specific shape of enduro motorcycles cannot be confused with anything (pictured is a Yamaha WR250)

Once again, clearly:

Strange engines: eight cylinders transversely, 12 in a row and many others

Modern automakers do not particularly spoil us with a variety of engines. In-line “fours”, “sixes”, V6 and V8 - this is the main set of our time. But very original configurations have been encountered in world history! We’ll talk about them today at Drome.

In our time of total unification, modular designs, common platforms, downsizing and strict environmental standards, automakers - especially in the mass segments - usually have no choice: only a four- or even three-cylinder engine. These are the realities, these are the layouts, this is, whatever one may say, the near future. “Americans”, SUVs and premium cars still use more “serious” configurations - V6, V8, L6 - but this, apparently, is not for long: the example of Volvo immediately comes to mind, all of whose engines - both gasoline and diesel - have four cylinders and 2.0 liters of volume. Not so long ago, BMW and Mercedes-Benz engineers announced that the V12 configuration would be retained in the name of status and image. And now these German companies no longer have such engines. Now 12-cylinders are the prerogative of sports cars and real “luxury” cars like Bentley.

But this was not always the case, and many still remember those glorious times when normal displacement and the “correct” configuration were held in high esteem. Nowadays you won’t even find such “prose” as transversely located in-line “fives” and “sixes”. You probably remember the Audi or Volvo models, as well as the Chevrolet Epica, but did you know about the Bugatti with a transverse (!) inline 8-cylinder engine? Today we will look a little further and deeper, remember which cars had the strangest engines for the first time, and even give some examples from the very recent past.

Straight-Eight (1919)

Configuration - inline 8-cylinder Manufacturers: Isotta Fraschini, Bugatti, Leyland Motors, Duesenberg

Iisotta Fraschini Tipo 8A Roadster, Bugatti Type 41 Royale Coupe De Ville and Bugatti Type 251 Grand Prix

It's no secret that a number of car engine configurations come from the airline industry. The inline 8-cylinder engine - usually quite powerful and long - was ideal for airplanes with their cigar-shaped shape. The first car for which such an engine was adapted was the Isotta Fraschini Tipo 8A in 1919. A year later, this configuration was tried by Leyland Motors, but the design was most loved by Bugatti (in Europe) and Duesenberg in the States. In the middle photo is one of the most beautiful cars in history - a gigantic (6.2 m in length, 1.65 m - the “extent” of the hood) Bugatti 41 Royale Coupe with a 12.8 liter engine that produced 275 hp . and as much as 785 Nm of torque! The craftsmen from Bugatti also had the idea to “stick” an 8-cylinder “in-line” across the body of the Type 251 racing model, which, with a volume of only 2.5 liters, “spun” up to 9000 rpm and developed 250 hp. As far as we know, the solution is unique to this day. Much later, one little-known Italian company came up with the idea of ​​placing a V16 engine transversely, but more on that later...

Straight-Twelve (1920)

Configuration - inline 12-cylinder Manufacturers: Corona, Packard

Packard Straight 12

It would seem that it was already much longer than the hood of the same Bugatti 41 Royale Coupe, but, apparently, not everyone at that time read Freud, so just a year later - in 1920 - the monstrous idea of ​​building an in-line 12-cylinder unit. Such a power unit with a volume of 7238 cm³ was even assembled, but the cost of its production was prohibitive, and the length did not allow installation in any of the existing cars. A little later, the Packard company built a single copy of a long limousine with a Straight-Twelve engine configuration, which, according to legend, was driven by one of the members of the Packard family until he died in 1929, and the masterpiece was simply sold for scrap.

W12 (1927)

Configuration - W-twin 12-cylinder Manufacturers: Bentley, Napier Lion, Audi, Volkswagen

Napier Campbell Bluebird II and Bentley Flying Spur

Even in modern history there are cars with a W12 engine under the hood. For example, some VW Group models, in particular the luxury Bentley Flying Spur. But it all started much earlier, back in 1927, when competitions to win the absolute speed record on land were just beginning. Some of their active participants were John Cobb and Malcolm Campbell. The latter came up with the idea of ​​adapting the Napier Lion W12 aircraft compressor engine for the Bluebird racing model to compete with Sunbeam. That 24.0-liter (!) unit developed 875 horsepower, and on February 19, 1928, Campbell set a new record of 333 km/h, which, however, lasted only a couple of months. Subsequently, the W12 design was forgotten for a long time and was remembered only in 1990, when Life began installing similar 3.5-liter engines on its F35 racing cars, which were considered one of the most unsuccessful in F1. Well, in 1991, the Audi Avus concept appeared with an engine of this configuration, which then went to wander around the VW Group.

V16 (1929)

Configuration - V-shaped 16-cylinder Manufacturers: Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Auto Union, BRM, Cizeta

Maserati Tipo V4 Sport Spider, Auto Union Typ C V16 Streamliner and Cizetta Moroder V16T

The V16 configuration engine first appeared on the sports Maserati Tipo V4 back in 1929, and the Italians were immediately followed by the American company Cord, which is known for its innovative solutions, in particular, the first car with front-wheel drive (L29). Almost at the same time, Alfa Romeo decided to use the Maserati engine in its racing project Tipo 162 (3.0 l, 490 hp), and the most powerful sports car of the 1930s became the Auto Union Typ C with a 520-horsepower V16 engine with two compressors, which were developed for them at Porsche. After the Second World War, the V16 configuration, with a volume of only 1.5 liters, was found in BRM racing formulas, and in 1989 the ingenious and beautiful supercar Cizeta Moroder appeared with a design by the great Marcello Gandini. Its V16 engine (6.0 l, 560 hp) was located transversely! Until 1995, only eight of these cars were produced.

12 Boxer (1949)

Configuration - flat 12-cylinder Manufacturers: Cisitalia, Porsche, Ferrari

Porsche Cisitalia Type 360, Porsche 917 and Ferrari 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer

Porsche is still one of the few (Japanese Subaru comes to mind) that dabbles with boxer engines, and then only in the sports models Boxster, Cayman and 911. Therefore, it is not surprising that the exotic V12 configuration with a camber angle of 180 °, otherwise speaking, the 12-cylinder boxer engine is the work of the same guys from Stuttgart, but it dates back to 1949, when Ferdinand Porsche proposed such an engine with a displacement of only 1.5 liters (!) for the Cisitalia roadster. The engine revs to an impressive 10,600 rpm and produces 385 hp, which would allow the Cisitalia to reach 300 km/h. But the car never made it to the start of the Grand Prix, and the next engine of a similar configuration appeared only in 1964 in Ferrari formulas. But in 1967, again, the Porsche 917 won Le Mans. And yet, the first road car with a 12-cylinder boxer engine was again Ferrari - the 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer in 1973. In just 11 years, 387 of these machines were produced.

H16 (1966)

Configuration - two 8-cylinder boxer engines on top of each other Manufacturers: BRM, Lotus

Lotus 43

Well, now there’s a configuration that I’m sure not many people have heard of. However, this is not surprising, because this is a purely sporty and unique development that appeared half a century ago. What is H16? These are, in fact, two 8-cylinder boxer engines placed like a “sandwich” on top of each other. Who is the author of this unusual idea? This is the company BRM (British Racing Motor), which came up with such an original solution in response to the transition of the Formula 1 racing series to 3.0-liter regulations in 1966. Despite the fact that the engine was extremely heavy due to the presence of two crankshafts, Jim Clark managed to drive his Lotus 43, equipped with this H16, to victory at the ’66 US Grand Prix. But the idea did not live long, and soon BRM and Lotus returned to the more traditional V12 in those years.

8 Boxer (1968)

Configuration - flat-8 Manufacturer: Porsche

Porsche 908

Again a boxer engine, but this time an 8-cylinder, and again from Porsche, but of the 1968 model. It was that year that new regulations with 3.0-liter engines came into force, and Porsche immediately created a racing model 908, on which a unit of a very unusual configuration was installed. It must be said that in the first year this engine often moped and was constantly being improved. But already in 1969 it reached its peak in terms of power (350 hp) and reliability, which allowed Porsche to win the team championship for three years in a row.

V10 (1992)

Configuration - V-shaped 10-cylinder Manufacturers: Dodge, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Lamborghini, Lexus

Dodge Viper RT10, BMW M5 and Lamborghini Gallardo Spider

The V10 configuration is completely unpopular among automakers due to its length and massiveness. But in 1992, the Americans from Dodge introduced the Viper supercar to the market, equipped with just such an engine with a monstrous volume of 8.0 liters and a power of 406 hp. Subsequently, on new Vipers, this unit was repeatedly modernized, and in the latest generation of the model it already developed 640 hp. (8.4 l). Until 2005, no one was interested in the V10 anymore, when suddenly in 2005 BMW introduced a new generation of the M5 sedan (E60) with a 507-horsepower 5.0-liter V10. And off we go. A little later, this configuration was adopted by the VW Group and produced a whole scattering of both sports (Lamborghini Gallardo, Audi R8) and quite utilitarian (VW Touareg V10 TDI) cars with such engines. Another example from the recent past is the exclusive supercar from Lexus - LF-A.

W16 (1995)

Configuration - W-shaped 16-cylinder Manufacturers: Jimenez, Bugatti

Jimenez Novia and Bugatti Chiron

The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning the W16 engine configuration is, of course, the 1000-horsepower Bugatti Veyron, which appeared in 2003, as well as the 1500-horsepower hypercar that followed in 2007 with an 8.0-liter turbocharged 64 ( !)-valve engine under the “hood”. These very bright and fast cars of our time will certainly leave their mark on the history of the automotive industry and will become real treasures for collectors. But... for the first time the W16 engine did not appear on Bugatti. The author of this unique idea was the French engineer Ramon Jimenez, who back in 1995 implemented the project of the Jimenez Novia supercar, which used the W16 as a power plant. Where? It's simple: Jiminez took and combined four liter Yamaha FZR-1000 motorcycle engines into a W16 with two crankshafts and 80 (!) valves, and even installed a double turbocharger, resulting in power reaching 567 hp.

V5 (1997)

Configuration - V-shaped 5-cylinder Manufacturers: Volkswagen, SEAT

Seat Toledo, Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen Bora

Many of you probably still remember this very strange configuration - V5 - because it appeared relatively recently, in 1997, and was sold even in Russia. For some reason, it was in the fourth generation of Golf that Volkswagen came up with the idea of ​​pushing a V5 design with a volume of 2.3 liters (148 hp) between the L4 and V6 engines that already existed at that time. The main advantage of this unit was its compactness and lighter weight compared to a V6, and it was also installed on VW Passat, Bora and Seat Toledo. So this motor remained unique: no one else had ever used such a configuration.

W8 (2001)

Configuration - W-8 cylinder Manufacturer: Volkswagen

Volkswagen Passat W8

This is the last strange configuration in our review, which again belongs to the authorship of the Volkswagen Group: these guys - Audi, Porsche, Bentley and Volkswagen itself for some reason over the past many years have experienced an irresistible urge to create the most unusual layouts. It’s a pity that many of them, due to modern “modularity” and unification, turned out to be dead ends, like this idea with the W8 engine. Let's remember that VW has long had the so-called in-line-biased VR5 and VR6 engines. It was from them, or rather, from two “offcuts” of VR4 with a camber angle of only 15°, connected by one “elbow”, that the W8 appeared (the total camber angle is only 72°). The main advantage of this 4.0-liter unit is its compactness, but with a very average power of 275 hp. The W8 was installed only on the Passat in 2001, and less than 50 thousand of these cars were produced.

Selecting the number of cubes

The next step is to decide on the required number of cubes. You should rely on the following criteria:

• The golden rule of a motorcyclist is to take a motorcycle that you can lift. Weight is directly related to cubic capacity. For example, to service 120-130 kg you need a 250 cc engine, for 160-180 kg - 400-600 cc, for 200-210 - 750 cc, etc.
• The number of cubes directly affects the cost of the motorcycle, so budget is one of the determining factors.
• More experience is required to operate a powerful model. Therefore, beginners take motorcycles with a 250 cc engine. For those who are confident in their abilities, you can take it “for growth.”
• If you have previously only had experience riding Russian motorcycles, when calculating the required cubic capacity, keep in mind that the same cubes of the “Japanese” will be more powerful.

It just so happens that most people associate a chopper with a V-shaped 2-cylinder engine. Such legendary brands as Indian and Harley-Davidson made their contribution to the formation of such an image, and this image has long been firmly entrenched in the minds of bikers. However, there are both fans of boxer choppers made from grandfather's Ural, and supporters of motorcycles with in-line engines - for example, Triumph America with an in-line "two". or Kawasaki Eliminator 400 with “four”. But single-cylinder choppers are often forgotten, and completely undeservedly.

Of course, most single-cylinder motorcycles are intended primarily for beginners, as they have rather modest technical characteristics (we will tactfully keep silent about the evil motocross bikes). Another reason to buy such a model is a limited budget. Well, some are simply attracted by the aesthetics of a single-cylinder chopper... Why not?

BM 200 Classic

Among models with modest engines with just one cylinder, Chinese motorcycles, choppers and more predominate. Chinese manufacturers generally have a habit of installing the same engine on a whole bunch of different models, from “chopper type” to “sportbike type”. A striking example is, for example, the BM 200 Classic, a lightweight chopper with a 200 cc engine, very popular among beginners due to its light weight and affordable price.

But two hundred “cubes” is frankly not enough for more or less experienced motorcyclists who are already starting to lack drive. Of course, choppers are not “adrenaline squeezers” anyway, but, you see, even a chopper can drive very cheerfully. Take a look, for example, at the Yamaha Warrior - under the rear wheel of this bike, the asphalt rolls up, and when starting from a traffic light, it can give odds to many sportbikes and road bikes!

Suzuki Savage 650

Unfortunately for fans of single-cylinder choppers, there is little choice here. You will have to choose either among the aforementioned “Chinese” or among rare models like the Suzuki Savage, which exists in two versions - 400 and 650 cc. see. The latter, by the way, is very interesting - you can find this model in a completely fresh form, because this motorcycle, renamed Suzuki Boulevard S40 at the beginning of this century, lived an abnormally long life on the assembly line.

That's probably all there is to it when it comes to choice. Finally, let us remind fans of direct-flow exhausts that with a single-cylinder engine it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve the solid roar of a volumetric V-twin. The operating speeds of 1-cylinder engines are higher and they work differently, so with an “empty” exhaust the sound will be very loud and, most likely, quite unpleasant to the ear.

Similar articles:

• Engine for chopper
• Cruisers and choppers
• Kawasaki choppers and cruisers
• Chopper for a girl
• Chopper for a beginner
• Big choppers

LiveJournal

Purchase method

There are three main ways to purchase a used motorcycle.

Method number 1. By advertisement

The advantage of the method: you can find a very cheap option.

Disadvantage: there is a high probability of spending the same amount of money on repairs a month later.

Method No. 2. Through an intermediary company

Advantage: everything is done for you - you just come and choose the model you like from the options presented.

Disadvantage: the most expensive method - you have to pay for mediation.

Method number 3. At a Japanese auction

Advantage: the opportunity to purchase a high-quality motorcycle with minimal wear and tear.

Disadvantage: having to wait several months for delivery. The price depends on the exchange rate.

For more information on how to order a car or motorcycle at a Japanese auction, read the article: “Buying a car at an auction in Japan. Step-by-step instruction".