Car & Bike Talk

[Rev.Cambeul]

Bathurst: Australia - An American from Illinois Watches a Vintage Car Race

XY GTHO SuperRoo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sVpRWsXKBQ

[Rev.Cambeul]

Must be a cow to ride - but cool!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thA18uQ1dzk

[G.L.R.]

[Rev.Cambeul]

When I build my 'cycle, I want to have optional tanks. Why not? Different sizes are good. Large for long rides, small for around town. Why not a different design? I typically like just plain flat black, but why not flames?

I like this design. My father had it on his helmet and some former club members of Mandamas MC (look at my personal gallery) have similar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-22r50SCcs

[Rev.Cambeul]

The first Cycle (pronounced SICKel) Movie
Marlon Brando with Lee Marvin as The Wild One

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ecd8VVJJlY

Real bikers copied Lee Marvin's character, which was based on a real biker of the time, Wino Willy of the Booze Fighters. They exist today and Terminator 2 is a proud member.

[N567]

I've got a question: What is a supercharger supposed to do? Is it meant to make takeoff faster? Or just add to the top speed?

The supercharger uses some of the power from the engine to run a compressor that increases the amount of fuel and air pumped into the combustion chamber, increasing the power output and power-to-weight ratio of the engine. It was invented by British inventor Dugald Clerk in 1878.

Then in 1918, American inventor Sanford Alexander Moss invents the turbocharger which uses the exhaust of the engine to drive a turbine that runs the turbo-compressor to put more fuel and air into the engine. He also invented the intercooler which uses the engine cooling system to cool the fuel/air mixture before sending it into the combustion chamber so that it does not auto-ignite during the compression stroke due to overheating and cause engine knocking because that is what happens when too much fuel and air is compressed in the combustion chamber at once.

In 1935, Howard Hughes invents the multi-row supercharged radial engine for his other invention, the H-1 Racer, the world's 1st streamlined high altitude aircraft which has his other new inventions, the streamlined engine cowl, canopy, elliptical wing, wing curve, unbraced wings, stressed-skin metal covering, flush rivets, flush joints, butt joined aircraft skins, retractable landing gear, retractable tail skid, pressurized cabin, oxygen mask, oxygen scrubber, and the auxiliary engine air cooling jet thrust system which allows air to enter the engine to absorb its heat, pressurizing the air before it exits into a tail pipe, producing extra thrust and increasing the fuel efficiency and speed of the vehicle. This gives the H-1 Racer a top speed of 567km/h, making it the fastest land plane at the time of its invention, a top altitude of 10km, making it the highest flying plane at the time, and a range of 4,509km, making it the plane with the greatest endurance. Because of all of this, Howard Hughes is able to make the world's 1st high altitude flight in 1937, crossing the whole length of the USA in just 7 hours, 28 minutes, and 25 seconds.

Then, in 1941, British inventor Eddie Gass invents the turbo-compound engine that uses the waste heat of the air that goes into the engine and the pressure and heat of the exhaust gas to drive a blow down turbine that recovers the wasted energy and generates extra power. This gives the engine efficiencies of up to 59% compared to 46% for conventional engines, giving it a 28% increase in efficiency, power output, and power-to-weight ratio. This engine is used for airplanes since they do not suffer the problem of turbo lag because they travel at a constant speed when they are in the air as opposed to cars which have to constantly speed up and slow down when there are red lights, traffic jams, or obstructions.

In 1943, Howard Hughes invents the radial turbo-compound engine for his other invention the Constellation, the 1st high altitude passenger plane to have a pressurized cabin, oxygen masks, and oxygen scrubbers. The radial engine is even more efficient because it uses no liquid cooling system since it is air-cooled, which makes it lighter, use less fuel because power does not have to be diverted to a cooling system pump, and lower maintenance because a liquid cooling system requires the coolant to be refilled and the radiator fixed or replaced when it gets damaged. This gives the Constellation a record setting top speed of 607km/h.

Because of the use of turbo-compound engines, and the other innovations of Howard Hughes, the North American P-51 Mustang NA-105 fighter plane is the fastest one used in World War 2, with a top speed of 790km/h, it also has the greatest altitude at 12.8km, and the greatest range at 2,660km, making it such a great fighter that 15,000 were produced. The Mustang was also used as a dive bomber and dropped guided bombs, invented by Adolphe Kegresse in 1939. It was also equipped with chain guns that used motorized bullet feeds, bullet feed chutes, and flexible ammunition belts to double the firing rate and cut down on jamming, all of which were invented by Howard Hughes in 1941.

By comparison, the fastest German fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 209 could only reach 755km/h, at an altitude of 11km, and a range of 616km, and its use of a very powerful engine just to reach that speed without the use of streamlining and waste heat recycling made the engine prone to overheating which required cooling systems to occupy space in the wings which could have been used to store fuel and ammunition, this is also why its range is much lower than the Mustang P-51 NA-105, so only 4 of these were produced. The lack of high altitude breathing systems also meant that the pilots could not stay at high altitude for long periods of time, making it harder to engage the American planes which can stay at high altitudes.

The fastest German fighter that was produced in great numbers, with 34,248 being made, was the Messerschmitt Bf 109 which only had a top speed of 642km/h, an altitude of 12km, which it could not maintain because of the lack of high altitude breathing systems, and a range of only 1,012km.

Though the Germans invented an experimental rocket powered fighter plane called the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, which could reach 1,130km/h, it was not widely produced, with only 370 being made, because rockets do not operate efficiently in an atmosphere which causes them to burn up fuel too quickly because the atmospheric pressure resists the flow of the exhaust gas that produces thrust. This design also did not incorporate the improvements to rocket engine technology invented by Robert Goddard in the USA in 1919, such as the rocket nozzle, separate combustion chamber for rockets, helium generated pressure tank, rocket engine turbopump, rocket engine intercooler, 3-axis control, and vectored thrust. This reduced the engine's fuel efficiency even further which meant that the plane could only stay in the air for 7.5 minutes, giving it a range of only 141km. Its high altitude of 12km was also useless because the lack of high altitude breathing systems meant that the pilot could only stay at that altitude for a few minutes before losing consciousness due to oxygen deprivation.

The Germans also invented an experimental jet fighter called the Messerschmitt Me 262, which could reach 1,004km/h, and it was also not widely produced, with only 1,400 being made, because the jet engines on the plane had a tendency to stall or overheat because the materials used to make the compressor, shaft, turbine, and casing was steel which was not strong enough to withstand the pressures and temperatures generated by the engine. The engine was also inefficient because the damage inflicted on its steel components when operating caused it to perform poorly, limiting the range of the aircraft to 1,050km. Its high altitude of 11.45km was also useless because the lack of high altitude breathing systems meant that the pilot could only stay at that altitude for a few minutes before losing consciousness due to oxygen deprivation. This plane also lacked dive brakes which meant that it could not slow down as it approached the target, making it difficult to shoot enemy planes down.

It was not until 1948 that jet aircraft would enter widespread use, starting with the passenger turboprop invented by British inventor Rex Pierson because the engines of this aircraft used nickel-ceramic alloy, also invented by Rex Pierson, which is a much stronger material than steel and can withstand the pressures and temperatures generated by a jet engine, making these engines more durable and efficient.

The fastest Japanese fighter that was produced in great numbers, with 3,514 being made, was the Nakajima Ki-84 which only had a top speed of 687km/h, an altitude of 11.8km, which it could not maintain because of the lack of high altitude breathing systems, and a range of only 2,168km.

Additionally, the drop tanks that made long range flights for fighters possible was invented in Selfridge Air National Guard Base in March 5, 1923:

https://www.127wg.ang.af.mil/Media/Articles/Article-Display/Article/865880/selfridge-angb-home-of-the-drop-tank/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_tank#History

Aerial Refueling was also invented by Alexander P. de Seversky in 1923 for the US Army Air Service:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_refueling#Early_experiments

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In the touring bike category which is the class of bikes designed to go on long range drives on highways, the Harley Electra Glide Standard is the most fuel efficient, with a fuel economy of 19km/l, a range of 320km, and a top speed of 193km/h.

Source: https://www.slashgear.com/1409149/motorcycles-2023-most-fuel-efficient/