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Cycle World’s check riders are praising Moto Guzzi’s new “Mandello” for by some means combining agile responsiveness with tour-capable consolation. Its all-new liquid-cooled compact-block engine preserves the traditional Guzzi look, meets Euro 5, and makes 115 hp at 8,700 rpm. It delivers a broad “haystack” torque curve peaking at 77.5 lb.-ft. at 6,750 and having 82 p.c of that most accessible from 3,500. Guzzi tells us Mandello is sporty however comfy, of daring character, and wealthy in torque. Curb weight is given as 514 kilos.
In our two-wheeled world there are a couple of traditional designs that stay so common with riders that they can’t be deserted. Amongst these are BMW’s flat twins, Harley’s air-cooled V-twins, and Guzzi’s longitudinal-crank 90-degree V-twin.
We’ve come to anticipate these producers to use cooling and emissions Band-Aids to such designs to allow their gross sales to proceed. Harley and BMW have notably added “strategic cooling” to them within the type of liquid coolant circulated round or close to essential scorching elements corresponding to exhaust valves.
In the meantime there stays the query of when to take motion on the supposedly inevitable combustion-to-electric transition. On the one hand, first movers probably achieve a bonus—as has been attributed to Tesla within the auto world. On the opposite, as we’ve seen with Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electrical, being “early” may frighten your loyal buyer base so badly that your inventory nosedives and your high administration needs to be changed.
One more query—relating to which nobody dares current any forecast—is that this: Will the motorbike market in the future simply begin shopping for electrics as they’re introduced in showrooms, as if the query—combustion or electrical—have been only a element? Or will the electrics act available on the market as a complete as LiveWire acted on Harley’s inventory value?
I’m due to this fact fascinated to see that Guzzi has taken the step of cleverly and basically upgrading its signature engine structure with the all-new liquid-cooled V100 Mandello. Given Harley’s expertise with LiveWire, might Guzzi responsibly have acted in any other case?
By taking this step, Guzzi expresses confidence that gross sales of this comprehensively modernized engine and the ingenious motorbike into which it’s built-in is not going to solely cowl its R&D and tooling value, however will proceed as a market earner into the foreseeable future. That is confidence that bikes will stay good enterprise.
Within the design of this bike Guzzi has addressed long-standing issues in addition to offering a recent technical foundation for assembly requirements past Euro 5. Engines with cylinders disposed to the aspect probably conflict with rider foot and lower-leg placement. The brand new engine (itself simply over 4 inches shorter than the V85 TT small block) is moved forward plus tilted ahead by 5 levels. This extends Its swingarm size to a contemporary 22-3/4 inches, pivoting on the gearbox simply as did that of Guzzi’s fabled 500 V-8 roadracer. Nothing initiatives from the entrance of the engine—if it have been set on its nostril, nothing would challenge past the entrance faces of the cylinders. The 550W everlasting magnet alternator is now behind the cylinders.
Guzzi could be very clear that this engine is a one hundred pc departure: It “…doesn’t share even one element with earlier engines inbuilt Mandello.”
Offering extra room, not just for the rider however for a contemporary, high-performance consumption system, the cylinders have been rotated 90 levels, inserting the consumption system and its 52mm throttle our bodies within the cylinder Vee with the exhaust ports dealing with down.
Taking a look at a bit drawing of the top, we see that it is a DOHC four-valve with the totally fashionable valve included angle of 25 levels and bore and stroke of 96 by 72mm equaling 1,042cc (63.6ci). Pistons are basically flat-topped. Within the traditional Nineteen Eighties period of US Battle of the Twins racing, John Wittner introduced an early 4V Guzzi V-twin into being, however 4 valves make poor companions with air-cooling. Why? The cylinder head metallic between the 2 exhaust-valve seats and ports, being heated from each side, is so arduous to chill with air that such designs should take measures to keep away from head cracking. One is to find two undersized exhaust valves as far aside as doable (offering extra metallic between to behave as a warmth conduit) or to make a bimetallic head with all valves seated in a troublesome bronze or austenitic iron “cranium” onto which the remainder of the top is forged.
Why is liquid-cooling mandatory now? Not solely can liquid-cooling make 4 valves routinely dependable (as in our world’s hundreds of thousands of 4V auto and truck engines) however by enabling fast, managed warmup and constant-temperature operation in all circumstances, liquid-cooling ensures maximal gasoline evaporation on a regular basis. The temperature of air-cooled engines goes up and down with the climate, so when the air is cool or chilly, lower than one hundred pc gasoline evaporation takes place. Unevaporated gasoline turns into unburned hydrocarbons (UHC) within the exhaust.
Additionally, liquid-cooling places an finish to oil-polymerizing excessive cylinder wall and piston-ring groove temperatures. Traditional air-cooled engines find their high piston ring farther down the piston, in hope that being farther from the warmth will decrease ring groove temperature sufficient to fend off ring sticking. However inserting the rings decrease will increase the ring crevice quantity into which the compression stroke pushes unburned fuel-air combination. That combination is held there by combustion strain till the exhaust valve(s) open, and solely then can it start to emerge—nonetheless unburned—to turn out to be UHC within the exhaust pipe. With liquid-cooling, piston temperature is decreased, so piston rings could be situated increased, decreasing crevice quantity and UHC emissions from it.
Whereas Guzzi was giving this engine DOHC by way of three hydraulically tensioned chains, it additionally gave it finger followers in pure racing model. Why? In a racing utility, engineers know {that a} finger follower can save 75 to 85 p.c of the burden of a traditional cylindrical inverted-bucket tappet. That lighter weight interprets to dependable valve prepare operation at increased revs in order to make extra energy.
Superior options corresponding to these can have functions apart from success as a World Superbike homologation particular. Guzzi adopted finger followers as a result of they’ll additionally allow use of fast-lifting however shorter-duration cam profiles that may make energy with out the same old valve overlap that results in lack of recent cost out the exhaust pipe. The lighter the valve prepare, the better it’s to make dependable at quick length and excessive raise. Guzzi hints at this in its press launch, saying finger followers enable “….extra aggressive valve raise” that “makes for splendid combustion by eliminating any gasoline waste.”
Valve overlap is that interval, centered on TDC on the finish of the exhaust stroke, throughout which the consumption valve(s) have begun to raise however the exhaust(s) haven’t but closed. Extra overlap can increase energy by beginning the consumption course of early, however there’s the hazard that getting into recent cost could partially move out the exhaust, thereby changing into UHC.
Two traits lengthy inherent in Guzzi’s V-twins are 1) fast engine acceleration causes some roll response by the bike, and a couple of) the outdated downside of the rear of the bike rising and falling because the throttle is opened and closed. (Some name this “pinion climb.”) Each have been alleviated by design modifications. Within the new design, a smaller, lighter crankshaft drives a counter-rotating shaft carrying some mass that in flip drives the alternator. The truth that engine acceleration torque is now exerted in these reverse instructions causes the roll response to lower as a lot as 50 p.c as in contrast with the 1,200cc 8V.
Engine torque response was very acquainted to Navy service pilots within the piston engine period. If the tailhook failed to select up a wire throughout an tried arrested touchdown, the pilot needed to firewall the throttle to make a go-round. Props on American plane rotated to the suitable (as seen by the pilot) so the roll response turned the plane to the left, away from the island. However British engines turned the alternative method, probably inflicting the accelerating plane to veer towards the island. Pilots have so much to consider. On the finish of that period, experiments have been simply starting with contrarotating props that decreased torque response to zero.
Rear suspension rise and fall is decreased in Mandello by the elevated swingarm size, which places the raise pressure on the finish of an extended lever.
The Mandello’s consumption, exhaust, and combustion processes have been designed by 3D pc fluid dynamics (CFD). This may enable the designer to set objectives for the method being studied, after which let the pc simulation cycle a whole bunch of instances, making small design modifications every time, to converge on a finest resolution. As as soon as noticed by the late Keith Duckworth (whose flat-chambered 4V “Cosworth DFV” F1 engine is the grandfather of recent follow), maximizing airflow by way of move bench research is barely a starting. The actual downside is then to burn the cost within the cylinder quickly (to attenuate warmth loss) and utterly (to comprehend full vitality from the gasoline).
Duckworth reached a brand new stage of understanding in 1967 via expertise and experimentation, however that data has now been “canned” within the type of pc recursive simulation software program.
Testifying to Guzzi’s success in attaining fast combustion is that this engine’s excessive 12.6-to-1 compression ratio in a big 96mm bore. Such a big bore requires glorious combustion whether it is to keep away from the irregular type of combustion generally known as detonation or “knock.” Elevating compression ratio will increase engine torque in any respect rpm.
As usually occurs when an outdated design is reimagined, elements discover new and extra acceptable locations for themselves. The flat-fronted engine could be each farther ahead than earlier than and present room for the coolant radiator. The location of the consumption system within the cylinder Vee permits the consumption airbox to be positioned instantly above it. As you would possibly anticipate, gasoline displaced by this airbox has been pushed again underneath the rider’s seat. Tank capability is 4.9 gallons. The adoption of liquid-cooling signifies that the exhaust ports want not face the wind.
With the forged aluminum single-sided swingarm pivoting on the gearbox and the engine changing into a structural component, the tubular metal chassis devolves right into a easy “bracket” attaching at six factors to the engine and carrying the steering head on the entrance and the rider/passenger to the rear. Steering geometry is just not touring-slow at 24.7 levels rake and 104mm (4.1 inches) path.
This engine’s six-speed gearbox is for the primary time capable of make use of an up/down quickshifter. It is a ride-by-wire engine and clutch diameter (and due to this fact its rotational inertia) has been decreased by switching to a moist, multiplate clutch.
By angling the Mandello’s drive shaft inward at 6 levels from rear wheel to gearbox, there’s each width on the rear for the vast 190/55-17 rear tire (on a 6-inch rim) and rider-accommodating, decreased width in the course of the bike. There are mechanical torsional dampers within the driveline and a rubber damper on the drive shaft itself. Their job is to transform the robust torque pulses from massive cylinders right into a easy supply of energy to the rear wheel.
The engine has wet-sump lubrication by the same old trochoid pump, and the one communication between the flat sump and crankcase is by way of a reed valve. This positively prevents oil slosh within the shallow sump from hitting the spinning crank throughout vigorous maneuvering.
I’ve not mentioned suspension (Öhlins semi-active on Mandello S) or Guzzi’s adoption of a six-axis inertial platform, cornering ABS, the heated grips, or the adaptive aero mentioned to cut back rider wind strain by 22 p.c. Why not? I think of us would love a breather after penetrating the engine-centered textual content above.
Mandello is a brand new starting for Guzzi in an engine and chassis system that may serve many fashions and using disciplines. Mandello is an built-in design, a recent begin within the fashionable method.
