Hi Jeff,
Not so wide..... Consider, 62mm bore, 73mm stroke, cylinder center-to-center of 72mm, allowing for 10mm between bores - more than adequate - and a further 30mm at each side, this gives a total width of 410mm, about the same as the current Suzuki and Honda 1200/Fireblade.
The smaller bore, with water cooling, enables intercylinder temps to be kept well under control, and the undersquare cylinder dimension of 62/73 gives you 1102 ccs from five pots, large enough with 8lbs of boost to deliver about 80 very smooth and ultratorquey HP. This is a similar output to the Valkyrie, with its imposing but bulky 1832cc flat six. You would use a 4V head, double cams, with five head studs per cylinder (like a Chevy 350CID), and gun for a maximum engine speed of about 5,500, no more as diesels don't like to rev. The long stroke allows very tall gearing, with fuel economy easily topping 90mpg at 55mph running 2,500rpm.
Not too sure about electric bikes just yet. The problem is battery technology. You need lead acids weighing 2800 kgs to store the same energy as 20 litres of gasoline. This ain't too favorable, and hybrids are the only option. I don't know about you, but I have a problem with single cylinder MC engines; just not enough smoothness and very agricultural. Even Honda's VTX1800 with its two outrageous 900cc cylinders and balance shaft technology to defy Isaac Newton still rattles and bangs and feels, well, unrefined. I rode one, and while it performs like a Pershing missile on the tarmac, when pressing on was rough and felt a little crude.
Sorry, I digress....... Back to the GK-1R metalwork!
Cheers,
Hugh
