Honda RCV MotosportThe engine is the heaviest component in a motorcycle, and due to a motorcycle's relatively low overall weight and size, the engine's location and orientation has profound effects on the balance, dimensions, and ergonomics. If a motorcycle designer changes the engine type or positioning or other aspect, changes in nearly every other major parameter of the motorcycle's design will usually be necessary.
The great majority of the world's motorcycles are manufactured and ridden outside of the wealthy, developed nations where these brands are active. For the rest of the world, the single-cylinder engine is the norm, some four-strokes but also a great many two-strokes. For hundreds of millions of people in China, India, Southeast Asia and Africa, whose need is the least expensive motorized transportation, the single offers a balanced compromise of low price, power-to-weight ratio, fuel efficiency, ease of maintenance, and ease of manufacture.
The great majority of the world's motorcycles are manufactured and ridden outside of the wealthy, developed nations where these brands are active. For the rest of the world, the single-cylinder engine is the norm, some four-strokes but also a great many two-strokes. For hundreds of millions of people in China, India, Southeast Asia and Africa, whose need is the least expensive motorized transportation, the single offers a balanced compromise of low price, power-to-weight ratio, fuel efficiency, ease of maintenance, and ease of manufacture.
