Motorcycle Engines
Ever since Daimler and Maybach built their Reitwagen in 1885, a battle has existed in motorcycle design between form and function, beauty and brawn. A delicate dance with high stakes. Does the riding public desire a machine that looks like a ballerina performing a delicate pirouette while roaring through rough weather? Or perhaps like a chrome sledgehammer, crouched ferociously for battle? And how do we reconcile those desires with the need for solid engineering of the machine as a whole, as well as the engine, and how it integrates into the overall picture?
The answer is a complex execution, no matter what the priorities are. Often, the necessary compromises create an impression of an ordinary machine. But occasionally, the various pieces fit together in swirls and angles that seem to be magical, predestined to become an ethereal statement of purpose and idealism.
Craig spent two years searching for examples of all the finest engines, finding them in likely and the unlikeliest of places. Bike shows, used car lots, the backs of forgotten garages, strapped to the ceiling in an overseas art museum, even filthy back streets, all were willing to give up their charges for the sake of an evocative image.
To those who spend their lives in pursuit of a commute, the beauty of motorcycle design may never even rise to their attention. But for those who can see the delicate symphony between power and beauty, there is a never-ending palette of joy and discovery in seeing the variety of engines that generations of disparate engineers have produced.
The most iconic and beautiful engines ever built are represented in this set of 72 images. Take particular note of the Vincent, widely considered to be the most beautiful engine in the world. This image was taken of what is undoubtedly the finest example currently in existence, from the collection of Gene Brown.
