Complete Motorcycle Engines

A Guide to Complete Motorcycle Engines

Motorcycle engines are more lightweight than vehicle or truck engines, but they contain the same basic parts. eBay is the place to find reasonably priced complete motorcycle engines for sale in the UK.

Motorcycle engines are typically categorised by the number of cylinders they have:

• Single-cylinder engines - Slightly more than 10% of the motorcycles sold in Europe use one-cylinder engines. One-cylinder engines are typically found in scooters and low-power motorcycles.
• Straight-twin engines - Straight-twin engines are two-cylinder piston engines in which the cylinders lie side by side and the two pistons connect to a single crankshaft. Slightly more than 25% of European motorcycle engines use this configuration.
• Straight-three engines - Straight-three engines use three cylinders, which are arranged side by side in a plane. Straight-three engines vibrate less than straight-twin engines. Approximately 11% of European motorcycles use straight-three engines.
• Inline-four engines - With inline-four engines, the four cylinders are mounted on a plane along the crankshaft. All major Japanese motorbike manufacturers offer machines with inline-four engines. Approximately 16% of all European motorcyclists ride bikes with inline-four engines.
• V-twin engines - In motorcycle engines with a V-twin configuration, two cylinders are arranged in a V configuration along a common crankshaft. This configuration is found in 8% of all European motorbikes. V-twin long engines are engines in which the crankshaft is mounted in the direction of the frame.
• Flat-twin engines - A flat-twin engine is a two-cylinder engine in which the cylinders are mounted on opposite sides of the crankshaft. This configuration is widely deployed in BMW motorcycles. Flat-twin engines are found in 18% of motorcycles registered throughout Europe.

A number of companies manufacture motorcycle engines, which include:

• Honda
• Yamaha
• Suzuki
• Triumph
• Kawasaki
• BMW
• Aprilia
• Ducati

One of the key factors to keep in mind when you are perusing motorcycle engines for sale is that motorcycle engines are not interchangeable. You will need to know the capacity of the engine that your motorcycle was engineered to hold. This capacity is directly correlated with the size of the engine.

Engine capacity information should be in your owner’s manual. There are plenty of motorcycle engines for sale on eBay, so you should be able to find exactly what you need.