Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125820
This was an engine that was built in the
mid-sixties. Several versions were run on
a dyno, and a 150 cu. in. model
rep ortedly developed 337 HP
presumably an instant before it
destroyed itself.
Ronnie talked with Melvin
Rolfsmeyer, the Vinnel's inventor and,
rotating the problem over and over in
his mind, began to zero in on the causes
of the Virmel's hreakage problems. He
designed an eccentric coupler linkage
that eliminated all the internal geanets
and relocated the power takC'A)ff nearer
the outer edge of the wedge-shaped
pistons (re~oning accurately that if the
p.t.c. were direct from the central
powershaft, the vanes would tend to
break at their narrow roots).
Ryen made his first prototype, filed
patent papers, and interested the staff
of an industrial design magazine. The
magazine ran a sh ort, vague article
which came to our attention about a
month ago.
Although rotary-combustion engines
are almost common places these days,
three claims in the article recommend
the Ryenco engine as a potential
motorcycle powerplant. The magazine
described it as a lOOcc unit weighing 8
lb., "capable of producing up to 15
HP," and yielding virtually constant
torque from 60 to 4400 RPM.
Hmm. One immediately visualizes a
featherweight 100<;c mini-motocrosser
with an 8 lb. engine, no gearbox
(constant torque, you know,) and a 15
HP peak. Would itbloweverythingnow
on the market in to the weeds, given a
brute-strong 10-year-old with enough
hair to ride it. Could a 250cc version be
made? And what's this? The inven tor
lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, not 150 miles
from your correspondent!
So I called Ryen; and the first thing
he did was correct some of the vague
reporting in the magazine article. What
he said indicated that the engine had
potential; and he was interested in
discussing developing it for motorcycle
use. Could I do a story for CYCLE
NEWS? Sure, why not?
On a Saturday, I showed up in front
of the modeset Ryen home outside
Cedar Falls with my wife and kid
bundled into Moby Dick, our faithful
van. My wife hit it off with his wife;
J on-J on hit it off with his two older
boys (the baby, sound asleep all
afternoon, remained non-committal),
and we men c10mped down to the
basement, to rmd Ryen's den, drawing
board, and desk IuJ] of papers on the
engine. He handed me the rust little
100cc 8-pounder. It was partially tom
down and one of the cases was cracked.
So little extra metal has been left in the
housing that after machining and
re-machining in detail design
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