Unlike large and heavy four-cylinder engines, moped-class engines can be carried with both hands, making them an ideal subject for learning how to tinker with motorcycles. The engine removed from the frame is unstable, making it difficult to apply force when loosening bolts, but a stand that can hold the engine in place eliminates this problem at once.
Here we introduce the benefits of engine stands, using the Honda transverse engine, a long-time favorite as a subject for engine tinkering.
- Honda transverse engine is ideal for learning to tinker with engines
- Light engine, so it tends to rumble and roll on its own.
Honda transverse engine is ideal for learning to tinker with engines
The Honda horizontal engine is the best teaching tool for tinkering with motorcycles and engines. It can be easily removed from the frame by pulling out the hanger bolts at the top and rear of the crankcase, but the engine by itself is unstable, and difficult to apply force when removing the bolt nuts.
Since its introduction in the first-generation Super Cub in 1958, the 4-stroke engine has been Honda’s representative engine, which is characterized by a large forward-tilted cylinder and is commonly referred to as a horizontal type.
The horizontal engine, which has been installed in successive generations of moped models such as the Super Cub, Monkey, Daks, and Charly, has been manufactured for more than half a century without major changes in its basic structure, with the valve mechanism that was originally an OHV becoming an OHC and the intake system that was once a carburetor becoming a fuel injection system. The major feature of the horizontal engine is that it has continued to be manufactured for more than half a century without major changes in its basic structure.
The simple structure and tough transverse engine have also been loved by many fans as a material for customization and tuning, including bore-up and camshaft replacement. Even if a 1000cc motorcycle with 200 horsepower becomes 210 horsepower, the difference can only be experienced in a limited number of places and under limited conditions. This is the history of the custom parts released by parts constructors and tuning makers for the horizontal type.
Light engine, so it tends to rumble and roll on its own.
The stand shown here is designed specifically for Honda horizontal models and is secured to the plate on the bottom of the crankcase with four bolts.
These four bolt holes are for fixing the step plate of the Super Cub and Monkey. The stand itself is designed to stand on its own even when the engine is turned around.
For heavy four-cylinder engines, the work of removing and mounting them from the frame is a major hurdle, but the Honda horizontal model is easy to attach and detach. In both the Super Cub and Monkey, the engine is mounted so that it hangs from the frame, so it can be made into a single unit by simply removing the muffler, carburetor, and electrical couplers and pulling out the two hanger bolts. Once the engine is mounted as a single unit, maintenance, and customization around the cylinder head and clutch can be done more easily than when the engine is mounted on a vehicle.
However, the disadvantage of a stand-alone engine is that it is more unstable than when it was mounted on the body, making it more difficult to apply force when turning screws and bolts. A large, heavy four-cylinder engine is more difficult to load and unload onto and off the frame, but it is also more stable and does not jerk when force is applied to loosen the bolts and nuts of an engine sitting alone. However, lightweight horizontal engines often move when pushed via tools. The screw that secured the clutch cover used to be a crosshead pan screw, and when turning it, a screwdriver had to be pressed against it to prevent it from camming out. However, if you pushed the screw attached to the engine, which was placed directly on the workbench, the engine would slide back and no force would be applied.