What are your favorite motorcycle engines?

If you’re a looking for slightly less drama, just ask them to name their favorites. We pointed the cameras at Lemmy, Spurgeon, and Joe, only to prove that this discussion could go on for years… and by then, even more engines will have come out!

In usual Highside/Lowside fashion, no real conclusion is reached, not all questions are fully answered, and there’s no clear winner. Some things never change, huh? But the guys do touch on a wide range of powerplants and arguments for each.

For pure bizarro factor, I have to nominate the Megola’s engine as a favorite, even though I’ve never touched one, seen one, or met a Megola owner. Here’s the deal. This German motorcycle dates back to the early 1920s, an era full of funky bikes. In the Megola’s case, the bike was built with a five-cylinder radial engine. The engine, mounted to the front wheel, rotated around the crankshaft/axle, which was hollowed out to accommodate the throttle cable.

If that bends your brain a little, read up on these bikes. The Megola was kind of a pain to ride, since it didn’t have a clutch and you couldn’t stop riding unless you let the engine die, but it’s one of my favorites because it makes me smile.

How to listen to Highside/Lowside

As usual, the podcast version of this discussion offers an uncut listening experience for an even deeper dive into the topic. 

Highside/Lowside is available via iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Libsyn, and Google Play for those with accounts.