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True Believer
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MotoCzysz C1
Jeff Buchanan
02/01/2007
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Photography by Craig Wagner
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The all-new
990cc engine utilizes a slightly staggered, 15-degree configuration of its four
cylinders leading to its trademarked “Z-line4” nomenclature. This staggered
design allows for three overhead camshafts—as opposed to the predecessor’s
four—that reduces weight as well as complexity. The engine’s 16-valve head is
also utilized as a water delivery system, connecting the twin front and rear
radiators for more efficient cooling. Whereas the previous engine stacked the
twin crankshafts, the new version allows them to share a common axis, yet
another major engineering modification. The new design results in a
significantly more compact crankcase, placing the engine lower in the frame,
thus dropping the bike’s center of gravity. Early estimates, based on dyno
reports and continuing work, has the power output stepping into the realm of
200+ hp.
 The close-ratio 6-speed transmission is an easily extractable unit
to facilitate quick ratio changes, an essential for racing. The countershaft
sprocket shares the swingarm pivot axis in a concentric design that keeps chain
tension constant, which reduces stress throughout the drivetrain. The C1
contains an industry-first, hydro-electro slipper clutch. The unit is
electronically controlled and hydraulically operated. Mounted at the leading
edge of the motorcycle, the ventilated dry clutch sits directly in the airstream
for enhanced cooling. (Click image to enlarge)
The front and rear suspension components,
branded as MotoCzysz 2D, are as innovative as the engine. Housed inside the
reinforced swingarm is an Öhlins shock sans springs. Instead of being mated to
the shock, the C1’s Duo springs work remotely. Mounted directly to the swingarm
and chassis, they are in a configuration that allows them to absorb inertia
collected from the rear wheel. Those forces are sent more directly to the
machine’s center of mass, rather than routing them circuitously, and
inefficiently, through the shock linkage. Also, by separating the springs from
the shock shaft, adjustments and changes to settings are greatly facilitated.
The front suspension represents another innovation. As a former racer, Czysz
understood a contradictory problem with telescopic front forks. He had racked up
enough seat time on racetracks at the extreme speeds and lean angles allowed by
current tire technology to experience the limitations of forks, which are
designed to work vertically. This is counter to what is needed when a bike is
leaned into a corner, where the forces being exerted switch from being
vertically induced to laterally induced.
 The American Racing Project takes to the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. RIDING STYLE: Helmet: Arai RX-7 Corsair Leathers: MotoGP Titanium 1-Piece
Cowhide Compression Suit Gloves: MotoGP Nitrous Boots: Sidi Vertigo
Corsa. (Click image to enlarge)
Patented as the 6X Flex, the front
suspension is comprised of an Öhlins shock mounted inside the carbon fiber
frame’s massive diameter steering head. The top of the shock is hard-mounted to
the upper triple clamp with the bottom attached to a cross brace on the fork
stanchions. These stanchions slide up and down on bearings, making them less
susceptible to the stiction that compromises the performance of bushing-link
traditional telescopic forks. The design, like the rear shock, allows for easy
adjustments. The real innovation, however, is the fork sliders themselves, which
are designed to flex up to six degrees laterally, absorbing the intense vertical
forces being transmitted from the track surface when a motorcycle is leaned
over.
 Photograph by Brandon Bone. (Click image to enlarge)
These unique suspension attri-butes, combined with the powerplant’s
indifference to direction change, is intended to deliver the most neutral
handling experience possible. By removing these influences and arriving at this
neutrality, a rider is more capable of reading and deciphering the
motorcycle’s responses.
As impressive as the MotoCzysz C1 is, the way Czysz
has chosen to run and define the company is equally intriguing. In many ways, it
is a natural extension of the inventive thinking evident in the motorcycle’s
design. Instead of pursuing an industrial mindset, Czysz has focused on creating
an intellectual properties company, basing the MotoCzysz value on innovation
rather than manufacturing.
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