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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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Several years ago, the motorcycling ether was finely misted with intriguing
rumors of a man in Oregon embarking on the daunting task of creating a new
American motorcycle. Industry press and curious enthusiasts ruminated on what
the machine might be. Details were scarce; people only knew that it was a racing
motorcycle and held some potentially interesting, provocative detours from convention. The pervasive question was what could this man possibly be bringing
to the table that was different? As it turned out, quite a lot.
 Photograph by Craig Wagner. (Click image to enlarge)
The man is
Michael Czysz, and the machine was the MotoCzysz C1 prototype (Robb Report
MotorCycling, July/August 2005). When first rolled out for public scrutiny,
it was immediately obvious that the C1 was a far cry from an enthused hobbyist
toiling in a garage. This was a serious effort, possessing several staggeringly
original design approaches and innovations that defied established traditions in
the motorcycling realm. From the patented contra-rotating twin crankshafts to
the 2D suspension elements, the bike was a marvel of free-thinking concepts
that had emerged from Czysz’s clean-sheet thinking of how a motorcycle could,
and might, work better.
With enthusiasm blossoming in the wake of secret
track tests that affirmed the drawing board theories, Czysz waded with aplomb
through the inevitable public maelstrom of doubt and criticism. Driven by the
same ardor of invention to produce the prototype machine against almost
insurmountable odds, he was already thinking about improving upon the
design.
In the relatively short period since the C1’s initial introduction to
the world and its parade laps before a sold-out crowd at the 2005 Red Bull U.S.
Grand Prix at Laguna Seca—a bold “proof of concept” demonstration—the MotoCzysz
operation has expanded exponentially. Culling gifted engineers from a host of
top-level race teams and motorcycle and automotive companies over the past year,
Czysz assembled an impressive international group of creative minds to take
the project to the next level.
 Seriously beautiful and beautifully serious, the C1 takes the concept of racing motorcycles in unexpected new directions. Photograph by Craig Wagner. (Click image to enlarge)
The new production bike is a substantial
forward leap from the 2005 prototype with over 2,000 new or reworked parts and
components complementing and refining the unique attributes that are the
driving force behind the project. The company has more than three dozen
patents in-hand and in the pipeline. American ingenuity, as well as the
dream, are alive and well in the Pacific Northwest.
Certainly, the signature
element of the MotoCzysz is the twin counter-rotating crankshaft engine. The
latest incarnation has been radically redesigned, but retains the original model
of two independent crankshafts, each one driven by two of the engine’s four
pistons. This was the first MotoCzysz innovation that induced serious head
scratching in R&D departments at some of the major manufacturers. The
concept contained the basic ingredient of inspired invention, reflected in a
universal reaction of; it is so obvious, why didn’t someone do this
sooner?
To put it in perspective, a combustion engine is a swirling conundrum
of heavy, rapidly spinning crankshafts and timing belts, thrusting rods,
pistons, and hammering valves that collectively
create immense inertia and
centrifugal force. These forces inadvertently influence the handling of a
motorcycle—especially a lightweight one—as they can conflict with the direction
the motorcycle is being pitched or leaned when ridden. At the heart of the
MotoCzysz powerplant is a brilliantly simple design approach that cancels those
forces. The four-cylinder engine is divided into almost equal halves with two
separate crankshafts (instead of one) rotating in opposite directions. The two
contra-rotating crankshafts cancel out each other’s torque and gyroscopic
forces. In the process, vibration is significantly reduced.
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