German math 4+4=8 and 350+500=850

[Mark75H]

I've been begging for a picture of one of these for years. One of the strangest things to ever come out of Berlin: 49 cubic inches 180+ easy hp:

[helmetguru]

this motor was run in 1984 on a burgess boat in formula-3, ulrich rochel from germany. ulrich's v8 f3 boat was super fast, winning the first two heats by a long shot and crashing in the third while leading..he broke a rib and finished second eventually in points to Dario Grassini.

the engine appeared again in Munich and Milan but on a Velden boat in F3 and with a different driver, Stephan Geschke. Geschke's best result was 12th.

pictured below is Rochel.

[Mark75H]

The cylinder arrangement on these is not a V or inline, but "opposed". Like a Porsche "boxer", Subaru, air cooled VW, Chevy Corvair or Lycoming aircraft engine. On this motor 4 cylinders face front, 4 face back.

Did anyone else notice it looks like Rochel's motor is rope start and the other one has a starter tooth ring? I think I remember hearing they used 2 small starters.

There were some raced in the US in the 1100cc hydro class. In that class you could have stacked 2 500's but I think they just used the 850 because it was already a known quanity.

To simplify the normal intake arrangement of the large rotary valve disk and accompanying drive belt (in this case belts) this motor used reed valves. So, the reed valve/carb mounting plates are missing in this photo. The black things in the open slots of the crankcase are the crankshaft itself and the lighter (horizontal)things are the connecting rods.

The rods are one piece, not bolted and the crankshaft segments are pressed together. If the crank was never correctly repaired after the crash it would never be able to rev up correctly. It would just shake.

My dad's old Kawasaki 500 triple had a pressed together crankshaft. When it got a little out of alignment it shook the handle bars so violently you couldn't see the mirrors, much less anything in them.

[Oclassracer]

The other König 8 cylinder was two square blocks mounted back to back. I believe Dieter used the motorcycle style engine in which the exhaust and rotary valve were on the same side. Kirts, Baldwin and a few others had them in the mid 70's. I am attaching a photo of the bike engine.

HG, wasnt Dario Grasini famous for sinking a patrol boat and then getting beached for the infraction? Fact or fiction?

[Jeff Lytle]

Got that pic of the Konig square block about 2 months ago from Eric Pugh. They do go around don't they? He sent me 3 pics, one the same, and 2 more showing the bikes themselves. One with the fairings stripped off and the engine removed, and the other with the fairings on with the engine installed.
Bet you know what I'm going to ask next !! Anyone have a pic of the 500CC Konig powered motorcycles with the engine in and the fairings off??