The Reasons why Air-Cooled Engines Rule

Some of the modern motorcycles use apparently archaic, low-tech air-cooled engines. Yet all these motorcycles are more desirable for it. From the single-cylinder Tiger Boxer 250 RS or small 250cc V-twin Lifan Custom V250 to the big V-twin air-cooled Ducati's and Harley's. So lets talk about air-cooled advantages...

You like simplicity, as if offering the first words of a life story. A air-cooled motorcycle weights less compared to a motorcycle with a liquid-cooled engine. You have to admit. All that liquid-coolant is a heavy old lump, isn't it? Throw in radiators, hosing and the liquid-coolant itself and you're looking at 5 to 10 kilogram more depending on the engine size. - so there's not much in it. And of course air-cooled has a lower maintenance...

The myth that air-cooled engines don meet modern emission standards is just not true. Air-Cooled engines do really well on emission, they warm up and become efficient much more quickly. Most modern air-cooled engines are just a micron away, while still breathing by a carburetor, from meeting previous emission standards, though they need a catalytic converter for the current Thai emission standard.

On fuel consumption a modern air-cooled engine with well-tuned carburetor can be as good as the best fuel-injection engine on fuel economics. The current world record on fuel consumption by a regular “unmodified” production motorcycle is for a air-cooled engine with regular carburetor... And the motorcycle, a Royal Enfield Bullet was not the most modern air-cooled engine around.

Also modern air-cooled engines are very easy to fuel. Most air-cooled engines are low-revving engines, and it's must easier to fuel a low-rev engine than fueling an engine that can rev to 15,000rpm which is a huge challenge, requiring such trickery as multiple fuel injectors, dual butterflies and variable inlet tracts. With only 7,000 to 8,000rpm to get right, most air-cooled engines can be compact and simple.

And as last argument - only air-cooled engines look good. Just look up. Skeptical? Look at a Honda CBR250R, take away the fairing and it looks terrible as a nakedbike.