When you think of five-cylinder engines, you may imagine the growl of the Audi RS3 and Volvo 850 T5.R, or maybe even the Ford Ranger Duratorq, but it’s unlikely a motorbike will come to mind.
The five-pot has been few and far between on bikes, though it found success in MotoGP, with a V5 powering the Honda RC211V to three world rider’s titles in the 2000s.
It’s never been seen in a production motorbike, however a new concept from MV Agusta suggests that may not be the case for long.
The ‘Cinque Cilindri’ – we’ll let you guess what that translates to – has been unveiled as a five-cylinder square design, utilising two separate crankshafts in a ‘U’ configuration.
Claimed to deliver “remarkable smoothness and reduced vibrations, resulting in unparalleled refinement and dynamic balance”, MV Agusta also says the engine tips the scales at under 60kg.
While it features an electric water pump and electric oil pump to be more efficient, the brand says there’s no need for variable valve timing, reducing one layer of complexity.
Designed to be modular, capacities can range from 850cc to 1150cc, with the potential to make more than 180kW and 135Nm, representing extremely potent outputs on a motorbike.
At this stage, the engine is just a concept, though development into it continues, with plans to put it into naked, touring and superbikes. A launch is being promised in “a highly anticipated model […] which will be unveiled in the coming years.”
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