What is a crankshaft in a bike’s engine? Does a motorcycle have a crankshaft? What does a crankshaft do in bike? What is the main purpose of the crankshaft? Why do you need a crankshaft? Also, What are three functions of a crankshaft? How long does a crankshaft last? What causes a crankshaft to fail? What noise does a bad crankshaft make? Can you drive with a bad crankshaft? Is a crankshaft easy to fix? Get all your questions answered and problems solved about the motorcycle crankshaft.
What is a Crankshaft on a Motorcycle?
According to Wikipedia, a crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine. It is a part of the motorcycle engine as well. The alluded moto-component converts the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. What is the reciprocating motion? Well, it’s the piston’s up and down motion. The process can be also explained as the transfer, shifting, or conversion of the piston’s vertical movement to a rotational output. The alluded shaft contains 1 or more crankpins. Pistons drive those crankpins via the connecting rods.
What does a Crankshaft do?
The crankshaft indeed translates the linear motion of the pistons into rotation. In the simplest of words, the piston’s movement produces energy and the crankshaft converts those energies to drive the Flywheel. It also helps operate the camshaft as well. It has an influence on the overall combustion process. If you are familiar with the structure of a bicycle, you may know about the term crank arm. It does almost the same job a crank arm does in a paddling bike or bicycle. Just to clarify, in a bicycle, the crank arm shifts your leg’s up and down motion into the rotation of the wheel.
What Happens if the Crankshaft is Damaged?
A bad crankshaft signals you in different ways. No doubt, as being a crucial part, the user can’t overlook the response. The following symptoms signal that there is a bad crankshaft:
- The engine’s oil pressure would be low (notified through a warning light or gauge)
- The user will hear a knocking noise from the engine
- If the case is severe, then the engine will simply stop running and won’t even start.
These are actually the symptoms of a cracked or fully broken crankshaft. If you observe any of those, first take your vehicle to a mechanic and fix the issue before further driving.
What Causes Crankshaft Damage in Motorcycle?
The following factors can cause damage to the crankshaft in your motorbike:
- Installation faults and wear.
- Insufficient lubrication can lead to such a scenario because there will be more unsmooth frictions.
- A faulty gearbox and loose counterweights lead to sudden jamming of the engine.
- Mechanical overload due to abnormal combustion, water hammers, etc.
- Unsuitable modification done to the crankshaft bearing
- Material weakening because of previous bearing issues
- Loose-bearing main caps
- A forging or casting flaw
- Improper bearing clearance
- Bearing wear
- Distorted bearing bores
- Bearing failure
- Excessive rotary oscillation.
Can a Motorcycle Crankshaft be Repaired?
Yes, a motorcycle crankshaft can be repaired. However, it isn’t easy for an inexperienced person to fix. Sometimes, you need to completely replace it. However, it depends on the condition of the damage to the crankshaft. For instance, if there is a broken crankshaft, it simply needs to be replaced. With a slightly damaged crankshaft that hasn’t done any damage to the bike, it may require some fixing. When the shaft suffers damage including its bearing that is a bit more complex case. However, when the crankshaft, the bearings, and the top end of the engine; all suffer damage that is the most complex scenario for the user when fixing isn’t an option.
What are the Disadvantages of a Crankshaft?
The motorcycle crankshafts cause some crucial problems that is commonly faced by the users.
- The risk of being failures and issues are lot higher.
- Generally has high manufacturing costs
- Frequent friction and overheating issues.
