00:00Greetings, viewers. You're on the CrossModa channel. I chose this video title for a reason.
00:07The opposed engine, or if you prefer, another name, the Flat Twin, has been installed on
00:12motorcycles since 1905. The first was this small machine called Fay, which was produced
00:19by the Light Motors Company from Britain. By 1907, this company was absorbed by the
00:25fairly well-known Douglas Company, which continued to produce motorcycles with this engine.
00:31And Douglas can rightfully be considered the company whose products served as an example
00:36for many other companies, including BMW. Nowadays, BMW and EMZ are the two companies
00:43that mass-produce motorcycles with a flat twin engine. And, as you can see, it is positioned
00:48along the axis of the motorcycle. It's been like this for a long time, at least since the late 1940s.
00:54Early on, these motorcycles had transversally mounted engines in their frames.
01:00Mi Dual Type 1 is a modern luxury motorcycle, and its working prototype was shown to the public
01:06in 2014. This motorcycle's concept dates back to early boxer engines.
01:29So, the first question is, why, from 1905 to 1919, were such engines positioned exclusively
01:38across the axis of the motorcycle? To understand this, we need to dig a bit into the context.
01:45Early motorcycle designs were basically bicycles with a small engine, and for quite a long time,
01:51they didn't have any gearboxes. That's right, the force from the crankshaft was transmitted
01:56directly to the wheel. To transfer the torque from the shaft to the wheel as simply as possible
02:01with a chain or belt, the rotations had to be parallel. The disadvantages of this flat twin
02:07arrangement include the increased length of both the engine and the motorcycle, as well as,
02:12in certain cases, overheating of the rear cylinder. Although in many designs, the exposed flywheel
02:19served as a fan for forced cooling. In 1919, ABC introduced the first motorcycle with a longitudinal
02:27boxer engine. This layout offered a number of advantages. Cooling became more efficient,
02:34the length of the motorcycle was reduced, and there was more space for the gearbox. There were also some
02:40drawbacks. There was also the same reactive torque from the moving engine parts, and the risk of damaging
02:47the cylinders and heads in the event of a fall. By the mid-1940s, this layout had fully replaced the
02:54old
02:54one. The conservative Douglas was the last to give in in 1946. And here, about 60 years later,
03:03Meadual Type 1 enters the scene with its interesting creation story. Yes, this is another story about a
03:10unique motorcycle. It costs a fortune and was produced in a very limited run for true connoisseurs.
03:17And most likely, this is another motorcycle that has no future. Its memory will live on in a few
03:23publications, magazines, and YouTube videos. However, it is primarily interesting because of its concept
03:31an engine. And we will examine this point in great detail. The Frenchman Olivier Meadual, creator of the
03:39Meadual Type 1, placed the engine in his creation, almost like on the Douglas from a century ago, but in
03:45a
03:45completely original way. In 1999, at an exhibition in Paris, the French company Meadual presented a
03:52motorcycle with an unusual configuration. The boxer engine was mounted across the motorcycle's axis at a 25
03:59degree forward and downward angle. This arrangement of the cylinders lowered the motorcycle's center of
04:05gravity and eliminated the reactive torque typical of machines with a longitudinal engine layout.
04:13The motorcycle turned out to be of adequate length, and the use of a liquid cooling system
04:18eliminated the possibility of the rear cylinder overheating. However, at the time in 1999, the engine in this
04:24exhibition prototype was just a mock-up made of wood. A working prototype appeared much later, around 2013.
04:34Olivier Meadual spent almost 20 years pursuing his dream. He became passionate about motorcycles at a young age.
04:40After receiving an engineering education, Meadual began working as a designer at a company producing automotive
04:46components. In 1992, he decided to start designing his own motorcycle. At first, he worked on it in the evenings.
04:54In his
04:54free time. By 1994, he had received his first engine layout patent. Realizing that no one was eager to
05:02finance the project, he decided to support it himself and founded his own company for manufacturing car parts, which
05:09began supplying the assembly lines of Citroën, Peugeot, and Renault. In 1999, the first two prototypes of Meadual 875 were
05:18presented at the Paris Motor Show. As you already know with the engine mock-up. At that time, Mitty found
05:24a working
05:25object with a volume of 875 cubic centimeters sufficient. The project generated quite a lot of interest and received good
05:33feedback. Brothers Olivier and Francois began looking for resources and funds to create a working motorcycle.
05:40Unfortunately, no wealthy sponsors were found, and in 2001, the guys decided to focus on making money for five years.
05:47Fortunately, the French automotive industry was thriving in those years. The five-year plan finished successfully, allowing
05:55them to resume the motorcycle project in 2006. But by that time, the 875 cc version of the engine seemed
06:03unsuccessful to them, and Olivier designed a new 1036 cc version of the engine. Eight more years passed before
06:11Meadie's dream was realized and his leader class opposed engine marvel was unveiled to the public. This
06:17happened in 2014, and a year earlier the motorcycle was undergoing all kinds of tests at full speed. It has
06:24a two-cylinder
06:25opposed, short stroke engine with 1.36 liters displacement, 100 mmE cylinder diameter, and 66 mmE piston stroke. The unit
06:36produces a
06:37maximum power of 106 horsepower at 8,000 rpm, and a maximum torquey of 100 newton meters at 5,300
06:46rpm. The lubrication system of this engine uses a dry sump design for maximum lubrication efficiency of this interesting engine,
06:55and to remove excess oil from the lower cylinder.
06:57The transmission is a six-speed, and it was precisely to properly accommodate this transmission that the engine was designed
07:04with a slight tilt. Otherwise, it's a luxurious design with a well-thought-out aluminum diagonal frame, suspension with top
07:12components from Y-O-L-I-N Brembo brakes, and expensive finishing.
07:18The instrument panel alone is worth it, right? Olia, Meadie, as the head of the middle company in 2014, stated
07:25that by 2016, limited production of the unique motorcycle would begin. He started taking orders and advance payments for them.
07:34Meadie planned to produce about 35 motorcycles in total.
07:38The price for this machine is around $140,000 to $160,000. According to the official website, by 2023, a
07:49specific number of Midwell Type 1 motorcycles had been produced. The site also details the time needed for custom hardware
07:58or design modifications, as well as for building a custom version.
08:03There are also PDF files on the official website that show the manufacturing process of the machine. As I mentioned
08:11at the beginning of the story, the Midwell Type 1 turned out to be an expensive rarity, with the series
08:16limited to 20 to 40 units.
08:18The engine concept, inspired by century-old technology and updated for today, is still interesting. It's possible that in the
08:26future we might see similar engines on other motorcycle models.
08:31That's the story, my friends, of a new take on the good old boxer engine. The story of the Midwell
08:37Type 1 motorcycle.
08:39At this point, my story comes to an end. As always, this was CrossMoto Channel with you.
08:44Thank you for watching, and also for your activity on the channel. Subscribing, sharing, and commenting.
08:50A special thank you to everyone who supports my channel financially, using the details provided in the description. See you
08:57next time.
