The V3 engine is a

V engine A V engine, sometimes called a Vee engine, is a common configuration for internal combustion engines. It consists of two cylinder banks—usually with the same number of cylinders in each bank—connected to a common crankshaft. These cylinder ...

with two cylinders in one bank and one cylinder in the other bank. It is a rare configuration, which has been mostly used in

two-stroke engine A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of ...

s for motorcycles competing in

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

. The first example was the 1955 DKW 350. The 1968 ''Suzuki RP68'' was intended to compete in the 1968 season, however a rule change mandating single-cylinder engines meant that the RP68 never raced. Honda later revived the layout for the 1982–1984 Honda NS5000/NSR500 Grand Prix racing motorcycles. The 1983–1984 Honda MVX250F and 1985-1987 Honda NS400R sports bikes also used V3 engines. A related layout was the W3 engine, although this placed all three cylinders in the same plane, but none of them in the same bank. This was used for the 1905–1915

four-stroke A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either direct ...

Anzani engine, which was used in motorcycle and aircraft applications.

References

{{Piston engine configurations 3

See also

References