DIRTBIKE WITH ROTARY ENGINE (Hercules Wankel 502 GS)

The Hercules Wankel 502 GS was the first production dirtbike motorcycle using a Wankel motor. The first models used a two-stroke mix in the gasoline to lubricate the engine, which was later upgraded to an oil injector. About 1800 were sold under both Hercules and DKW badges between 1974 to 1976. In 1977 they sold all their production tooling to Norton. The exhaust port is on the right-hand one-third of the rotor chamber. The pipe goes up and over and exits on the left side of the bike. Hercules built a few off-road Wankel-engined motocross models, for the ISDT and for their US importer Penton Motors. A few of these showed up in the USA, but they are very rare. The crankshaft was mounted nearly vertical, presumably to give a shorter wheelbase and better cooling, and while the engine might look like a traditional two-stroke, a close look reveals that it is a Wankel. STORE: By purchasing apparel from our Store you are directly helping this channel.