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| Type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mechanical engineering, Aerospace |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Headquarters | Gunskirchen, Austria |
| Products | Internal combustion engines |
| Owner(s) |
BRP-Powertrain Management GmbH, |
| Parent | Bombardier Recreational Products |
| Website | www.rotax.com |
BRP-Powertrain GmbH & Co KG[1][2][3][4] (until 2008 BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG), commonly known simply as Rotax, is an Austrian engine manufacturer. It develops and produces four-stroke and advanced two-stroke engines for Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) products (Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft and sport boats, Can-Am quads and roadsters) as well as for motorcycles, scooters, karts, ultra light and light aircraft.
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The company was founded in 1920 in Dresden, Germany as ROTAX-WERK AG. In 1930 it was taken over by Fichtel & Sachs and transferred its operations to Schweinfurt, Germany. Operations were moved to Wels, Austria in 1943 and finally to Gunskirchen, Austria in 1947. In 1959, the majority of Rotax shares were taken over[5] by the Vienna-based Lohner-Werke, a manufacturer of car and railway wagon bodies. In 1970 Lohner-Rotax was bought by Bombardier Inc. The former Bombardier branch, Bombardier Recreational Products, now an independent company, uses Rotax engines in its motorcycles, personal water craft, and snowmobiles.[6]
The company constructed only two-stroke engines until 1982, when it started building four-stroke engines and aircraft engines. Other important dates include 1962, when a Rotax engine was first installed in a snowmobile and 1989, when Rotax received FAA Type Certification for its Model 912 A aircraft engine.[citation needed]
In 2008, Rotax started manufacturing the 1,125 cc Helicon liquid-cooled, four-stroke, fuel-injected 72° V-twin for the Buell Motorcycle Company.[citation needed]
The snowmobile engine line includes two- and four-stroke, one- to three-cylinder engines with displacements between 270 and 1,500 cc and a power range of 27 to 167 hp (20 to 125 kW).[citation needed]
Rotax started the worldwide trend of personal water craft to four-stroke engines with the unveiling of their 4-TEC watercraft engines. Today they exclusively manufacture four-stroke engines in a straight-three cylinder configuration, covering a range from 130 to 260 hp (97 to 190 kW).
Liquid-cooled, one- and two-cylinder, four-stroke engines are designed specifically for ATV applications. They cover a range between 400 and 800 cc and come either with gearboxes with foot-lever shifting, or with CVTs (continuous variable transmissions); the 810 is now used in snowmobile applications as well.
The 1,125 cc Helicon engine developed for Buell is a lightweight, fast-revving, big-bore, short-stroke V-twin with a broad power curve peaking at 146 hp (109 kW) near the 10,500 rpm redline.
The twin-cylinder, V990, is light and compact, sporting magnesium cylinder head and clutch covers and comes in various horsepower configurations depending on vehicle specific and manufacturer specific demands.
The Type 122 & 123 engines were single cylinder 125 cc engines as used in Aprilia AF1 / RS125 models. These were high revving, high power units using an exhaust valve system called RAVE (Rotax Automatic Variable Exhaust) to increase peak power while retaining low end torque.
Rotax engines have been used in scooters by Aprilia, NV Nederlandse Scooterfabriek (Bitri scooters), BMW and Lohner. The first use of Rotax-Sachs 98 cc and 123 cc engines were from 1950 in Lohner scooters.
Rotax began designing kart engines 25 years ago.[clarification needed] The two-stroke engines range from the 125 MAX to the 125 MAX direct drive.
Rotax supplies aircraft engines for Ultralight aircraft, light aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
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