September 11, 2007 American motorcycle manufacturer Vento Motorcycles today announced the first engine the company has had designed specifically for its own products. The new three cylinder, 400 cc, 30 horsepower engine, the most powerful inline triple ATV engine ever built, is the first American-made engine to be designed and used by Vento. The company will use the new engine in an expanded range of ATVs and middleweight bikes from 2008 onwards.
Scheduled to be released in a variety of new 2008 Vento ATVs and middle-weight motorcycles, the new air/oil-cooled engine, which is designed for sport and recreation vehicles, was engineered for Vento by an Australian motorcycle engine company, styled by Vento’s U.S. design team, and will be assembled in the company’s Laredo, Texas, assembly plant. Vento’s new 30 hp engine is designed to be powerful enough to move riders of all sizes, but mild enough to provide control for beginning and recreational riders.
Vento’s previous bikes have included 250cc v-twin cruisers and a range of different scooters. The move to a 400cc triple will help position the American company in the ATV market and potentially open the door for a naked standard or sportsbike to broaden the company’s bike range. The inline triple engine configuration has been coming back into vogue recently thanks to a series of exceptionally successful bikes from British manufacturer Triumph, including the Speed Triple, Rocket III and Daytona 675.
“The launch of the new engine is a major accomplishment for Vento in that it represents our shift from importing engines to designing and building our own. By bringing the design, manufacturing and assembly of our engines in-house, we’re bringing to market a quality, reliable, powerful engine, that will power a variety of new products in our growing family of motorcycles and ATVs,” explained Mario Cisneros, Marketing Director for Vento Motorcycles. “As we evaluated other existing engine designs, it became very apparent to us that to obtain the quality, reliability, performance, and affordability that we required, we would have to go to the drawing board and design and manufacture the engine ourselves. We were involved in every aspect of this engine’s design, including the cosmetics, outsourced the manufacture of each component, and have moved the assembly to our plant in the United States to ensure that our products meet and exceed our high quality assurance standards. This accomplishment makes a statement to the industry that differentiates us from the other importers and motorcycle manufacturers.”
