I guess that's the disadvantage of a big single: Either the bore gets huge or you have a long stroke. If you have a long stroke, you can't go fast. However, if you go slow, you need a humongous flywheel or else you'll have jolting in the low end because the power strokes are so far apart. Can't go fast--can't go slow.
What do you do?
Singles, strangely enough, seem to be known for low end torque. But then, I read someone say that they can't lug down as far as a twin, or V-twin, or something. Am I missing something here? Is it a matter of engine tuning? Ignition/cam timing, cam profile, fuel mixture?
By the way, can anyone tell me why many engines don't have retarded timing at low rpms? Ever lugged one down to stall only to hear it knock/ping before it died. I remember my Savage sometimes did that. I haven't noticed it since the spacer mod, though. Shouldn't timing retard so far that it will continue to run even at extremely low rpms without knocking?