Patent ID: 8528510

Claim:
An internal combustion engine comprising: an engine block assembly having a lower end closed by an oil pan and an upper end extending at an angle α from a rear of the engine block assembly to a front thereof; a first, two-cylinder, cylinder head housing assembly reclined from vertical, towards the rear of the engine block, about an axis of the crankshaft by an angle β; a second, single-cylinder, cylinder head housing assembly oriented at an angle γ, about an axis of the crankshaft, from the first, two-cylinder, cylinder head housing assembly; a low profile intake assembly including an intake manifold configured to conduct combustion air to the first, two-cylinder, cylinder head housing assembly and the second, single-cylinder, cylinder head housing assembly comprising: a centrally extending plenum that extends axially in parallel to the crankshaft axis and defines a plenum axis; a first plurality of intake runners, in fluid communication with the centrally extending plenum, extend from a front side of the plenum and transition through a circumferential arc around an upper side thereof to fluidly couple with, and deliver combustion air to, the first, two-cylinder, cylinder head housing assembly; a single intake runner, in fluid communication with the centrally extending plenum, extends from a rear side of the plenum and transitions through a circumferential arc around the upper side thereof to fluidly couple with, and deliver combustion air to, the second, single-cylinder, cylinder head housing assembly; and a zip tube configured to deliver combustion air to the central plenum at a location that is between one of the first plurality of intake runners and the single cylinder intake runner, wherein the zip tube approaches the central plenum from the front side and transitions through a circumferential arc around the upper side thereof to fluidly couple with, and deliver the combustion air to the central plenum.