Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): Magneto design, rotor inertia, metal strips

Question
When it comes to small engine performance, many people want to eliminate mass and rotor inertia.  So, they will replace the Steel (iron) flywheel with an aluminuim (billet preferred).  Instead of just changing the material, what about changing the shape.  How about a design that uses two long metal strips in parallel centered on the crankshaft.  On one end you have the magnet, on the other you have a weight that will balance the magnet (imagine a ladder viewed from the side). By bracing the two parallel strips with another stip set at an angle, you could generate the forced air.  By this method, you could dramtically reduce rotor inertia and motor weight.  Now, you might need to keep some mass to keep the motor running though the other 3 strokes, but in this design, the mass is farthest from the center of the spin and provides better inertia per weight.

Answer
Hello Russ:

The Flywheel has 4 Purposes. 1- To Hold the Magnets that Create the Power for the Armature/Magneto to Fire the Plugs. 2- To Hold the Magnets that Make the Charging Coils Function. 3- Hold the Cooling Fins that Assist in Keeping the Air Cooled Engine Cool. 4- Act as a Counter Balance Weight (like a Harmonic Balancer on a Car Engine). You Sound like a Thinker and Possibly an Inventor. Best Wishes and Good Luck in your Endeavors. Thanks for the Email.

Respectfully

John

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Respectfully

John