As a long time motorcyclist I've always wanted to learn more about how engines work, at least to allow me to dabble a bit into my own engines (long time dream has always been to rebuild something for fun).
Aside from going back to college and get a degree in mechanical engineering, what are the best resources to learn about (motorcycle) engines?
Here's some overview references: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm https://www.howacarworks.com/basics/the-engine https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/255807.Internal_Combusti...
Perhaps the most interesting thing with motorcycle engines is the variation of stroke and bore and number of cylinders since it's an exercise in packaging and weight reduction to fit on the smaller frame.
In terms of engine technologies different fuel injection strategies and cylinder geometries are areas of active research, along with things like lubricants and bearing surfaces etc.
The 'computational' pieces are really edging towards applied chemistry in figuring out how to optimize the combustion chamber.
For practical tasks without a machine shop you are fairly limited - I would caution against mucking about with an actual engine you later want to ride, beyond hobbyist level until you have some experience.
At hobbyist level it's really about engine mapping and upgrading the air intake. Those things are the easiest 'mods' but I'm sure specific forums for your motorcycle will be able to point you towards common upgrades etc. and why they work.
For ICEs we used Ferguson and Kirkpatrick when I took a graduate level ICE class. It's concise but good. I'm not sure it's exactly what you're looking for as a hobbyist though, it's a lot of thermodynamics and associated math, not a lot on practical implementation of engines.
If you're looking to rebuild engines and such "mechanical engineering" is probably the wrong road to go down. I don't have specific recommendations, but maintenance manuals or trainings for mechanics, millwrights a d metal workers might be closer to what you want.
It's definitely a huge brick though, can be intimidating. I think he picked the Ferguson book because it's more approachable, cheaper and covers the essentials for the class (and not too much else).
I've never touched an engine before so I'm not sure if this is relevant(I don't really know what skills go into an engine rebuild beyond basic repair methods) but it's great for general mechanical design as a hobbyist.