High efficiency two-stroke engine

A two-stroke engine comprising:

• a crankcase defining a cylinder bore;
• a piston moveably disposed within the cylinder bore;
• a cylinder head having a structure attached to the crankcase and covering the cylinder bore;
• wherein a wall surface of the cylinder bore, a piston combustion surface of the piston, and a head combustion surface of the cylinder head cooperate to define a combustion chamber for combusting a fuel therein;
• and
• a thermal conductivity reducing mechanism disposed in thermal connectivity with at least one of the crankcase, the piston, and the cylinder head, and operable to minimize heat transfer from combusted fuel within the combustion chamber to at least one of the crankcase, the piston, and the cylinder head;
• wherein the thermal conductivity reducing mechanism includes a layer of a low conductivity material disposed on the head combustion surface of the cylinder head;
• and
• wherein the thermal conductivity reducing mechanism includes at least one void defined by the structure of the cylinder head and generally disposed over the cylinder bore;
• wherein the at least one void is separate from the layer of the low conductivity material;
• and
• and wherein each of the at least one void and the layer of the low conductivity material are operable to insulate against heat absorption.