The operating range of lean-burn SI engines is limited by the level of cycle-by-cycle variability in the early flame development, which typically corresponds to the 0-5% mass fraction burned. An experimental investigation was undertaken to study this flame variability in an optical, stratified-charge, SI engine close to the lean limit of stable operation (A/F = 22). Double-exposed flame images acquired through either a pentroof window ("tumble plane" of view) or the piston crown ("swirl plane" of view) were processed to calculate the intra-cycle flame growth and convection rates under 1500 RPM low-load conditions. Projected flame-boundary analysis was also performed to investigate the effect of flame shape/wrinkling on the subsequent timing of 5% mass fraction burned on a cycle-by-cycle basis. The images showed that the flame always preserved its shape while growing in size (even when it had been initiated with a highly convoluted shape); image processing demonstrated the manner with which the flame-growth speed varied as the flame propagated and approached the pentroof and piston-crown walls for slow, "typical" or fast burning cycles. It was found that it was beneficial to have a high convection velocity in the swirl plane of flow during the first 10degrees CA after ignition timing (corresponding to less than 0.1% mass fraction burned), but after this stage it was beneficial to have a moderate convection velocity for the flame. However, on the tumble plane of flow, a high convection velocity was preferable up to 30degrees CA after ignition timing (corresponding, typically, to 1% mass fraction burned). Slow development of a flame was associated with higher stretch rates for the same flame radius than fast-developing flames during the period of growth from 3 to 6 mm in radius (about 0.1-1% mass fraction burned). Extended analysis of the projected flame front's shape and its wrinkling showed that the fastest lean-condition flames had contour characteristics similar to those of the flames recorded for stoichiometric conditions. This suggested that the fastest lean flames on a cycle-by-cycle basis might have been richer than the average in the vicinity of the spark plug at ignition. (C) 2003 The Combustion Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.