patent – Weary Rider

More Hybrid Bikes Are Coming

If you thought motorcycles were safe from hybrid technology, you were wrong. A new patent filing by BMW spotted by the two-wheeled sleuths at Motorcycle.com revealed the company might be working on a hybrid boxer engine for a motorcycle. Judging by the patent drawings it’s a bit of a stretch. The drawings are pretty basic and it’s unclear what exactly is going on, but Motorcycle.com gives some insights.

Apparently, the patent places the electric motor with the boxer engine. Together, both the gasoline power and electric power turn the rear wheel of the bike. According to Motorcycle.com, the key to this patent is the adaptor that allows the electric motor to work with the gasoline one.

The adapter has a planetary gear system and connects the two power sources. From there, power from the engine and electric motor go through a regular clutch and transmission. The electric motor works as the starter motor. It can also work as a generator to provide electric power to the various motorcycle systems.

A Hybrid Could be Awesome

One of the interesting things about the adapter that Motorcycle.com points out is that it allows BMW to have a kind of modular powertrain. This means you could swap in a different electric motor if you wanted. This would mean BMW could pop in a new electric motor and dramatically increase the motorcycle’s power output.

The patent currently says the electric motor could provide anywhere from 20 percent of the engine’s maximum torque to 200 percent depending on the motor. The possibilities here are awesome. BMW could potentially smooth out the powerband by torque filling as supercars do. Basically, the electric motor would add power during times the gasoline engine experiences interruptions, like with gear changes. This would make for buttery smooth operation, which would be beneficial on the road and off.

I honestly can’t make heads nor tails of the patent drawings, and they’re pretty bare bones. BMW has experimented with hybrid technology before, so it’s not a huge surprise they’re playing around with this kind of tech, especially with every bike manufacturer working on electrified motorcycles in some capacity.

The post Could BMW Be Working on a Hybrid Boxer Engine? appeared first on Web Bike World.

Just Flip It Around

In a recent patent filing, Suzuki decided it would take the standard motorcycle engine placement and flip it on end. The company filed a patent for a bike with an engine that’s essentially flipped around with the cylinder heads of what appears to be a single-cylinder engine positioned almost horizontally and placed right up by the front fork.

According to Cycle World, the design can be used on single or inline motorcycle engines. The cylinders fit between the main frame rails and essentially run parallel with them. That puts the transmission low and the crankcase nearer to the rear of the motorcycle.

Suzuki played around with the orientation and placement of the engine so it could shorten the wheelbase and add a longer swingarm. Cycle World notes this should reduce the change in the bike’s geometry when the suspension flexes.

The change also shifts the bike’s center of gravity closer to the center of the bike. It’s the same principle behind the Nembo 32 motorcycle we reported on late last month. However, Suzuki’s placement of the engine differs from the Nembo 32. With that said, the principles behind flipping the engine around are quite similar.

When you reposition the engine like this, other components of the bike must be moved as well. The airbox, fuel tank, and battery will all need to find new homes. Judging by the patent application drawings, they wouldn’t have to move too much, though. Suzuki should be able to shift them around with little issue.

There’s no word yet if or when Suzuki will use this on a production bike. I would assume this design is still a ways off, but it’s worth it to keep an eye out for future Suzuki’s with oddly placed engines.