Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
French start-up Efesto has developed a hybrid drive kit system for motorcycles, delivering a scintillating 299hp in their Ducati Panigale 1299 prototype. Efesto MD Luca Morfino contacted us to tell us they are serious about taking the hybrid kit to market after some more testing. There is no word on pricing yet. We have written …
Kawasaki has applied for a patent for a hybrid motorcycle which is like a two-wheeled version of the hybrid Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt. The Kawasaki patent application was originally filed with Japan’s patent office in December 2017 and again a year later in the US Patent Office. Details have only now come to light …
BMW Motorrad seems pretty serious about building a two-wheeled version of the hybrid Toyota Prius with yet another patent filing for hybrid drive. Their latest patent filing shows the hybrid-drive battery for the electric motor located in the fuel tank. While that would sacrifice fuel range, the hybrid drive system would make up for some of …
Honda has displayed a variety of futuristic and retro motorcycles and scooters at the Tokyo Motor Show including the exciting Neo Sports Cafe Concept. There was more on the Honda stand than just the hi-tech Goldwing with automatic transmission, traction control, smart key, electronic suspension, four power modes, LED lighting and auto-cancelling indicators. There were …
Would you buy a motorcycle or scooter with stop-start technology from cars to reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions? Like it or not, motorcycles are becoming more hi-tech as car technology filters through such as cruise control, ABS, traction control, active suspension and even blind-spot recognition. Next up could be stop-start technology which was introduced …
Future motorcycles could run on all types of fuels, including electricity, after US government defence contracts have yielded two prototype hybrid motorcycles. The bikes are the Logos Silent Hawk and LSA Autonomy Nightmare whose engines can run on either spark or compression ignition, which means they can be fuelled by petrol, jet fuel, propane, diesel …
Hybrid motorcycles, smaller capacity engines and possibly turbocharging could be the future as Japanese manufacturers reveal their concepts for the Tokyo Motor Show from October 30. While Honda has filed patents for a two-stroke engine, it looks like they are either going hybrid or sticking with four-stroke for now with the unveiling of three motorcycle concepts …
Tougher emissions laws are forcing motorcycle companies to rethink the future of the bike with Honda considering a return to two-stroke and Suzuki looking at hybrids like the Toyota Prius. Honda has resurrected hopes of a return to lightweight two-stroke bikes by filing a patent for a new two stroke motor using direct fuel injection …
It is difficult to think of motorcycle riders as greenies (environmentalists) when many have grease under their fingernails and high-octane fuel vapour in their nostrils. However, that’s what the American Motorcyclist Association thinks and they are probably right. While cyclists continue to claim the high moral ground on environmentalism, it can often be a sham. …