By Ben Purvis
With motorcycle manufacturers all over the world rushing to show their dedication to an all-electric future - mostly without actually going to the expense of launching any electric bikes - Kawasaki is following the example of some car makers by planning a hybrid bike as an interim stage before going fully battery-powered . In the past , attempts at hybrid motorcycles have been few and far between . Piaggio made hybrid versions of the MP3 in 125 cc and 300 cc forms for a short while , and Honda more recently developed the PCX hybrid for sale in some Asian markets , but where car companies have wholeheartedly accepted the idea of combining battery and petrol power ,
bike firms have been largely uninterested in the format . Traditionally , the reason has been simple : fitting two separate powertrains into a motorcycle , where every cubic centimeter of space is at a premium , hasn ' t provided a convincing advantage over simply making a cleaner , more economical petrol engine . But with battery and motor technology improving and growing demands for vehicles capable of running in zeroemissions modes for city use , Kawasaki has re-evaluated that position and reached the conclusion that a hybrid might make sense after all . All the indications are that Kawasaki will show its hybrid later this year , although it ' s not clear yet whether it will be as a production machine or simply a concept bike . The firm hinted at the hybrid with a brief video , released late last year , showing how such a bike could operate in petrolpowered mode out of town , switching to pure electric power in the city , and use both power sources when maximum performance was needed . Since then , multiple patents have emerged showing aspects of the firm ' s hybrid development . Unlike some earlier attempts , Kawasaki isn ' t making a scooter or a bike with a continuously variable transmission . Instead , the petrol engine is attached to a completely conventional multi-speed manual gearbox . There ' s simply an additional electric motor that ' s also geared to the input shaft via a short chain . Because the motor doubles as the starter motor and generator , it offsets some of the additional weight and size that it brings , and it also means the petrol engine can be downsized , further reducing the packaging problems . Unlike a pure electric bike , the batteries do not need to be huge and heavy - the bike will only be expected to run in all-electric mode for a few miles at a time , and there ' s no concern over long charging times as the batteries will be topped up by the petrol engine , along with regenerative braking when the bike is cruising . The most detailed patents seen so far show a parallel twin engine , probably related to the motor in the Z400 and Ninja 400 , with the electric motor mounted above the gearbox . The brief view of the bike in Kawasaki ' s teaser video backs this up - proving that the prototype also uses the Z400 ' s tubular steel frame . Interesting aspects of the design shown in Kawasaki ' s patents include a ' boost ' button on the throttle grip . A patent-worthy innovation in itself , since the switch turns with the throttle , so it ' s always under the thumb - the idea is that you can instantly call on the combined power of both the electric motor and petrol engine when overtaking acceleration is needed . Although Kawasaki showed a poorly received all-electric prototype in 2019 , the firm clearly stated that there were no production plans for the vehicle . However , the lessons learned from that electric bike project , which included the development of a bike-specific 20 kW drive motor , batteries , control software and regenerative braking systems , play perfectly into the development of the hybrid model that has been the follow-up focus for Kawasaki ' s R & D engineers .
Parts & Labor
Helmets to hard parts specialist Biltwell ' s second issue of its ' Parts & Labor ' customer magazine dropped just as this edition of AMD went to press - another feast of loveliness it is too ! Articles range from an indepth look at the LMTV adventure vehicle (" a 20,000 lb chopper ") to a photo collection of choppers from the 15th annual El Diablo Run earlier this year . Biltwell has also snuck in new products that will be available in Q4 of 2021 - three new glove models and two saddlebag designs . www . biltwellinc . com
14 AFTERMARKET MOTO DESIGN - OCTOBER 2021 www . AMDchampionship . com