Innovations in motorcycle design

[ranvir1986]

well speaking of the case that Bajaj was up against TVS has been ruled in favour of Bajaj. TVS Flame was the bike in question and was accused to have acquired the Bajaj DTSI tech. TVS has been ordered by a Chennai court to remake the bike.

[ranvir1986]

Talking of innovating bike design, i believe two strokes are a much viable and inexpensive option to try on. Its a petty that some Norms have gotten the better of them but of late, yamaha and other two stroke racing contendors have introduced variable size ports that allow a punch throughout the range of rpms a bike can get.

[gohm]

Thanks for the update on the Bajaj/TVS case! Two stroke engines are inexpensive, they just cannot readily meet today's emmission standards.

[ranvir1986]

Very true that two strokes are polluting and noisy but thats where the variable geometry ports come in handy. More thought into this might actually save the 2 strokes from getting extinct. More over these are ten times simpler than a 4s

[Zak-47]

Does anybody really needs more than those bikes availlable? OK, in every new bike-generation you get a bit chassis improvement. But can you really feel it?
The companies have to bring out new products, so they earn their money. But a lot of horse power has been available for a long time.
Who cares about polluting the environment while riding a motorbike?

[gohm]

Zak,

Using your chassis example, as an amateur racer you may not "feel" improvements in chassis design directly however you certainly can feel the improvements in the handling as a result. An improved chassis will allow you to brake harder later (deeper) into a turn without upsetting geometry. This reduces your time through the corner. It is very true that winning on Sunday translates into sales on Monday. This has applied to all motor vehicles involved in a form of racing. These improvements make there way into production vehicles which can result in lighter, stronger, faster & safer vehicles. An example of this is traction control & slipper clutches. True, a lot of hp has always been available, however because of racing and technology, hp can now be squeezed from a small, efficient motor. It is true many people do not give pollution a high concern, however there are still lots of people that do, especially if added benefits like fuel efficiency are involved. I would use the widespread use of scooters as an example. There are also developments of alternate power source bikes being perfected around the globe. A good first hand experience of technology advancement in motorcycles is easy to see. Ride a Royal Enfield bullet and then hop on a Suzuki gsxr- quite a change in 40 years time!

[raj87verma88]

The latest innovation that i know right now is that the motorcycle companies like aprilia are working to make a 2 stroke engine which will have all the perks like great power to weight ratio which gives mind blowing acceleration without the disadvantages of being less efficient. As far as the Indian Bike manufacturers are concerned, i fail to see much difference between their original and upgraded models. The DTSi and the DTSFi have not been invented by them. The manufacturers in India are not into making bikes but into making profit. They churn out bikes for general public. Most of the people require mileage and thats what the companies give them. Very few are into hardcore biking, thought the trend is now shifting.

[raj87verma88]

Just came across a piece of information.
There is a person named Balu, not his real name, he is an American and a bikes enthusiast, now settled in India. He had started a group here called BulletWallas. It comprises of bullets and other old classic Motorcycles which he also rents to tourists who come to visit India. The head office is in Paharganj Delhi.
This man has modified his old royal enfield quite a lot. The original engine was a 4 stroke 350cc petrol engine. He has installed a 753cc Greeves engine that runs on bio fuel. The bike is now giving an average of 70-75 km/l as compared to 20-30 km/l with the petrol engine. The torque developed by the new engine is quite impressive. He has also installed an ignition system similar to that of a Maruti800 (a car manufactured in India).
He claims that any kind of oil(vegetable/animal fat/used/fresh) can be used to run the bike. It first has to be go through a filter kind of thing provided to you to clean it and then you can put it in your fuel tank.

[gohm]

I would love to check into this, is their a website? The engine would have to be a diesel engine to run on veg, I didn't know Greeves made one. I would also like to knowhow he pre-heats the veg oil for combustion, I would assume an additional battery was installed? Does it have two tanks to switch from diesel to veg?
thank you for sharing this.

[raj87verma88]

I don't know about the website. Just read it in a Bike Magazine. Though me and a friend of mine plan to go to his place and visit him as soon as possible. His office is very near to my house(just 20-30 minutes ride). After that i will be able to give more details. I may even persuade him to join CE, what about that.