Alstare working on ethanol powered motorcycles and ATVs
Filed under: Ethanol, Suzuki, On Two Wheels
Last month, motorcycle racing Team Alstare Suzuki started talking about biofuels and small engines. In collaboration with Spanish company Globasol Energías Renovables, Alstare's Belgian development center's first stab at biofuel powered vehicles resulted in an ATV which was able to run on ethanol blends. At that time, the team suggested that it was at work on a few more projects, notably an E60-powered motorcycle and small biodiesel engines. Apparently, they were serious, as their latest project, a Suzuki GSX-R1000 powered by ethanol, was just introduced. Fuel injection and computer experts Magneti Marelli helped out on the project as well. The company next plans to make an agricultural ATV powered by biodiesel.
These events could mark the introduction of biofuels into motorcycle racing. We've already seen ethanol replace racing fuel for some automotive events, so the idea of introducing the renewable fuel to bikes seems almost inevitable.
[Sources: Alstare, Faster and Faster]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-13-2008 @ 5:06PM
James said...
I wish all the motorcycle manufacturers would get their bikes and atv's to run on some sort of biofuels.
Also I would like to see outboard motors like wise run biofuel.
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 6:39PM
rob said...
Meh, in the case of older bikes and boats it's dead easy: Change the fuel lines, change the carburetor jets, MAYBE adjust the timing, fill the tank with your ethanol blend and off you go.
If you want to get fancy you can change the piston to get a higher compression ratio to take advantage of ethanol's higher knock resistance and help offset its lower volumetric BTU content.
With fuel-injected bikes you need to adjust the injection (either electronically with a Power Commander or by increasing the fuel pressure) and adjust the sensitivity range of the oxygen sensor, if equipped (with a resistor). And of course you have the option of raising the compression ratio as well.
It's not exactly rocket science.
Reply
5-13-2008 @ 6:56PM
Kevin Nugent said...
I also thin outboards need to start thinking abotu bio fuel especially the spike in diesel prices
Reply