AutoblogGreen

Flex-fuel automobiles are nothing new. In fact, there are over 7-million flexible-fuel vehicles already on the roads in America, and it's not at all uncommon to see gas stations that offer E85. All vehicles sold in the United States must be able to accept a minimum of 10 percent ethanol, but some modifications are required to run at higher percentages, including the use of different rubber tubes and seals along with some reprogramming of the engine's computer. At this point, there are no motorcycles or scooters that are certified to run on fuel with ethanol concentrations as high as 85 percent, but Yamaha has recently filed a patent for just such a machine. Since there isn't any production machine as of yet, details on the Yamaha system remain sketchy, with Motorcycle News in the UK suggesting that there is a secondary fuel tank on-board to hold the ethanol. This shouldn't really be necessary if the bike is equipped with sensors to detect the alcohol content of the fuel. On the other hand, if Yamaha were planning to use the ethanol as an injection to control engine knock and emissions, a second tank would be necessary. We look forward to seeing what the Tuning Fork company has in store for its flex-fuel two-wheelers.

[Source: Motorcycle News]