Re: New Tech on 2 Strokes.

Query Approved/Moved

Cheers!
VJ

Re: New Tech on 2 Strokes.

In the last part of 20th century, there was a lot of research done on 2 strokes to try and address the fuel efficiency and emissions issues. However, the emission norms quickly moved to into a spectrum where 2 strokes were just not able to compete with the 4 strokes. Also the good days of cheap oil at $10/- a barrel were over. With oil reaching over $100/- a barrel it was just not possible for 2 strokes to sustain themselves without a major break through.

The major plus point of 2 strokes is the simplicity of the engine via-a-vis 4 strokes. To address the negatives, this plus point would be negated. Complicated solutions would have made the 2 strokes commercially inviable.

AVL was one company which poured a lot of effort into developing a fuel injection system for 2 stroke engines. Bajaj and TVS quickly signed technical agreements with AVL. In fact TVS tested a version of the FI on the Shogun and Car & Bike Magazine had tested the bike on TVS test track.

Bimota in fact introduced an in house developed fuel injected 2 stroke. However, it faced major problems with the technology which indicated that the technology was not mature enough for commercial applications. Bimota ultimately went back to carburettors for the bike. The pursuit for the 2 stroke technology drove Bimota into bankruptcy.

The final death bell of 2 strokes in motorcycle came when Honda proposed a change in the 500cc Grand Prix converting the championship to 4 strokes and Yamaha, who championed the cause of 2 strokes for 4 decades, wholeheartedly supported the proposed change. This signalled to the world that the 2 stroke was truly dying on the motorcycle.

However, that certainly does not mean the 2 strokes are dead. Yamaha still makes outboard marine engines and snow mobiles in 2 stroke format. Interestingly, some of these have fuel injection. This indicates that Yamaha has not abandon development of the 2 strokes. There is still a slim hope that some day Yamaha may shock the world with a radical 2 stroke in future.


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