A new turbocharged Yamaha bike has been in the works for some time now. The Japanese company had recently confirmed the same. Now, there’s a bunch of new patent filings which reveal that the entire development process has progressed quite a bit.
The patent filings show a prototype, which
looks like the Yamaha MT-10, of the turbocharged Yamaha bike, slapped on with
an inline 3-cylinder engine. It is being said that this model has been able to
churn out 180 hp of max power at 8500 rpm and a whopping 176 Nm of peak torque
in the 3000 rpm to 7000 rpm range. This has been achieved with 30% lower
emissions than a similarly-powerful normally-aspirated motorcycle engine would
produce to get similar output figures.
We can also see in the drawings that
Yamaha has engineered its way to fit the entire turbocharger assembly along
with the intercooler in an overall compact area and size. This explains the
placement of the radiator low down in front of the engine, which is a very
unusual location. To achieve this, the Japanese brand has ensured that the
radiator is sculpted and ain’t not too wide. Above the radiator sits the
turbocharger with the intercooler placed even higher up; roughly where you’d
normally expect to find a radiator. Yamaha has also used a very compact intake
manifold and exhaust system.
Going by the patent filings, it appears
that Yamaha has got itself a complete machine. However, it hasn’t confirmed
anything regarding whether this project would turn into a production model or
not. Automobile manufacturers had already implemented a plethora of changes in
their vehicles to make them comply with the stricter Euro5 emission norms. And,
perhaps, forced induction would be the only effective way remaining for the
companies to produce machines that offer uncompromised performance while
adhering to the future (stricter) emission regulations; well, of course, until
things get fully electric.
