Coming Soon to a Motorcycle Near You: Two Wheel Drive!
Various iterations of two wheel drive bikes* have been developed in recent years, but the suspension gurus at Öhlins Racing AB will soon be bringing the technology to the mainstream. The Öhlins system was first developed on a Yamaha WR 450 F race bike, and has been packaged as a compact, relatively inexpensive piece of hardware that installs on almost any motorcycle without major frame or fork modifications.
Don't expect front wheel burnouts with this 2WD system; its primary function is to improve traction by diverting up to 15% of power to the front wheel, depending on throttle position and surface conditions. Using a chain-driven pump (2) attached to the output shaft, a hydraulic line (lubricated by standard engine oil) connects to a hydraulic motor (5) which drives a reduction gear (7) at the front wheel hub. (For the record, a more complicated two wheel-drive solution is also offered by Christini, which utilizes an all mechanical setup involving a drive shaft that diverts power to the front wheel.)
Intended primarily to improve lap times and enhance stability, the Öhlins system adds about 19 lbs of weight, a welcome tradeoff for the added security of what is essentially all-wheel drive for motorcycles. According to the Öhlins website, "The bigger and heavier the bike and the more inexperienced the rider, the more you benefit from 2WD." Inexperienced or not, I say bring it on.
* After posting this blog I received an email from Tom Blais, president of Rokon, which has been manufacturing two-wheel drive offroad vehicles since 1958. Check out their two-wheel drive bikes at Rokon.com.
© Öhlins
Comments
Don’t forget the original, the oldest 50 years, and the best “ROKON” all wheel drive motorcycle.
That Christini system is interesting, but you’d proabably need a full-time mechanic to maintain the thing
Regarding the Hydraulic drive for the front wheel.
I have been thinking about this for some time. I don’t understand you cannot have a hydraulic pump drive directly off the motor, then simple hydraulic hoses to both front and rear wheels. My belief is that it would lighten the bike, and eliminate the need for a traditional transmission.
Hydraulics would provide a lot of torque, so the bike would, I believe move off smoothly.
Some Hydraulic motors have the ability to pump, simply by opening and closing valves. So, Hydraulics could be part of the braking system. No friction bits to wear out or corrode….
Some riders may not be keen to dispense with the traditional transmission, as they feel “engaged” by actually having to do the shifting. I think that this is the only downside.
The motor can be set to run at it’s optimum torque peak during hard acceleration, so it would not be required to rev high, there by eliminating stress, and hypothetically extending the service life of the unit.
To me this is a much better solution than the CVT, which is making it’s appearance in cars.
This has been experimented with for years…in various forms. It’s never made it past prototype ‘one onlys’ for a couple very good reasons
1 – Weight…in one of the the worst possible places. 19lbs to a 250 lb bike?! That’s pretty excessive
2 – Ridiculously complex for very litte gain
3 – Probably expensive for very little gain
Fugetaboutit, sell it to da BMW crowd, they’ll buy anything, fugetaboutit…
Greetings. That sounds Great and I wish them the best in it! I do believe that we are approaching yet a new era in motorcycling, with flex fueled machines, o emissions… The sky may be the limit. While we’re at it, let’s do what we can to keep the sky blue and as clean as possible. Ride Safe! GOD Bless!
Pete,
I agree that 19 lbs is a bit much, but there is a pretty compelling payoff to being able to drive power to the front wheels. I’d love to try the system out and see if it’s worth the tradeoff.
Basem
Basem…..I hear you. It would be very interesting to try it….I have a hard time seeing an application on pavement, but it might be fun in the dirt (this appears to be their application).
That, unfortunately is where the 19lbs would be most felt
a) On the front end – and some of it up high.
b) On a bike that is already fairly light. Add 19lbs to a 450 lb bike & it might go un-noticed…add 19lbs to the front end of a 250 bike and you’ll feel it.
It would be interesting to play with it, but I doubt it will be any time soon before before it makes it past novelty to truly affordable and worth the trade off…and I don’t believe it will ever be anything other than a utilitarian aide rather than a performance aide.
Cheers – Pete
Christini has already proven the viability of an AWD motorcycle with impressive results in a variety of off-road racing events. Yes weight is an issue but as with all technology it will get lighter and more refined with time. It’s great to see so much excitement in bike R&D lately: electric bikes, mtn. bike/motorbike hybrids, AWD and automatic transmissions to name but a few. I’m going to get one of these AWD systems, it’s just a matter of time before I decide they’re refined enough. Riding in and on the Canadian Rockies is my reason for wanting a system like this – those hills are monsters!
I have been working on a twist and go hydraulic idea for a rover V8 engine motorcycle Boss hoss style the maths all worked out, but now the weight of the unsprung mass of the motor built into the rear wheel gives rise to concern, so I am looking for a hyd motor in alloy rather cast iron to transmit the power from the pump to the rear wheel , any one got any ideas on this please.-