Following up on the Gen-Ryu hybrid concept bike Yamaha showed at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2005, the Japanese firm has revealed a working prototype of another, more palatable hybrid called the HV-X at the Tokyo show this year.
The HV-X uses a 250 cc four-stroke single in conjunction with a 15 kW electric motor. It seems to be a true hybrid, with the internal combustion engine shutting down automatically when the vehicle is stationary, the electric motor operating at low speeds and at modest acceleration, and the engine kicking in again when additional pulling power is required or at higher speeds. A 300 volt lithium-ion battery provides juice to the electric motor.
This is unlike the Piaggio hybrid prototype shown in 2007, which uses electric and four-stroke power in unison to enhance acceleration, and electric-only operation is selected manually.
No clue yet as to Yamaha’s intention to offer this technology in a production bike.
Add a straight pipe and you might have something here !