According to documents dug up by Motorcycle.com, Suzuki is working on a hybrid motorcycle with a semi-automatic transmission.
The drawings Suzuki has filed with the Japanese patent office show a motorcycle that runs on either gas or electricity; a handlebar switch controls which mode the bike runs in. The bike can also run in an electric-assisted mode (under gas power, but with the electric motor providing a boost).
Along with the novelty of a hybrid powerplant, the patent drawings also show Suzuki’s plans for a clutchless shifting system. Instead of the rider being forced to pull in the clutch lever to shift gears, sensors on the shifter detect movement. The motor is then managed by a Transmission Control Unit that changes power delivery to allow upshifts or downshifts. Very trick indeed!
Will this bike ever see the light of day? It’s hard to say. Suzuki’s teased a couple of interesting concepts in recent years, like the Recursion turbocharged bike, but we have yet to see any real innovation in their lineup. Hopefully their presence in MotoGP signals that’s about to change.
