Superbikes are already too darn powerful. So much so that they now come with a plethora of rider aids in the form of electronics. Of course, there are (super) people who can put all the bhp transmitted to the rear wheel to good use because of their skills, but not everyone has such superpowers. Manufacturers like Ducati, Yamaha, Suzuki, and everyone else, can make more powerful bikes but thanks to the ‘Gentlemen’s Pact’ and the strict emission norms, sanity still prevails. However, there’s still a way to make powerful motorcycles and not harm the environment that much – forced induction.
Kawasaki has already implemented supercharger in its might Ninja H2. We also know that Suzuki has been working on a forced induction motorcycle for many years now. Then we’ve got the customized and modified turbo Busas that rule YouTube videos. Now, it’s Yamaha who might be developing a turbocharged engine.
As per the latest patent images, Yamaha could be working on a turbocharged parallel-twin engine. The bike in the images looks similar to that of the Yamaha MT-09 which gives birth to the possibility that Yamaha’s new engine could be based on that of the MT-09 – an 847cc 3-cylinder mill.
The omission of an extra cylinder would create space to fit all the necessary bits to accommodate a turbocharger. It’s being anticipated that this engine would have a displacement of around 565cc.
The patent images reveal two layouts of the new engine. In the first layout, the exhaust headers from two cylinders are merging into one shortly after exiting the head, and channeling the gas into a turbocharger mounted low down in front of the cylinders.
The second layout reveals that the turbocharger is mounted higher up, in front of the cylinder head. The exhaust headers are shorter and feed straight to the turbo. The catalytic converter could be mounted almost vertically ahead of the cylinders rather than underneath the engine. Both the layouts show that the compressed air from the turbocharger is fed through a water-cooled intercooler before it’s fed into the cylinders.
Yamaha hasn’t confirmed anything about all this but we would certainly like to see a turbocharged Yamaha bike. Would you?
