Honda Explains Flex-Fuel Technology for Cycles

[jduke]

From Dealer News:

Honda Explains Flex-Fuel Technology for Cycles
Publish date: Sep 2, 2009

In early March Dealernews reported on Honda's plan to offer the CG150 Titan Mix to consumers in Brazil later that month. Now, Honda explains the technology behind the the first motorcycle in the world featuring flexible-fuel technology to come from a major supplier.

The term flexible-fuel technology refers to a system capable of running on any mixture of ethanol and gasoline, regardless of the ratio.

In Brazil, where penetration of flexible-fuel technology is well advanced and approximately 90 percent of new automobiles sold are equipped with flexible-fuel technology, gasoline blends (containing 25 percent ethanol) and 100 percent ethanol are available to motorists. The ethanol used to power motor vehicles is bio-ethanol, manufactured from the waste fluids created when sugar is extracted from sugar cane. The benefit? According to Honda, since ethanol produces 3 to 5 percent less carbon dioxide than gasoline under equivalent driving conditions, flex-fuel vehicles prove to be "better for the environment and more convenient for the user."

The CG150 Titan Mix, which sells for 6,340 real ($2,683), runs normally whether its tank is filled with ethanol, gasoline or a mixture of the two. To help keep the cost increases associated with flexible-fuel technology to a minimum, "requirements for ethanol fuel supply have been met primarily with existing components, with additional custom components kept to a minimum," Honda says.

The core technology employed is a newly developed Mix Fuel Injection System which adjusts the amount of fuel injection depending on the ratio of gasoline and ethanol in the fuel tank, ensuring optimum combustion conditions at all times. Also added: a flame arrestor in the fuel tank and a replaceable secondary fuel filter.

Honda produces about 1.5 million units annually in Brazil, where the OEM's sales last year totaled 1.326 million units. Honda plans to sell 200,000 units of the CG150 Titan Mix annually.

—Submitted by Guido Ebert

[cageyar]

Interesting but I'm not looking forward to the day when emissions and fuel economy are performance factors people consider when they buy a motorcycle.

Today, I can still buy the bike I like, pull the limited EPA crap off and tune for real performance. I pulled the stock exhaust off my R12S before I ever rode it because I'm not riding a bike with a catalytic converter. And that Akra sounds great.
All things in their time and I feel lucky that I got to experience the pinnacle of the internal combustion engine. There will no doubt be exciting developments for future means of propulsion, but I'll leave it to the next generation to get rev'd up (if that applies anymore) about silent electric bikes at the IOM. I'll mostly likely be riding the internal combustion engine motorcycle in the sky by then, spiting fire and unburned hydrocarbons and still getting off on the sound.
It was meant to be that way.

[jduke]

Originally Posted by cageyar

I'll mostly likely be riding the internal combustion engine motorcycle in the sky by then

I think you have your directions upside down

[cageyar]

Originally Posted by jduke

I think you have your directions upside down

No, it just means I'll be dead and immune from the global warming nuts.