Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki has been in the headlines with the 4-cylinder, quarter-litre, supersport motorcycle and now the brand might be trying to develop something new and the company has reportedly filed a patent application for a hybrid motorcycle.
According to the leaked patent images, the bike is seen with an electric motor mounted behind the engine block of a conventional internal combustion engine. The battery and fuel tank are expected to be placed away from each other one under the seat and another above the engine, where a fuel tank would be on a conventional motorcycle, but the design is at a very early and rudimentary stage to speculate anything more.
The hybrid engine concept works well on four-wheelers but there is not enough space to combine both on motorcycles but that doesn’t mean the idea is unique to the motorcycle industry and in the past, we have reported such concepts and one example is the Druid Motorcycles Sorcerer which has a Concept electric-hybrid engine. The Italian two-wheeler giant, Piaggio had also launched a hybrid Vespa but could not attract buyers and the project was eventually scrapped.
Also, Leaked images from a patent showing BMW Motorrad’s GS Adventure models could come with a front wheel hub-mounted electric drive motor in the future, which may only be used for assistance at slow speeds to aid reversing and while off the road. Will Kawasaki may be able to put the concept in production in the near future?