Are there any current hybrid Scooters or Motorcycles? The only one I've ever heard of is the Piaggio Zip&Zip. This wasn't a hybrid in the current sense of the term but did have an electric and petrol motors which could be used alternately.

This seems to me to be a rich potential source of innovation particularly when applied to "maxiscooters" such as the Suzuki Burgman 400 and 650, Honda Silver Wing, Piaggio X9 and so on. From an engineering POV it should be relatively easy to use a pancake electric motor as part of the rear hub, CVT while giving up a little luggage space for some fat batteries.

What kinda MPG's could we expect from a well-engineered hybrid scooter?

I would guess at least 125 mpg. The aerodynamics would be the only negative point for a scooter.

Regards,

Well let's take the Burgman AN400 as an example. This is quite a good 4 stroke , 4 valve single with fuel injection. Ridden hard I get about 130 miles to a 11.5l tank. That's about 50mpg Imperial.

But this is mixed usage freeway into London followed by hacking through the traffic. Approx 15 miles to the outskirts and then 15 miles in the city. I figure all the inner London riding could be done with electric only. So if I could recharge nightly off mains electricity to help out the petrol driven alternator, I should be able to roughly double the MPG. I should emphasise this is hard riding. Americans with less twitchy throttle hands regularly get 160-170 miles from a tank.

These sorts of bikes get used a lot for commuting and short journeys in Europe which is exactly the travel mix that works well for hybrids. But they are also big enough and fast enough (90-110mph top speed, 400cc-650cc) to handle freeway and even transcontinental touring. The CVT is not as efficient as it could be but it's also wonderfully relaxing and still gives a good turn of speed and acceleration.

As for aerodynamics, the stock fairing/screen is about as aerodynamic as a brick. It's not that bad, but it could be a whole lot better. If you want to see a Motorcycle with the same basic layout as a megascoot but much better aeros, take a look at http://www.bikeweb.com/image/tid/40 I do understand that this is not to everyone's taste!

I believe honda or some company made a hybrid motorcycle. They got poor reception because they were too quiet. I think if you do a search on motorcycle you might find the original post.

My hydroponics experiment

You ever notice how hard it is to lip read cartoon characters?
"Crazy is what the sane call Delta Flyer"

tbaleno:

Back to the old Harley baloney, "loud pipes save lives".
Americans expect a certain image when riding, I guess a quiet bike just doesn't cut it! What a shame.

jbond:

Presently I ride a Honda Hawk GT 647, a mild liquid-cooled V-twin from the late 80's. If I ride at a fast pace, it will do around 50-52 mpg. Riding very conservative, it has reached 64 mpg. Now my Insight surpasses my old mileage champ! But the bike has it's own flavor of pleasure when riding.

I would love to see a motorcycle or scooter (or cross between the two) that had a decent fairing, the latest hybrid technology and some storage space.

Remember the Honda Pacific Coast? Something similar to that, but with an updated drivetrain and much lighter weight.

Regards,

I have a 115cc gearless scooter it gives 40kmpl or 120mpg. This is considered to be low. A n efficient 125cc engine combined with electric power will easily manage 80-100kmpl or 240-280mpg

http://evtamerica.com/z20.htm

It isn't a hybrid but it is cool no?