Porsche Building A Bike?
PORSCHE BUILDING A BIKE?
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PORSCHE WILL ENTER THE motorcycle market with a technological tour de force unlike anything else on two wheels, says Motorrrad Reisen & Sport, a German magazine.
A Porsche spokesman in Germany denies that the company is developing a motorcycle, but sources say the bike will appear in 1996 or '97.
Computer-controlled suspension. which would analyze load, speed and road conditions is anticipated. Front suspension is rumored to include a triangular member similar to that of BMW’s Telelever, but with only one telescopic leg. A floating brake ring is apparently attached to a hollow-cast alloy wheel.
Sources say rear suspension is handled by a design similar to BMW’s Paralever, although Porsche’s mechanism is said to provide progressive operation through a system of linkages.
A traditional disc brake is fitted at the rear, and both brakes have anti-lock control.
Power is said to come from a 140-horsepower, fuel-injected. 20-valve, 1200cc inlinc-Four, with variable valve timing and an electronic engine-management system. Oval pistons are a possibility, but they could be scrapped due to high manufacturing costs. Shaft-drive is expected, along with an electronically controlled, six-speed transmission in addition to the standard foot selector, the rider may shift gears via a handlebar-mounted rocker switch without using the clutch or adjusting the throttle.
No price for the yet-unnamed sportbike has been revealed, but, as is the case with Porsche’s four-wheeled vehicles, sophistication and performance does not come cheaply.
Although Porsche says it has no motorcycle project in the works, the legendary German manufacturer does have experience with motorcycles.
In the 1970s, it helped develop Yamaha’s XS750 drivetrain, and it later created liquidcooled V-Four engines for Harley-Davidson's ill-fated Nova project. Currently, Porsche engineers are rumored to be helping Harley make the Evolution engine produce fewer emissions.
Robert Hough
