VYRUS ALYEN 988
P48
Feature
We've sampled some Vyrus machines in the past, the most
recent of which was the 982 M2, the company's failed Moto2
racer-turned-street bike. But the Alyen is something different
entirely, a technical tour de force that looks unlike anything they
(or anyone else for that matter) have created before.
"It's a totally new concept," says Vyrus' CEO Ascanio Rodor-
igo. "Over the course of 10 years, 57 different versions were
made between the designer Mr. Yutaka Igarashi and myself. "It's
a totally new placement of the parts in new volume and shapes."
(Below) The carbon
fiber body is a
structured component
of the chassis. The
aesthetic is almost
like a lizard! (Right)
Magnesium was used
for the front and rear
swingarm.
The Alyen utilizes the Vyrus
trademark of a double swingarm/
hub-center steering system,
whereby the front suspension,
braking and steering forces are
separated. This design helps
maintain the correct steering ge-
ometry under braking, cornering
and acceleration, although at the
expense of some feedback, which
riders have been conditioned to
sense over the years through tradi-
tional telescopic forks.
The steering system HWSS (Hy-
draulic Wired Steering System) is
a mechanism developed by Vyrus
that combines two steel cables
tied to the ends of the handlebar
and connected respectively to the
sides of the wheel. The system
is such that there are no connec-
tions at all between the handlebars
