Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127176
Fuel Injection (Con tinued from pag e 13) makin g th e engine more flexibl e and the wh ol e bik e easier to ride to th e maximum. Wha t of th e disadvantages? Well , there are a few - not th e least being im posed by th e electronics themselves. Exis ting on-board computer eq ui p ment, being mos tly derived from car-rac ing sources, tends to be bulky and often q ui te heavy. It also req uires a stable supp ly of electrical power, beyo nd that avai lable fro m the current ra nge of self-generating ignition equipment. . T he same is tru e of the injec tion hard war e, o n ly much m o re so. Alt ho ugh he believes th e j apanese engi neers may try to get away wit h a lo wer' figure , Aust in 's system req uires a supply of Iuel at a steady 90psi . This demands a relatively big and heavy fuel pump, which also requires a generous electrical po wer source - either a bul ky battery, or a magnet o n th e cran ksha ft. T here is also a considerable fire risk, in the event of an accident consider the imp lica tions of physical damage to a fuel supp ly system at 90psi o n a bike sliding along the track in a shower of sparks. Sci ence a n d engineeri ng will , ho wever, inevita bly prevai l - wave good-bye to the clear pl astic tube through wh ich you co uld see the flow of fuel , and mee t instead failsafe hi gh-pressure nozzles and connectors from aircraft technology. In rriotorcycles, and with twostrok e engines, the science of electro nic engi ne man agem ent is in its infancy. But th e in fant has been born, and ga ve its first kicks in 1988. Then, Cagiva - benefiting from a l in k with Marel li, su p p lie rs of inj ection eq u ip me nt to Fer r aci , among o thers - used a 'fo ur-way ignition control box. Witho ut the engin e m issing a beat, the rider could choose from four differen t ig nitio n adv ance cu rves to su it cha ngin g conditions or to vary hi s race tactics. In practice, rider Marn ola had more basic pro blems - Pirelli tires -that in th eir first year fell far short of the required standa rd, and an engi ne that su ffe re d from p erforman ce erra tic enough to negate a ny su pp os ed adv ant a ges from s uc h a system. Cagi va will be in the forefro nt of total engi ne managem ent in 1989, but it is unkind but tru e to say tha t the Itali an team is the wrong one to usher in su ch a maj or advan ce, with all its inevitable teething probl em s. They alread y have a reputati on for a d isorgan ized a p proach to th e highly di sciplined task of race track development .a nd tuning, and th e introduction of so many new variables can hardl y help th em solve such a problem. Happil y, it seems unlikely th at th e Ita l ia ns will be left to do th is pio neer ing work o n their own. As well as suc h individ ua ls as Au stin, the j a pa nese wi ll sure ly a lso be joining in this m ajor technol ogi cal development. And if the j apanese engineers can j ustly be accu sed of a conserva tive overa ll approach , th eir developmenta l skills a re beyond q uestion. Expect the infant to reach vigorous health in th e near future. There is o ne fin al item upon which to specul ate . Increased efficiency in racing terms may mean mor e horsepower, but o n the road it means better fuel economy, and clean er exha usts. Fu el inj ectio n may event ually be th e salv ation of the h igh -p erfo rm an ce . tw o -str o ke engine. In whic h case, racing reall y will have imp roved th e br eed. • ~5Jt ~ZI' ~,~.~ CONGRATULATES..... Fred Andrews on capturing the AMA Florida Winter Motocross series Championship in the 500cc Pro class . ,~ ~ L ~ ill ~ • ~ ~ Unparalleled Technology and Computer aided design techniques combined with grueling hours of Dyno and Race Track Testing have made wiseco's "'-.... Pro Tru Pistons the leader in the Hi-Performance Piston ~ market. j Computerized HI-Speed Diamond TLimlng Centers hold tolerances of .CXXJ2" with no size variatiOns. ~ Reinforced dome features waffle design for improved heat transfer and additional strength: L ill Positive ring g roove angularity eliminates blowby and pawerloss. Closer wrist pin boss spacing eliminates wrist pin flex. see the complete line of 1989Wiseco ProTru MX I ATV pistons at Gainesvilles Gatorback Raceway Park March 5 and Daytona International Speedway March 6 - 12. Wiseco Piston Inc. 7201 Ind ustrial Park Blvd. Mentor. OH 44060 (216) 951-6600 Wiseco Piston Canada Inc. 178 Ingersoll Rd. PO Box 383 Woodstock. Onto N4S 7X6 (519) 537-6281 What's happe ning? Cycle News Calendar. . SEE .TEAM HONDA AT GABLES HONDA FEBRUARY 17 5:00 PM SEE: * Rick Cooper Johnson * Jeff Stanton Guy * Larry Ward * George Holland * Mike Kiedrowski * HONDA Come ride withus, Your South Florida CR Headquarters Large Selection of . 1989 CRs in Stock. GABLES HONDA .. .. 7300 Bird. Rd. M iam i. FL 33155 For more info call : (305) 266-8300 Ya.- _ _ 25