Consumers often accuse the motorcycle industry of lack of innovative designs and path-breaking inventions. The industry and the designers have always tried to evolve but the ideas never really caught on with the public. The design of modern sports bikes has remained stagnant over the decade but that is due to the consumer preference. Whenever there has been a design that is too different the public has been reluctant to accept it and thus it has faded into obscurity irrespective of the fact that the idea was great. Yamaha’s Niken three-wheeler is one such example. It has two wheels at the front and thus bike riding could have been a lot more fun and accessible to many. The public hasn’t been receptive enough to it without even giving it a chance. We will recommend bike enthusiasts to ride the Yamaha Niken once before passing a judgment. In this perspective, it is therefore important to take a look at some of the most brilliant inventions that failed. Some of them were perhaps ahead of their time or were not viable but here we present you the list of Top 10 Brilliant Motorcycle Innovations that never really caught on because the world wasn’t ready.
#10 Single-sided forks
A mono-fork looks great just like a swingarm but the consumers don’t really see any benefit.
#9 Hub-centre steering
Hub center steering is being seen as a solution to the problems of separating braking and suspension forces, telescopic forks. Many brands tried it but only a few could successfully implement it.
#8 Turbos
In the 1980s most Japanese firms thought Turbos were the future. Many well-known brands of the time tried it out but met a dead end. Innovations like this one always make a comeback and if ever someone tries the Recursion concept then they may even hit the markets again.
# 7 Rim mounted brakes
While brakes that mount to the rim may not be the most exotic invention ever but there was a lot to be excited about the arrangement. Bikes that go too fast would ideally like brake discs with a larger diameter and the setup would have been ideal but Eric Buell was the only one who supported the idea and so it is unlikely that we are going to see a resurgence of rim mounted brakes anytime soon.
# 6 Wankel rotary engines
Wankel rotary engines were touted to be the next big thing in the industry. They derived huge power from a tiny package. Many brands tried it out. Some even made prototypes but as emission regulations got more stringent and these engines died away.
#5 2 WD motorcycles
4 WD was very popular in the 1980s in the car industry hence bike designers were very enthusiastic about 2 WD. Companies dabbed with the idea for a while but the idea never got mainstream success.The military has realized the value of 2 WD vehicles and this is one idea that must be accepted by the public. Electric bikes could make the idea to resurface though in near future.
#4 Direct-injected two strokes
This is one such idea that we wish to succeed. For many of us, there is nothing like the two-stroke. It reminds us of the good old days but due to the emissions and environmental concerns they had to be phased out. They were fast and cheap and direct injection was supposed to solve the problem as by injecting the fuel after the exhaust port was closed should have made them as clean as a four-stroke engine but the direct-injected strokers never really got going. KTM recently expressed their desire to produce direct-injection stroke engines again but we’ll have to see.
#3 Cameras instead of mirrors
Time and again using cameras instead of mirrors have been proposed but the idea never gained traction. Norton has repeatedly tried and is giving it another go with the V4 superbike camera helmets but their plan may not be a reality as the government like the vehicles to have mirrors so unless there is some amendment we are likely to see mirrors in our future. Cameras may look fancy but they are expensive and have their own hassles. They require constant adjustment but we may still have cameras if there is any legal change.
#2 Active suspension
While everyone is crazy about semi-active suspension it is quite different from active suspension. It is merely adaptive to the conditions while active suspension which came in the 1980s used hydraulics or electromagnets to lift a wheel which reduced the shock of a road disturbance. It was a technology which could have revolutionized motorcycle industry and the fact that it was banned in F1 racing is a shame.
#1 Hydraulic drive
Honda spent a ridiculously high amount of money to develop the idea of hydraulic drive and developed one of the weirdest and costliest motorcycles ever. This made the failure of the technology inevitable. A hydraulic pump converted the engine’s rotation into the movement of fluid which went down the swingarm to the rear wheel. A hydraulic motor was there which turned the wheel. The idea was really innovative as only two pipes were needed to transmit the power but the DN01 failed to lure consumers and give them a reason to prefer it over cheaper and simpler models.
So here was our list of Top 10 Brilliant Motorcycle Innovations that never really caught on. Some were good, some not so much but on an overall, we would like some of them to come back in a more reformed form for a better riding experience.
