KERS the Future of Motorcycle Engine Development

It's often that Experimental technology makes it into racing. KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) is an energy-storing flywheel attached to an efficient Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Under braking, energy that would usually be expended as heat is used to accelerate a flywheel.

When needed, that power can then be used to augment an internal combustion engine. KTM has revealed that it employed a Kinetic Energy Recovery System at the final round of last year's Grand Prix 125cc road race series. The system added 3 horsepower to KTM's 125cc road racer power output.

Formula One teams are racing against time to perfect the new KERS technology. On a Formula One car, KERS is expected to add an additional 80 horsepower for a maximum of 6.7 seconds.

For the moment, KERS makes little, or no sense for most motorcycles. Even if it did, the complexity of the drive system and electric propulsion would not achieve the same benefits as it would on purpose build road race engines. But with all new technology, it's possible that we are all using it a few years from now. KERS is a logical step in the future development cycle of motorcycle power.