Back in 2005, Yamaha showed the wacky 2005 Gen-Ryu hybrid concept bike at the Tokyo Motor Show amidst a raft of other very non-conventional two wheelers such as the aptly named FC-Me fuel cell bike, the ingenious Deinonychus elec tric reconfigurable motorcycle, the Chivicker, Passol and the Maxam two-wheeled limousine. Now it appears certain the bike will become a showroom model in 2010. A series of patent applications detail the new motorcycle which uses the YZF-R6 600cc engine to turn a generator which in turn powers the rear wheel. History shows that every Yamaha styling patent published over the last 20 years has resulted in a full production machine, so there's little doubt this one is also heading for a showroom near you in the very near future. You can expect to see it in the flesh for the first time at the Tokyo Motor Show later this year.

Proving that the idea of hybrids – machines that combine both petrol engines and electric motors – are soon to become a widespread idea, Yamaha's 2010 machine looks set to steal the thunder from rivals at Honda, which has also announced it will be offering a production hybrid next year.

While rumours and earlier prototypes all suggest that the Honda machine will be a resolutely practical scooter, hiding its glamorous technology under a conventional-looking skin, the new Yamaha takes its inspiration from the firm's show-stopping 2005 Gen-Ryu concept bike.

That bike, revealed at the Tokyo Motor Show four years ago, combined the inline four-cylinder engine from the firm's YZF-R6 with a massive generator and electric motor. Instead of using the engine to directly drive the rear wheel, its main use was to turn the generator, which in turn provided all the power the electric motor could need to give sportsbike-style performance using a direct drive to the rear wheel. Using electric power, there's no need for a clutch or gearbox, and their omission goes some way to offsetting the additional weight of the electric motor and generator.

 

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