Big Red's “green” Machine

BIG RED’S “GREEN” MACHINE

HONDA CONTINUES TO develop Activated Radical Combustion, the emissions-reducing combustion system that relies on using heat from the previous cycle, retained in the cylinder by a movable exhaust gate, to gradually, knock-lessly ignite the next. Spark ignition is used only for starting and for close-to-wide-open operation. The simplicity of this auto-ignition technology, which is like controlled run-on, suggests it will be a major element in Honda’s attempt to penetrate new basic transportation markets in China, Thailand and Indonesia.

AR-Combustion debuted on the EXP-2, a prototype 402cc two-stroke Single with which Honda tackled the GranadaDakar Rally. Presumably, the EXP-1 was the 250cc test engine described in joint research with the French Petroleum Institute a couple of years before.

Now comes news of a recent tech briefing in Japan wherein an ARequipped CRM250 dualpurpose bike was unveiled. I attended an AR seminar at Honda’s American headquarters early last year, and wondered if California was the right place to inform American journalists about a Japanese system aimed at East Asia sales. But now, with new California emissions regulations effectively banning two-stroke dirtbikes, maybe it makes sense. What better way to prove AR than to demonstrate it can meet tough Western emissions standards? -Kevin Cameron