High Tech Hits the Dirt
HIGH TECH HITS THE DIRT
ONCE YOU PUT A COMPUTER on a vehicle, you can think up all sorts of extra work for it. In this case, some commander in Yamaha's R&D department decided to see what could be done for dirtbikes with an anti-spin traction-control system. As lately applied to 500cc GP roadracers and Honda's ST1100 sport-tourer, an anti-spin system senses a runaway rate of rear-wheel acceleration, and controls it by instantly retarding the engine's ignition.
The new model with this system is Yamaha's DT230 Lanza, a 40-horsepower, 290pound two-stroke dual-purpose bike, and the initial report from Japanese correspondent Ben Matsui indicates that the system doesn't do much just yet. But that's not as important as the fact that someone is trying to find out what a computer can do for a sliding motorcycle.
Gut reaction from experienced riders: "A computer on a dirtbike? What for? To make simple fun expensive and complicated? Just another interfering gadget without a mission."
But this raises questions. Anti-spin is interesting, but it won't be the end of the story. Once the rear end of the bike is loose and swinging, control may be lost even if the engine stops pushing. Then, the hardworking folks at R&D will want yaw detection as well as anti-spin. And then to integrate the two. Seems to me I've already heard talk like this at Harley-Davidson.
Of course, the auto makers are already well along with this technology, hoping to create a complete artificial stability system that will save people from their own defective instincts on snow, ice, water or even dry pavement. It'll be like selecting the "in-
vulnerable" option in a video game-not sporting at all, which is why auto-racing sanctioning bodies are intent on banning electronics. On the other hand, there are times when being invulnerable would be okay.
After all, computer power is cheap-way cheaper than either horsepower or health insurance.
In any event, for better or worse, Yamaha is letting us know that such work is in progress. Wonder if they're doing anything with their twowheel steering patents...
Kevin Cameron
