Suzuki Patents Reveal Variable Valve System for V-Strom 1000
Newly-published patents from Japan suggest Suzuki is developing a variable valve system for the V-Strom 1000. If the patent turns into a full product, the V-Strom 1000 would follow Ducati‘s Multistrada 1200 in offering VVT on a adventure-style tourer.
Suzuki has been working on a VVT system for a while now. Suzuki has patents dating back to 2004 for a three-dimensional cam, a wave-shaped cam that slides laterally, varying the valve lift and acting angle.
The latest patent is for the addition of an oil pressure control valve on the front cylinder head to supply oil to a variable valve mechanism for a V-Twin engine. The detailed diagrams show an engine and frame that look strikingly similar to those of the V-Strom 1000. Observe:
According to Suzuki, its 3D cam design can improve fuel efficiency by 20% while increasing torque output by 6% across the rev range. At low rpms, the system keeps the valve lift and acting angle small and the valve-closing timing quick, creating a compression stroke that is shorter than the expansion stroke. At high rpms, the valve lift and acting angle are both larger, increasing power output.
While the patents reveal Suzuki is working on a variable valve system, they don’t indicate when we’ll see it put to work. With Ducati adding VVT to the Multistrada and the VFR800 Interceptor using Honda‘s VTEC system, we won’t be surprised if we see Suzuki’s version as soon as the 2016 model year.
[Source: Japanese Patent Office]
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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