Suzuki Patents Recursion Concept's Turbocharger Design
Suzuki has filed a patent application for the technology behind its turbocharged Recursion concept. First revealed at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, the Recursion used a 588cc parallel-Twin engine with an intercooler turbo. At the time, Suzuki claimed the Recursion outputs 99 hp and 74 lb-ft. while weighing 384 pounds (dry).
The patent does not necessarily mean the Recursion is heading for production, but it is a potential step towards that end. The patent includes some alternative designs that do differ from the Recursion, suggesting possible directions Suzuki may decide to go.
Unlike Kawasaki‘s H2 and H2R which uses a supercharger located behind the cylinders, Suzuki’s design places its turbocharger (#30 in the diagrams) in front of the engine below the radiator, using the exhaust stream from the header pipes (#32) to spin a turbine to pressurize the air intake. The pressurized air flows up into the intercooler (#28) located below the front end of the seat.
The patent reveals Suzuki is working on a couple of intercooler designs. The most basic design is shaped like a hollow rectangular box but with dividing wall that runs across most of the length, forcing air to flow in a U-shaped path. Heat radiates from the bottom of the intercooler, exiting out towards the rear wheel. A variant design adds a pipe with a control valve that bypasses the intercooler. This allows more air to enter the engine during rapid acceleration without the intercooler increasing air-flow resistance.
Another alternate design adds a gap in the intercooler for additional cooling. This design also adds a cooling duct drawing air from a between the headlights. Air flows through the gap in the intercooler and out the rear, either towards the rear tire or redirected under the tail.
Judging by the lack of detail in the non-mechanical elements in the patent diagrams (mirrors? What mirrors?) it doesn’t look like Suzuki is ready to announce a production model any time soon. What Suzuki does have is the makings for a potential new platform. The twin-headlight design in the diagrams is different from the Recursion concept’s single light, but the diagrams lack any bodywork around the engine and radiator. Suzuki may decide to add a fairing or keep just the bodywork around the headlights in a look reminiscent of the Katana. Suzuki recently filed new paperwork to renew its Katana trademarks so that possibility may not be that far-fetched.
[Source: USPTO]
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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