[Cycle]

Hi, all.

So I'm exploring all avenues to increase fuel efficiency as much as possible. It's a project-bike.

Thus far, I've replaced the wheel and rear gear set bearings with micro-polished and tungsten disulfide-coated hybrid ceramic bearings, put in 15% taller rear gears, modified the clutch to give a lower engagement speed and slightly wider range, installed all LED lights, am running a Pulstar HE1HT9 spark plug, and put 8.5 grams of 0.6 micron tungsten disulfide (WS2) in with the engine oil (Royal Purple 10W-40 Synthetic with Synerlec). After the new rear gears are worn-in, I'll put WS2 (1.75 grams) in the gear oil (Royal Purple 75W-140 Synthetic with Synerlec), as well.

In the near future, I'll be getting rid of the OEM coolant pump and replacing it with a custom-built microcontroller driving two electric mag-drive pumps (two for redundancy and emergency cooling capability in case of coolant, cylinder head or exhaust temperature overheat), putting a custom-built corona discharge ignition in; replacing the engine bearings with hybrid ceramic bearings; and getting rid of the OEM generator stator and ground-shunt voltage regulator, replacing it with an alternator and proper voltage regulator driven off a second flywheel with embedded magnets that sits inside the engine's flywheel where the OEM stator usually sits. The magnetic interaction between the two flywheels will turn the alternator. I'll also be having a custom rear rim fabricated which will hold a Stieber ALF2D2 sprag clutch so the bike can coast without engine braking or gear train drag slowing it down.

Further out, I'll be getting roller lifters fabricated to replace the flat tappet lifters, getting ceramic heat shield on the face of a new piston, on intake and exhaust valve exposed surfaces, and on the head and intake and exhaust ports; getting a new cam cut that can take advantage of the roller lifters (faster lift and seat, slightly longer open duration, no overlap); a custom expansionary exhaust that reflects a negative pressure pulse back toward the cylinder just before the exhaust valve closes (at highway speed RPMs), otherwise known as negative supercharging, to replace the loss of scavenging due to there no longer being valve overlap; and an aerodynamic body; getting a new cylinder WPC and WS2 treated; running a Total Seal gapless top ring and lower friction oil control ring; and building an exhaust heat recovery unit that heats fuel and water for injection so the fuel and water don't have to absorb as much heat in-cylinder; implementing a constant-temperature air intake system (since this bike's fuel efficiency is extremely sensitive to outside air temperature... it runs best when it's about 85 F outside); installing a high-temperature piezoelectric transducer in the intake to ensure complete vaporization prior to the intake charge hitting the cylinder; and putting in a custom programmable ECU to control it all.

Of course, to fit it all in, and to make mounting the new aerodynamic body easier, I'll be building a ChromeMoly trellis frame with forkless front end for it, which will also save substantial weight over the old heavy steel frame (the bike weighs 338.8 pounds curb weight, I'm hoping to trim about 65 to 70 pounds off that, which will give me the same power:weight ratio of a Toyota Prius). It'll be a feet-forward design, for lower frontal area.

And really far out there in the future, I want to look into a desmodromic valve actuation setup for this bike to do away with the power drain of having to compress those valve springs. And I'm looking for a toroidal infinitely variable transmission (IVT) to replace the CVT, operated via a twist-grip on the left handlebar, which will let me tailor the performance of the bike (performance or fuel efficiency) with a twist of the wrist. It'll also allow me to stop on steep hills without rolling backward, since the IVT has a "geared neutral" that prevents movement as long as the engine's running.

Along the way, I'll be experimenting with different fuel concoctions... my first idea is to replicate Sir Harry Ricardo's Racing Discol 1 (RD1) fuel from 1921. That fuel consisted of 80% ethanol, 10% acetone and 10% water. It supposedly became popular with racers because it gave about 20% better fuel efficiency and power over gasoline of that era. My idea is to convert the 10% ethanol in E10 gasoline to RD1 by adding ~47 ml of water and ~47 ml of acetone per gallon of E10 gasoline thereby making the water miscible in the gasoline. I'll also be experimenting with isopropyl alcohol, methanol, naphthalene, hydrogen peroxide, and xylene in various proportions.

But on to the topic at hand... this bike has the PAIR (Pulsed Air Injection Reaction) system (it injects fresh air into the exhaust to burn off any hydrocarbons that don't burn in-cylinder), but it doesn't have EGR.

Would EGR help with fuel efficiency? If so, I can purchase an EGR valve that fits on another scooter (a 125 cc engine, my engine is 174.5 cc), but what would be the best way to control it?

Also, I want the be able to filter the EGR so my intake doesn't get all gunked up. Are there filters available for this purpose?