Turbo charged scooter?

[Isaac Zackary]

It seems that the scooters that actually get good fuel mileage tend to be the smaller ones (50cc). But in an effort to attain highway speeds it seems that usually the CC's are increased, and mileage decreased. What about adding a turbo charger to a small engine and then putting that in some sort of a scooter?

Small Engine Turbo Charger - Small Turbo Kits | RHB31 VZ21 Turbo charger

I would think the turbo might allow for lower RPMs too. Any thoughts? Which engine would be the best for this operation?

I'm thinking of a very aerodynamic custom scooter. Maybe a hybrid. Would likely need a regular manual transmission. I don't know if this could be put together though with off the shelve parts.

[sendler]

They say that turbo needs at least 125cc. Projects like that are fun to think about but they never get finished and running right. Major changes in gearing are almost impossible with a CVT scooter.

[Isaac Zackary]

I was wanting to avoid the CVT all together and go with a manual transmission, even if that meant doing a motorcycle instead of a scooter. I understand that belt driven CVTs are not very efficient.

[Grant-53]

There is some loss to a CVT vs gear driven. Smaller child size dirt bikes and ATVs come with 3 or 4 speed transmissions. Check out a Yamaha Zuma50FX with 12:1 compression ratio or a 125cc Honda Grom. Engine compression ratio and aero drag reduction may give the biggest efficiency gains. MotoIQ.com does a Honda Ruckus project to get highway speed.

[Isaac Zackary]

Ya. I wish there were some way to do a 150cc turbo diesel engine. But 12:1 CR is pretty impressive. I'll have to look into it.

[Baltothewolf]

I was planning on buying a 350cc yamaha warrior and was thinking about throwing a turbo such as this with 3psi of boost... Hmm...

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

The only scooters with forced induction as a stock feature were some Peugeot ones, and they relied on a supercharger instead of a turbo.

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

I wish there were some way to do a 150cc turbo diesel engine. But 12:1 CR is pretty impressive.

Just a remind: Mazda's SkyActiv-D turbodiesels have a 14:1 compression ratio. Maybe it's not so impossible at all to make that 150cc turbodiesel you wish...

[Isaac Zackary]

My Golf has a 23:1 CR. At 50mpg or 60mpg (stock with no mods at highway speeds) for four or five passengers that's really good. A scooter/motorcycle with one or two passengers would hopefully get at least 100mpg. I wonder what all the technical feasibilities would be in constructing a 150cc turbocharged diesel engine with a twenty something to one compression ratio.

[Isaac Zackary]

The Honda Grom looks impressive. Apparently it can attain speeds of up to almost 65mph. I bet that with a major aerodynamic overhaul it would get quite a bit better fuel mileage or even top speed. Integrating a turbo would be cool and help Keep from wanting to stay in low gear. But I wonder how hard it would be to pull off the task of adapting a turbo to this bike and what the actual out come would be.

First of all I'd have to find space for the turbo and possibly intercooler plus all the plumbing. With added intake pressure there would likely be a need for a larger injector and changes to the ECU. Also there would be the need for better cooling, perhaps through oil sprayers inside the engine and an oil cooler.

I wonder if a small electric motor and high output lithium battery wouldn't be a better option for better acceleration, not to mention regenerative braking.

[MkVer]

If you could construct a turbo diesel two wheeler you'd be looking at the holy grail of economy. Hayes made a diesel KLR for the USMC that supposedly got 100mpg without eco driving. They never could get the EPA to certify it for on road use though.