If you thought the Yamaha Niken was already crazy as it is, then get a load of what Furion have in store. Based in LeMans, France, the brand is no stranger to some rather impressively ridiculous builds (and I mean that in a good way).
Recalling an article we’ve covered in 2017, Furion made some headlines thanks to a Wankel Rotary concept, which at the time was considered “An original motive combination with the key to an unusual sound, the musical fruit of the two rotors of the engine,” as stated by the brand’s designer Marc Evenisse. Now, that concept alone is enough to make waves in an industry where pistons are the norm, but this time around the new concept shall take an engine platform that we all know and love and turn it up a notch with hybrid power.
If the standard MT-09 or Niken’s CP3 engine wasn’t enough to satisfy you with gobs of torque, what more once a hybrid system is in play? The brand has announced that its third-ever concept will use a Yamaha Niken as its base, but with electric wheel hub motors in the two front wheels for some added spice.
The rear will continue to be powered by gasoline combusted in the firing chambers of the venerable CP3 engine, but the already capable mill will be supplemented with electric motors that add an additional 47 horses on top. This brings the total power figure of the three-wheeler to a staggering 160 hp, near superbike territory. The inline triple already makes a decent serving of torque at about 65 foot-pounds, but the additional wheel hubs bump that figure up to a staggering 103 foot-pounds. The electric part of the bike’s propulsion system is powered by a 2.2-kilowatt hour battery, which will be supplemented by a regenerative braking system.
It looks like Furion may be onto something for the future of two or even three-wheeled mobility. Could this concept be the first in the market that most manufacturers will be keen to adopt? That remains to be seen, but we know just how fast electric vehicles can get in terms of acceleration and torque. Perhaps Furion could make Yamaha say “why didn’t we think of that sooner?” Though again, that remains to be seen.
