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A flexible-fuel system for small motorcycles has been developed that can utilize both gasoline, and ethanol as an alternative to fossil fuel. For practicality, we aimed to develop a system that uses a minimum of additional parts. As a method to make both ethanol and gasoline available with the system, a control algorithm that estimates the ethanol concentration by utilizing the output voltage of an OXYGEN SENSOR and selects the appropriate injection quantity is employed. Usually, in automotive flexible-fuel vehicles (FFV), sub-tanks are mounted to ensure engine startability in cold temperatures. However, in small motorcycles, limitations of mounting space must be addressed. In this system, by clarifying the control logic and determining the difficult cases for cold temperature starts due to high ethanol concentration, configuring the indicator to promote gasoline mixture when the start is difficult enabled the elimination of the sub-tanks.

Recently, the electronic fuel injection systems have been widely applied to small motorcycles including scooters. In the high pressure fuel lines, plastic hoses have been increasingly used instead of conventional rubber hoses. As the plastic hose is less elastic than the rubber hose, the fuel pressure pulsates more in the plastic hose. To cope with this issue, we have conducted researches on how the fuel pressure pulsation in the plastic hose affects the accuracy of fuel injection. Keeping our eyes on the pulsation damping effects derived from the changes of volume due to the expansion and contraction of hose when the pressure changes, we have established the analysis method for optimization of the inner diameter and the thickness of the hose utilizing CAE analysis. The newly-developed plastic hose is applicable to motorcycles having a single cylinder 250 cm3 engine using an injector of a high static flow rate.