ARE you one of those 40-something riders who thinks things never really got any better than the lightweight strokers of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.
Do you wish manufacturers could build 60hp/120mph+ two-stroke 250s that had a hope of meeting emission limits today?
Well, they can, and here’s the evidence.
Called the Vins Duecinquanta (that means Twofifty), it’s the latest take on the idea of using direct fuel injection to make a two-stroke engine pass the latest Euro emissions laws.
If you’ve got a really good memory for obscure bikes, you may remember the Vins Powerlight revealed back in 2015, a two-stroke 100cc V-twin sports bike made of carbon fibre. The new 250 version is also a V-twin and shares the earlier model’s carbon fibre fetish. It’s got the same carbon monocoque chassis design, carbon wheels and carbon Hossack-style forks.
Two versions are being developed. There’s a track-only model with a 288cc engine (surely it should be called the Dueottantotto rather than Duecinquanta?) and a 249cc (Duequarantanove?) road-going version.
The Vins Duecinquanta Competizione track model is claimed to weigh less than 85kg and make more than 80hp. Those numbers promise performance that would beat an old 250cc two-stroke MotoGP bike. Vins – a company created by a bunch of former Ferrari F1 engineers, hence the carbon fibre expertise – reckons it’s good for 240km/h (149mph).
The downside? The Competizione version of the Duecinquanta will cost about €50,000 (£44,500).
The road going model is a fraction cheaper at about €40,000 (£35,600). With a slightly smaller 249cc engine, its power hasn’t been revealed yet – presumably the firm needs to complete its emissions homologation before establishing a final figure. In terms of weight, it’s about 10kg heavier than the track bike; Vins says it’s ‘less than 95kg’. It shares all the carbon fibre goodies, including the frame, forks and wheels, and top speed is quoted as 200km/h (124mph).
While we’re not expecting to see these things on every street corner, deep inside we’re rooting for Vins to hit its Euro4 emissions targets. If the tiny company can manage it without sacrificing too much power, perhaps it will encourage others to re-evaluate the potential of the direct-injected two-stroke, a format that seemed to be forever tarnished by the much-publicised Bimota Vdue fiasco two decades ago.
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