A two-wheel drive motorcycle having a motor-generator driving the front wheel, an embodiment of the present invention, in addition to and independent of a conventional rear wheel drive train. The front wheel drive disclosed herein may be adapted to a conventional motorcycle front wheel and telescoping (or shock-absorbing) front fork suspension systems. The front wheel drive of the two-wheel drive motorcycle may be applied to a number of different types of motorcycles including motocross, enduro, dual-sport and touring motorcycles.
The patented 2-Trac system uses a hydraulic pump located above the gear box, and driven by a chain (in an oil bath) driven from the gear box.
The system comprises a pump connected by flexible hoses to a hydraulic engine located in the hub of the front wheel. The 2-trac is a closed loop system equipped with filtration system and is a self-regulated compact unit. The hydraulic pressure transmitted to the front wheel is proportional to the speed of the rear wheel: the more the rear wheel loses traction, the more the hydraulic system compensates by increasing the traction power to the front wheel. The distribution of the power between the front and rear wheels is variable in order to optimize traction. The front wheel can never turn quicker than the rear wheel, and the power transmitted to the front wheel is never higher than that used for the rear. This self-regulated system also allows for the conditions, so that the power to the front wheel is slowly reduced so that the rear wheel "recovers" traction.
When the throttle is closed, no power is transmitted to the front wheel, but if the throttle is opened abruptly and that the rear wheel starts to lose grip, the sudden increase in pump revs increases the hydraulic pressure of the system and a higher proportion of engine power is transmitted to the front wheel. If the rear wheel continues to spin, more power is sent to the front wheel. The proportion of the engine power provided to the front wheel is hence controlled by both the throttle and the traction of the rear wheel.