February 03, 2017 • Tim Technical Support Specialist

WhAT’s all the buzz about the new x18 and x18R bikes?

Welcome to this week’s tech talk at Venom Motor Sports!

Customers are getting very excited about the new x18 and x18R series bikes.

Today we are going to spend some time looking at both bikes and chatting about the new CVT drive systems. They are amazing!

Please click on the various “CVT” drive videos links below. Thank you “youtube”!

Keep in mind that this information applies only to our new x18 and x 18R series bikes.

Onto this week’s topic!

Tim...What makes the x18 such a perfect bike for the novice rider?

In a word “Balance”!

The x18 series is such a perfectly balanced bike, it is a dream to drive. Super easy to handle and being a fully automatic drive system, no gear shifting to worry about.

Comfort and ease of handling make the x18 the perfect bike for a new rider.

Tim...Is a licence and insurance required for the x18?

The x18 model with a 50 cc engine does not require a licence or insurance.

The x18R model with a 200 cc engine is fully street legal and would require both a licence and proper insurance. This bike makes for an excellent commuter vehicle for the experienced rider or a super weekend toy.

As I a big on safety I always recommend proper protective clothing when riding and a DOT certified helmet is a must!

Tim...What is this CTV drive thing you keep talking about?

The CTV drive is an amazing bit of technology. It has been used in the automotive industry for years now and is a well proven technology now moving into the bike world. Instead of using traditional gear based systems to exchange power from the engine to the drive wheel, this system only uses two pulleys connected by a drive belt.

One of the pulleys is connected to the engine crankshaft and the other to the drive wheel on your bike. What makes this system so neat is that both of the pulleys can change in diameter offering an infinite set of possible speed and torque ranges.

The pulleys continually adjust in diameter to provide the optimal gear to transfer power from the engine to the drive wheel. This means that acceleration and performance always stay in optimal range to minimize wasted power, so this bike just sips gas and has great fuel economy.

Tim...What does a CVT drive feel like when you are accelerating?

Smooth smooth smooth...

When you hit the throttle the engine first revs up to its most efficient operating rpm range. Then the engine remains there while acceleration continues by changing the pulley ratios to make the drive wheel rpm increase while the engine rpm remains in its “sweet spot”.

The “sweet spot” for an engine is the rpm range that produces the most amount of power using the least amount of fuel.

The x18 series bikes always run in this “sweet spot” offering exceptional fuel economy.

Tim...What sort of maintenance does a CVT drive need?

The CVT drive system is maintenance free with the only exception being the drive belt.

So you do not have to fiddle with the drive chain, adjust tension etc. Just swap out the belt when you feel that the acceleration of the bike has changed. By change I mean that you will feel that the bike is less responsive than it used to be. This is simply due to the drive belt stretching over time.

Replacing the drive belt is a simple matter that can easy be completed by home bike mechanics. How often will this need to be done? From all the data I was able to gather it seems that the average user under normal use conditions will need to change the drive belt about every five years.

Tim...Have you found any good video’s on the operation of CVT drives?

Yes! gotta love “youtube”, thank you fellow youtubers for sharing your videos.

The video’s listed below are some of my favorites. Just click on the link.

This video gives a great overview of the operation of a CVT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCEvBGT8twM

This video gives a review of CVT’s found on Chinese Scooters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aze2kRbQ_X4

Simplest way to replace a belt on a CVT drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XakWj8YM_P4

This video highlights the operation of the variator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6ZVCxYK2M8

Check out our blog next week as we look what makes a bike “street legal” in most States and Provinces in Canada.