The article may be more relevant that you might think.
A former customer (2000 XC250 rider) worked for OMC and after the buyout, Bombardier, or BRP (
http://www.brp.com/). He was responsible for developing the fuel injection mapping and the fuel management system for the Johnson and Evinrude two stroke outboards.
When I got my first GasGas FSE400, he arranged to work the boat show for OMC at Hot Springs, Arkansas so that he could help me with the fuel injection and engine management system on that bike. He brought an exhaust gas analyzer with him and we spent a day playing with the bike and it's fuel injection system. (My club's enduro trails are only 15 minutes from downtown Hot Springs.)
Over a three year period, we spoke a lot about fuel injection, and Direct Injection fuel injection particularly. Through the research for his work, he was able to obtain (for a year only, due to licensing restrictions) a DI 250cc 2-stroke (Japan only) Honda dual sport bike. This bike used the same technology as the 400cc DI 2-stroke that Honda raced at Baja and the Paris/Dakar Rally. (After the test results were in, Honda shelved the system, as far as the rest of the world is concerned.
After studying that bike for a while, he worked up a fuel injection system for a KTM200. I believe he brought that bike to the DRN "Dirt Week" that was held in Oklahoma. (2000 or 2001?)
My discussions with the fellow, and Honda's success with their project, really woke up my interest in fuel injection for two strokes.
Just look at the results by OMC with the system on their big 2-stroke outboard engines. Those engines have all the advantages of power and weight of the two stroke, and at the same time burn cleaner and are more fuel efficient than the comparable 4-stroke outboards.
I don't think much of KTM's statement about the owner no longer being able to change the piston. I would have a hard time buying something I couldn't work on.
Regarding the article in question: I did find the part about the Omnivore engine interesting, and I've been interested in the DI Ossa enduro ever since I first heard about it. Check out it's exhaust pipe. It can be shaped like that because with fuel injection the exhaust scavenging properties of the pipe are a lot less strict.
Recently, I heard a rumor that GasGas has bought out OSSA. When I first heard about it, the above mentioned fuel injected OSSA technology came immediately to mind.
Could a Direct Injection fuel injected GasGas 2-stroke enduro be available in the future?
I might buy one of those.
