Diesel motorcycle

A diesel motorcycle is a motorcycle with a diesel engine. With a traditionally poor power-to-weight ratio, most diesel engines are generally unsuited for use on motorcycles which normally desire low weight, compact size, high RPMs and rapid acceleration. In the 1980s, NATO forces in Europe standardized all their vehicles to operate with diesel fuel. Some forces had fleets of motorcycles and trials were conducted with diesel engines on these. Air-cooled single-cylinder engines built by Lombardini of Italy were used and had some success. This led to some countries re-fitting their bikes with diesel engines.

Diesel conversion of existing motorcycle
A USMC M1030M1 motorcycle and rider awaiting a helicopter flight into Kuwait.

In 2005, the United States Marine Corps adopted the M1030M1, an off-road motorcycle based on the Kawasaki KLR650, and retrofitted it with an engine designed to run on diesel or JP8 jet fuel. Since other U.S. tactical vehicles like the HMMWV utility vehicle and M1 Abrams tank also use JP8, adopting a scout motorcycle which runs on the same fuel would ease logistics.

Further development by Cranfield University and California-based Hayes Diversified Technologies led to the production of the Kawasaki KLR650 based motorcycle for military use. The engine of this motorcycle is a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder four-stroke which displaces 584 cc.

In India, motorcycles built by Royal Enfield could be bought with 325 cc single-cylinder diesel engines because diesel fuel was much cheaper than petrol (gasoline) at the time, and of more reliable quality. These engines were noisy and unrefined and not very popular because of lower performance and higher weight penalties. The engines were originally designed for use in commercial applications such as electric generators and water pumps.

Conversions
Home-made diesel motorcycle

A popular conversion choice is to put an industrial diesel engine single or twin cylinder in a modified motorcycle frame.

An alternative is to use industrial diesel engines or diesel engines from small cars. Frames are modified or completely self-built.

Production vehicles

Sommer Diesel 462
Sommer dieseled Royal Enfield

Sommer Motorradtechnik produces the Sommer Diesel 462. It is powered by Bavarian Hatz Diesel. The Sommer-diesel motorcycle is assembled by hand in small batches in Eppstein. Some components of the wheels and gears may be supplied by Royal Enfield of India.[1] The frame was built in Germany (since 2011) and has been improved from the old one.

Track T-800CDI
Track T-800CDI

Track T-800CDI was a production model produced by Dutch company Evaproducts with an 800 cc three-cylinder common rail turbo diesel engine used in Smart automobiles. It used a continuously variable transmission. It had a claimed fuel efficiency of up to 140 mpg‑US (60 km/l). [2] It was only sold in the Netherlands, and the company eventually closed.[3]

Royal Enfield
Enfield Diesel

Royal Enfield in India was the only manufacturer that has built a diesel motorcycle in mass production in the year of 1980s .An industrial diesel was installed in the frame of the British-based Royal Enfield. However, due to pollution laws, this bike is no longer produced. Initially street mechanics were mounting this engine in used Bullets, like retro Royal Enfield Bikes, with the 350 cc retrofit engine. On seeing the success of these bikes; Royal Enfield started manufacturing Bullets with the diesel engine and named it the Taurus. The Taurus was available with an electric starter in 1993.[4]

Sooraj 325cc Diesel

Sooraj, a company based in Saharanpur, India produced a diesel motorcycle with a 4-speed Albion Royal Enfield gearbox fitted with a Lombardini 325cc engine.[4]

Hayes Diversified Technologies M1030M1
M1030M1 - Diesel Military Motorcycle

After several years engine development at Cranfield University,[5][6] the HDT M1030M1 has entered service. It is produced by Hayes Diversified Technologies (HDT),[7] and it is based around a modified Kawasaki KLR650. Top speed is approximately 90 mph (145 km/h) and fuel consumption is advertised to be 96 mpg‑US (2.5 L/100 km; 115 mpg‑imp) at 55 mph (89 km/h). M1030M1s have successfully taken part at the British National Rally and the Bonneville Speed Trials.

The U.S. Marine Corps bought 440 of the M1030M1 model, under the name M1030M1 JP8/Diesel. The M1030M1E AVTUR/Diesel Military motorcycle is sold to British and European NATO countries. A version made for the civilian market, the D650A1 "Bulldog" was originally slated for release in March 2006, but due to increased military demand for the M1030M1, production of the civilian Bulldog has been delayed indefinitely.

In the Summer of 2010 at Eurosatory, a French defence contractor exhibition, HDT presented the HDT 1030M2 a major upgrade of their present HDT1030M1. The 1030M2 chief change is an upgraded 670 cc engine which has a multifueled capability and produced 20% more power, and through a patented technology called MAC-C1 enables the engine to use not only standard automobile gasoline and truck diesel fuel, but five major jet fuel types; and even the heavier vegetable oil based biodiesel. As of September 2010 no orders have been placed.[8]

Faired and unfaired Hayes Diesel motorcycles won second and fourth place at the 2011 Mid-Ohio Craig Vetter Fuel Economy Challenge.[9]

Star Twin Thunder Star 1200 TDI
Thunderstar 1200 TDI at the Dieselmotorcycle Rally 2005 in Hamm, Germany

Star Twin Motors produced Thunder Star 1200 TDI, which used a modified 1.2-litre Volkswagen Lupo diesel engine in a new crankcase with 5-speed transmission.


Neander
Prototype of the Neander

The Neander uses a parallel twin cylinder turbo diesel engine with two meshed counter-rotating crankshafts, which the manufacturer claims to remove engine vibrations.[10]

See also

References
  1. http://www.motorradmanufaktur.de/index.php?main=462&sub=fertigung
  2. "World First Ride: Evaproducts Track T800CDI diesel motorcycle". www.motorcyclenews.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  3. Hunter, Chris (13 April 2009). "Track T-800 CDI diesel motorcycle". Bike EXIF. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  4. "Royal Enfield Taurus Diesel". BikesIndia.
  5. Diesel Military Motorcycle, S. J. McGuigan, Cranfield University (DCMT), November 2001 at the Wayback Machine (archive index)
  6. Royal Military Engineers Build Military Diesel Motorcycle For U.S. Marines, Maybe NATO, Diesel Fuel News, 26 November 2001
  7. M1030M1 JP8/Diesel Military Motorcycle (PDF), Hayes Diversified Technologies, archived from the original (PDF) on 7 December 2006, retrieved 28 February 2009
  8. Military Technology, September 2010, page 3 published Monch Publishing Group ISSN 0722-3226
  9. Mid-Ohio results, Craig Vetter, archived from the original on 12 October 2011, retrieved 26 October 2011
  10. "The new generation of high-performance diesel engines". Neander-motorcycles.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
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