A diesel motorcycle is a motorcycle with a diesel engine.
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]
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 in India was the only manufacturer that had built a diesel motorcycle in mass production in the 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, a company based in Saharanpur, India produced a diesel motorcycle with a 4-speed Albion. The Albion Motor Company of Scotstoun, Glasgow was a manufacturer of cars and commercial vehicles but were best known in the motorcycling world for their gearboxes. Albion gearboxes were fitted to Aston, Calthorpe, Carfield, Cotton, Coventry-Eagle, Dot, Elfson, Greeves, Hailstones and Ravenhall, Haden Precision, Lily, McKenzie, Metro-Tyler, Priest-JAP, Priory, Radco, Rex-Acme, Ruby, Saxelby, Spur, Sun, Talbot, Triplette, Triumph Gloria, Weatherell, Whitworth and many other British motorcycles) Royal Enfield gearbox fitted with a Lombardini 325cc engine. [4]
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, and received 214. 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,[ clarification needed ] 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]
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]
In 2020, Axiom Diesel presented a prototype of a cruiser built using an air cooled diesel engine. [11] In 2021, they presented a model at the International Motorcycle Show (IMS) in Dallas, United States, using a 1-litre turbo diesel engine mated to a 4 speed gearbox to power the motorcycle. [12]
The Kawasaki KLR650 is a 652 cc (39.8 cu in) dual-sport motorcycle intended for both on-road and off-road riding. It was a long-standing model in Kawasaki's lineup, having been introduced in 1987 to replace the 564 cc (34.4 cu in) 1984–1986 Kawasaki KLR600, and remaining almost unchanged through the 2007 model. The 2008 model was the first significant redesign of the KLR650 since its inception. It was built with a 652 cc four-stroke, DOHC, dual-counterbalanced, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. The second significant redesign in 2022 added new features such as electronic fuel injection and an anti-lock braking system.
The Honda XR series is a range of four-stroke off-road motorcycles that were designed in Japan but assembled all over the world.
Mazda has a long history of building its own diesel engines, with the exception of a few units that were built under license.
The Renault Fuego is a sport hatchback that was manufactured and marketed by Renault from 1980 to 1986, replacing the Renault 15 and 17 coupés of the 1970s.
Royal Enfield was a brand name under which The Enfield Cycle Company Limited of Redditch, Worcestershire, England, sold motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines which it manufactured. Enfield Cycle Company also used the brand name "Enfield" without the "Royal".
The Bajaj Pulsar is a range of motorcycles manufactured by Bajaj Auto in India. It was developed by the product engineering division of Bajaj Auto in association with Tokyo R&D, and later with motorcycle designer Glynn Kerr. A variant of the bike, the Pulsar 200NS was launched in 2012, but it was suspended for some time. With average monthly sales of around 86,000 units in 2011, Pulsar claimed a 2011 market share of 47% in its segment. By April 2012, more than five million units of Pulsar were sold. In 2018, they celebrated selling over ten million Pulsars backed an exclusive TV commercial and a marquee ride to in 6 cities to write "PULSAR" on a pre-defined route. The model is also sold as Rouser under other markets, such as South America.
The Renault 18 is a large family car produced by French manufacturer Renault between 1978 and 1989, with South American production continuing until 1994. It formed the basis for the closely related Renault Fuego Coupé, with which it shared its floorpan and drivetrain, but with the Fuego initially using the negative offset type front suspension from the larger Renault 20/30, which became standardized across the 18 range from the 1983 model year onwards.
A motorcycle engine is an engine that powers a motorcycle. Motorcycle engines are typically two-stroke or four-stroke internal combustion engines, but other engine types, such as Wankels and electric motors, have been used.
The Suzuki Boulevard S40 is a lightweight cruiser motorcycle manufactured by the Suzuki Motor Corporation for the Japanese domestic market, and exported to New Zealand, North America, as well as to Chile and other countries.
Unit construction is the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. This sometimes includes the design of automobile engines and was often loosely applied to motorcycles with rather different internal layouts such as the flat twin BMW models.
The history of the motorcycle begins in the second half of the 19th century. Motorcycles are descended from the "safety bicycle," a bicycle with front and rear wheels of the same size and a pedal crank mechanism to drive the rear wheel. Despite some early landmarks in its development, the motorcycle lacks a rigid pedigree that can be traced back to a single idea or machine. Instead, the idea seems to have occurred to numerous engineers and inventors around Europe at around the same time.
Motorcycle components and systems for a motorcycle are engineered, manufactured, and assembled in order to produce motorcycle models with the desired performance, aesthetics, and cost. The key components of modern motorcycles are presented below.
Royal Enfield is an Indian multinational motorcycle manufacturing company, headquartered in Chennai. The Royal Enfield brand, including its original English heritage, is the oldest global motorcycle brand in continuous production. The company operates manufacturing plants in Chennai in India.
The Royal Enfield Bullet was an overhead valve, single-cylinder, four-stroke motorcycle initially made by Royal Enfield in Redditch, Worcestershire England. It was later produced by Royal Enfield at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, a company originally founded by Madras Motors to build Royal Enfield motorcycles under licence in India. The Royal Enfield Bullet has the longest and unchanged production run of any motorcycle having remained continuously in production since 1948. The Bullet marque is even older and has passed 75 years of continuous production. The Royal Enfield and Bullet names were derived from the British company which had been a subcontractor to the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield, London.
The Royal Enfield WD/RE known as the "Flying Flea" was a lightweight British motorcycle developed by Royal Enfield for the British War Office as a means of transport that could be dropped by parachute or carried in gliders, to quickly carry messages and signals between airborne and assault troops where radio communications were not in place.
The Royal Enfield Thunderbird is a cruiser style motorcycle produced by Royal Enfield Motors in India. The Royal Enfield Thunderbird is known as Royal Enfield Rumbler in export markets.
Forced induction in motorcycles is the application of forced induction to a motorcycle engine. Special automotive engineering and human factor considerations exist for the application of forced induction with motorcycles compared to other forms of motorized transportation.
The Royal Enfield Himalayan is an adventure touring motorcycle manufactured by Royal Enfield. It was revealed in February 2015 and launched in early 2016. Pierre Terblanche led the design team during Himalayan's development.
The Royal Enfield Continental GT is a Neo-retro Café Racer motorcycle produced by Royal Enfield. The first model to use the name, the Continental GT 250, was produced by the original Royal Enfield in the 1960s UK. The name was revived by the Indian manufacturer in the 2010s with the Continental GT 535 and Continental GT 650.