[Big Dave]

I hate to tell you this, but it has already been done. There is nothing new under the sun – particularly in the way of engines.

Back before the First World War, the Germans built some kerosene (the Germans called it paraffin at the time) spark ignition engines for U-boats. Prior to that all of Mr. Holland’s submarines were gasoline-powered on the surface. Given the volatility of gasoline, early subs were unmitigated fire hazards which gave a lot of scope for reports of “…lost with all hands.” Kerosene and diesel (No. 1 and No. 2 middle distillate) have a much lower vapor pressure and as described are much less of a fire hazard. These engines did work, after a fashion. They ran and didn’t blow up (like gasoline subs) and in fact one paraffin-engine U-boat (the U-9) was quite successful.

The paraffin engines were nowhere near as powerful as either gasoline of diesel engines of the same size. The flame-front of kerosene is nowhere near as fast as that of a mixture of air and gasoline vapor. The paraffin boats were slow on the surface. The famous U-9 (and all paraffin boats) also had another characteristic they had to overcome: The paraffin engine smoked like a coal-fired battlecruiser. The plume could be seen for miles. She could only run of the surface at night or in an area where she could not be spotted.

But paraffin was abandoned when capable diesels came along (read after the invention of Herr Bosch’s fuel injector). The paraffin boats finished the war as training boats.

I’m not entirely sure what mechman600 is driving at. If he has a source of cheap kerosene, use it in a diesel instead. Diesels run just fine on kerosene. I’ve done it myself. If you have straight mechanical injection put a dollop of motor oil in the kerosene to reduce wear on the injector pump.

You might get that bike to run, but it will run poorly and smoke like a steam locomotive.