Diesel motorcycles. Me want, me shall have.

[PeterS]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

So are these already available? What's its engine power and displacement? Direct injection?

Goggle has a few links .
Hero Honda Plans 400cc Diesel Bike | MotorBeam - Indian Car Bike News & Reviews

I wish I could buy one !!!!!!!!!!!!

[sbestca]

Hey, where is this going?
Sounded like a great idea, 10hp diesel in a bike.

I have some done some swaps in the past, converted a diesel van to 4wd, put a 50hp enduro motor in a 17hp quad, put a CVT snowmobile engine in a Honda XL250, V8s into Mazdas and Toyotas, and a bunch of other stuff over the years. I am a machinist and millwright in industry, maintaining and improving machinery. I know the work involved. This is a very do-able project.

Where are you now? You have the engine, do you have a bike frame?

I read about 750 and XS1100 chassis. Kind of heavy but ample room to work and good for a test bed. Not what I would use for the final bike, too heavy. I would be looking at smaller frames, but heck, get it done with what you have at hand! Nothing is perfect the first time around.

Transmission. You will need one. 10hp will not move on a single speed. Bike transmissions are wonderfully simple and very adaptable, especially from 2 strokes where you can saw the front half of the motor off if you wish. Motocross bikes like the YZ125 have too close a ratio transmission, enduros or quads are a better choice. It was mentioned in a post about the Yamaha Blaster transmission. I am very familiar with it. 6 gears with a wide spread and able to handle over 40hp without a problem.

Clutch, if you used a bike lower end you could also use the bike clutch and reduction ratios for the diesel engine. Remove the crankshaft and replace it with a through shaft, with a belt pulley on one end or the other. Epoxy is your friend. The entire Yamaha Blaster engine weighs 53 lbs, remove the crank and cylinder (cover with aluminum sheet) and you have less than 40 lbs. This is do-able.

Steve

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by sbestca

Transmission. You will need one. 10hp will not move on a single speed. Bike transmissions are wonderfully simple and very adaptable, especially from 2 strokes where you can saw the front half of the motor off if you wish.

I've already considered to use a centrifugal clutch, like the one used in the Mobylette, for space-saving reasons instead of a CVT.

Clutch, if you used a bike lower end you could also use the bike clutch and reduction ratios for the diesel engine. Remove the crankshaft and replace it with a through shaft, with a belt pulley on one end or the other. Epoxy is your friend.

Making it fit to a tight dirt-bike frame is the problem, due to the engine's size.

[PeterS]

Here's a thread on one that worked out well.Making of the 10HP Diesel Prime Mover - ADVrider

[bennelson]

Just last night, a friend of mine posted a message on Facebook, about how NOT COOL it was that some company said they were going to start a production model of a diesel cycle and NOT they say they aren't. (He's a big bio-diesel guy, has a Golf TDI, etc.)

That prompted me to say something stupid like "Yeah, lets build our own, that will show them!"

I had a Surplus Supply catalog on my desk that I was paging through and saw a 10 hp diesel engine in there (complete with fuel tank, electric starter, etc.) for $800, but the place was all out of them.

I did a quick search and found that the Launtop mentioned earlier in the thread can be had on eBay for $600, including shipping.

A search for "diesel motorcycle builds" brought me back to Ecomodder (no surpise ) and I was excited to see Christ working on one........ and then disappointed to see that nothing ever happened from it.

I have a Kawasaki KZ440, which is the same make, model, and year as the one I used for my Electric Motorcycle project. (I originally got it just to have as a source of replacement parts.) The spare KZ440 still has the original engine and transmission in it (although the carbs don't work.)

I found it interesting that the diesel engine is a 418 cc and my cycle is a 440. Hmm..... Just about the same size as each other?

It's not like I need one more project to do, but does anyone have any suggestions, encouragement, etc.? Sure would be great to have one of these engines in front of me, so I could physically see it, measure it, figure out how it would fit - WITHOUT having to just buy one first!

I wonder about taking apart my KZ440 to access to the transmission and see how it could all go together?

[mechman600]

It's next to impossible to change the engine without changing the transmission unless you have SERIOUS machinist skills, as you know. They share cases, the crankshaft gear drives the clutch basket in a nice bath of shared oil, etc. I imagine it is possible to cut the existing motor out and machine the new one to bolt it, but it would be a complex undertaking.

An easy alternative would be to ditch the transmission and get an automatic variable speed belt drive (CVT) setup and drive the final drive (chain) off that. They are about $150 and work quite well.

[MTXA]

A possible chassis & transmission for a diesel conversion could be a British motorcycle. Royal Enfield, Triumph pre-unit, early BSA. With a little digging decent basket cases can be found at reasonable prices. Sell off what you don't use to recoup some expenses. Brit engines are tall so a diesel transplant might go pretty smooth.

[PeterS]

bennelson, here's a good page on the conversion.Riding on Salad Oil - lo speed hi fun -

Indian made Royal Enfields are often used for this , they're cheap and the separate gearbox is ell adapted to fitting a new engine, especially a stationary like the 10 Chinese diesels.

[PeterS]

bennelson, here's a good page on the conversion.Riding on Salad Oil - lo speed hi fun -

Indian made Royal Enfields are often used for this , they're cheap and the separate gearbox is ell adapted to fitting a new engine, especially a stationary like the 10 Chinese diesels.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by MTXA

A possible chassis & transmission for a diesel conversion could be a British motorcycle. Royal Enfield, Triumph pre-unit, early BSA.

Some BMW motorcycles also had the gearbox separated from the crankcase.