I began organising Diesel motorcycle rallies for the fun of it and
never really gave much thought to where it might all lead. Five years
later and I’m stood in a field watching a guy unload not one
but three of the most cutting edge machines I’ve ever seen.
This year has seen me viewing bikes at both the Birmingham and London
Motorcycle shows and now, in the middle of the Sussex countryside,
I am presented with three motorbikes I’ve only ever imagined
in my dreams.
Whereas I’m normally surrounded by many privately built conversions,
usually based around the Royal Enfield, I now find myself confronted
by commercially conceived prototypes of a kind not seen before on
British soil.
After an exchange of pleasantries, Erik of E.V.A Products explained
that he had brought over examples of the first production machine
along with the last prototype made. As far as I could tell the only
difference between these first two bikes was the wiring harness which
was slightly visible on the prototype model. Erik explained that they
had eliminated the need for a total of fifteen connectors during the
final stages of development thus making the loom next to invisible
on the production machine. The third bike was a display model presented
without its panelling or tank to show the engine layout and drive
configuration.
Over the next two days I looked on as the Dutchmen became the centre
of attention at the rally. I watched as they rode out on the prototype
motorcycle to find a café each morning and again as they returned
to answer yet more questions from an interested public. On dismounting
I observed them using laser temperature guns to measure and record
readings from various engine parts including the CVT mechanism and
discussing the bikes performance in some depth.
It was then and only then that I started to get a feel for just what
E.V.A. were all about. To see such dedication to their product, such
thoroughness, imparted to me a real sense of trust in the bike. It’s
at little moments like this when you actually observe Erik’s
degree of dedication to his motorcycle that you realise the work and
effort that this man is putting into every element of the build. If
he is to compete successfully with the ‘big boys’ everything
has to be exactly as he requires it. And if his aim is to create a
new class of motorcycle then his machine has to be different.
It’s so easy for some people to turn up, twist the throttle,
go home an hour later and write a shallow review of such a motorcycle.
It’s altogether more satisfying to spend a few days in a field
with the guys who have created such a machine from scratch and get
a feel for just what they are trying to achieve.
Indeed we are told that this motorcycle is targeted squarely at BMW
riders and that E.V.A. has already succeeded in getting much interest
from this sector. Up to 75% of orders received are said to be existing
owners of the German Marque.
Next up came my chance to actually ride the machine.
As I sat on the T-800, Erik, looking a little more serious than usual,
demonstrated the starting procedure. A handlebar mounted button was
flipped and the machine sprang into life. The sound that greeted one’s
ears was all that you’d expect of a modern common rail diesel.
As I had been told to expect, there was no knock, smoke or discernable
smell but then many hours had gone into setting up the ECU for just
that purpose. Only the purring of a well tuned, bike sized diesel
triple impinged upon my ears and it sounded pretty healthy to me.
Things were looking promising! I later learned that this engine has
been set up with longevity in mind, the ECU programmed to make the
engine last anything up to 250,000 miles.
With no clutch lever or shifter in evidence I looked to the right
side of the machine and to the brakes and throttle. Right from the
off I had trouble taming my normal biker instincts. I was told that
the CVT would engage and the bike would move off if the throttle was
turned and even then I couldn’t help but give it the merest
of blips. Sure enough I felt a slight forward motion from the bike
before it subsided. Part of me wanted to hear that engine rev up but
that was something I’d only experience by taking the bike down
the road.
Erik
threw his leg over a 1985 Honda XL600L while I did the same to the
Track T-800CDI. Having not ridden anything like this before I was
(understandably I think) a little apprehensive, especially with the
motorcycles creator watching my every move.
With no traffic and only a few people standing outside the Bat &
Ball I tentatively opened the throttle and moved the bike forward
to the end of the Pub’s access road. The way being clear I then
opened her up and rode the 100 yards or so up to the main road T junction
and experienced the CVT really doing its thing for the first time.
The two things that struck me straight way were the nature of how
the CVT automatically adjusted itself to find the right torque setting
depending on where I had the throttle and secondly how different this
made the bike sound from a ‘normal’ non automatic motorcycle.
Once at the top of the road I turned left up the B2133 towards Loxwood
and opened her up. Again the engine responded instantly and the revs
rose and dropped back as the CVT did its thing and transferred the
power down to the rear wheel via the drive shaft. The bike accelerated
away from the Honda at a comfortable rate of knots while the CVT coped
well with the torquey diesel power-plant it was coupled to. As I slowly
became accustomed to the T-800’s kind of power delivery and
acceleration it really hit home to me just how different this motorcycle
was from anything else that had gone before it. Here I was, astride,
essentially a big, high end trailie, whose engine was injecting fuel
multiple times per cycle while its forward mounted exhaust disclosed
the work being done by the constantly variable transmission hitherto
only found on machines of a totally different ilk.
It
was all a bit overwhelming really but not so much so that I was distracted
from seeing a broken down car that materialised out of nowhere as
I leant the bike into a shadowy left-hander. Swinging the machine
out sharply and over the centre reservation I weaved round the obstacle
effortlessly. Nimble and well balanced the T-800 certainly was. And
who’ve thought that with a diesel engine sitting in the frame?
As I wiggled the bike from side to side, braked and accelerated and
made sure I hadn’t lost my riding partner - the bike behind
was Japanese – I began to get a good feel for what was between
my legs and who it was aimed at. It a world where most motorcycles
still turn in atrocious MPG figures the E.V.A. bike is designed to
be in a different league altogether.
It claims anything up to a refreshing 140MPG and I can quite believe
it having ridden other oil fuelled machines. The engine delivers 45BHP
and 78lb-ft of torque and the bike comes with a CVT transmission designed
to make best use of that power. Saying that, the CVT option maybe
a hard sell to many bikers used to a shifter but without the backing
of a major corporation it’s easy to see why E.V.A. chosen the
most efficient drive system right from the off. This is an important
element I’ve tried not to lose sight of in reviewing this motorcycle.
It may not be to every ones liking but a time will come when riders
will come to see the advantages of such a drive.
Anyone looking for a bike anything like what they currently ride really
shouldn’t contemplate the T-800. The only thing it has in common
with motorcycles of today is its handling and the fact that it has
two wheels. Every element of this machine has been thought through
to provide a certain type of performance and, as far as the average
knee slider is concerned, it’s not the kind of performance they
would want. No, this is a machine built not only for the more discerning
rider but for another age.
Finally, one word keeps cropping up in my mind no matter what element
of this machine I contemplate. That word is sophistication. The workmanship
is as good as you’ll get anywhere and the styling is eye-catchingly
sharp. The engine is purposefully frugal and it’s coupled with
a simple and efficient drive. If someone somewhere doesn’t want
this motorcycle then I’ll be very surprised indeed. The bottom
line is that there is more energy locked up in a litre of diesel than
in the equivalent amount of petrol. Like E.V.A. you’ve just
got to be smart enough to get at it, that’s all.
Unlike anything else on the road the Track T-800CDI does this and
in doing so it looks likely to lay claim to being the first production
motorcycle of a new age.
So, should other manufacturers be worried? They should certainly be
watching!
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