Commercially available Customised Diesel Motorcycles
Ashwins Taurus
Details about the Taurus
This bike started out as a stock factory Taurus, but is now a very different animal. Barring the original Greaves power unit, almost everything else has been customised to suit long range touring in India. Between the Diesel and my RE 500, I have coverd more than 80,000 kms on Indian roads and highways. The diesel is obviously my mount of choice when riding solo on account of the economy it delivers, and the fact that unlike the petrol 500, it's veritably water proof - a great virtue in the Indian monsoon. Here's a quick list of the custom stuff on the bike.
1: Wide reach 'flat' handlebars ( a good 8 inches wider than stock). Helps handle the forward weight of the bike when fully loaded.
2: Long range fuel tank - holds 27 litres of diesel, side filler mouth with tank rack. Diesel quality in India is very inconsistent, so if one comes
across a good clean pump, one is wise to tank up. With 25 litres in the tank, I have a range of over 1500 kms :0)
3: Sprung saddle - not in pic, but usually goes on for 1000km plus rides.Neutralises a lot of engine vibration.
4: External oil tank - Holds 5 litres of 40 grade and has a tapped-pipe that feeds into the engine head. If oil level drops, just open the tap and top up :0)
5: Luggage roll bars. With over 20 kgs of stuff loaded, even a small drop can cause a big mess... hence the leg/luggage guards you see all over.
6: Saddle bags - not in picture.
7: Manual battery cutout. - Helps me control how much charge gets into the battery on a long day ride.
8: Auxiliary Riding lights - powered off a 9amp battery, 30 watts each, sourced off an old Bedford truck.
9: 18 tooth countershaft sprocket - adds 10kph to top cruising speed, HUGE virtue on this bike.
Royal Enfield 500cc Diesel Motorcycle.
Well, I just found that a company, Kristi, were given the job of turning an existing Royal Enfield diesel motorcycle into a mobile workshop and tool carrier to service all sorts of vehicles out in the wilds. It certainly looks different from the standard bike but I've no way on confirming that engine is 500cc.
A 500cc Diesel?