Engmann Diesel Motorcycle
Engmann seem to have produced and offered several Diesel Motorcycles down the years, the MZ framed bike being the most prominant. Click here and here to see different pages of a magazine advert (german text) offering both Ruggerini 850cc and Robin 412cc bikes. Notice that Engmann has tilted the Robin engine in an effort to reduce vibrations. Niether of these machines are still being made, Engmann having died some time ago.the D3 means the bike requires 3 litres of Diesel to travel 100 km.
An MZ fitted with Fuji Robin engine. D2 means the bike requires 3 litres of Diesel per 100km.
Matchless Diesel Motorcycles
After Building his Petter Ambassador machine Ernie Dorsett went on to put a Robin DY30 engine (kindly lent by Roger Kimbell & Paul Holdsworth, Directors of Robin Redbreast Industries) into a Matchless frame. This particular engine has a capacity of 299cc and produces 5.5 BHP. Max RPM is 3600 while bore and stroke are 76mm x 66mm respectively. Compression is 21:1. Frame used was from a 1952 model.Wheels, forks and gearbox are all from 1960 while tank is 62/63. The Robin silencer was retained and can clearly be seen behind and to the side of the engine.
Here is Ernie Dorsett with his second Matchless machine. This machine was fitted with the larger DY41 engine, 412cc which produces 8.5 BHP at 3600RPM. This unit was used on the Later Royal Enfield models. Again this engine was donated by Robin for the project. The frame is a G3.
The 2nd Matchless/AJS framed Diesel Motorcycle from Ernie Dorsett.
MZ Robin 412cc with Variomatic Primary Drive.
The MZ Robin DR400s 412cc single cylinder diesel with variomatic transmission is owned by William Hogervorst.With an engine producing 9.5 BHP Max speed is 55Mph. Only ten were ever converted by Robin and beyond that I know very little except that Robin also fitted thier engine into the Royal Enfield. I'm told some people do not like the Variomatic asspect of the machine, it being sometimes troublesome.
Robin Enfield 412cc Diesel Motorcycle
Paul Holdsworth's ambition was to produce 200 of these machines a year but it is doubtful this target was ever met. However, about 100 bikes were produced and sold at the rather expensive price back then of £4500, the engine costing £1500 of that. Production started after the legendary diesel enthusiast Ernie Dorsett approached the company after first producing 5 G3 Diesel Matchless machines. Problems procuring the Matchless frames led all concerned to turn instead to the Royal Enfield. (Notice the error on the title photograph)Bikes began to roll off the production line in 1992.
The D R stands for Dorsett Robin
Return to Search By Parts Used
