Motorcycles using Yanmar Parts (inc Clones)
Guzzi Ray's Yanmar Chopper.
Here's a shop of Ray's hard tail chopper which made its first appearance at the 2010 British Dieselbike rally at the Bat and Ball. Ray has been to just about every rally held in the UK and always said that one day he would build a bike. Well here it is! And what's more it has recently passed it's road worthiness test and is now on the road. Ray first had his attention drawn to the fact that there was such a thing as a diesel motorcycle rally by a friend of his who phoned him up and said "Ray, this is right up your way of thinking." Judging by the bike Ray has produced it certainly was!
Ray's hardtail diesel chop with a suicide shifter.
The Gustav
This is the Gustav at Hamm in 2008, a bike we had not seen before. Built by Soenke Techau and named after his Grandfather's who had taught him engineering, this bike used a 10hp D.I. 418cc Yanmar clone engine. Painted with a matt grey/black mix it was fitted with a small torque converter (Comet 40/44) and has a top speed of 90Km. The bike was running on bio-diesel and consumed 2.8 litres per 100Km. I was also shown the documentation on which I could see that the exhaust silencer was licensed only to this bike on account of it also being self-made. Remarkably, the alternator was self wound with twice the original amount of windings. The bike was built around a Kawasaki GPZ900R and has an electric start. I had the pleasure of riding this bike and found that to ride without a clutch was a new and I have to say liberating experience for me. When my own bike, the Ruggerfield, was stuck in mile after mile of motorway traffic heading for Hamm, I wished I could have had the luxury of no clutch! The whole project took Soenke 9 months to complete.
Honda John's Kawasaki Yanmar Diesel Motorcycle
My forum name is Honda John, but I go by....John. My first project was based on a wrecked KZ400 that my friend picked up as a parts bike. I traded him a box of carbs and got a solid roller, minus engine, wiring loom, tank, and seat (all the easy and cheap parts to replace). I bought a clone of a Yanmar L70 from Ebay, welded in some extra frame lugs, and mouted it on a chunk of heavy duty C-channel that I milled down.
As a recent college grad with no money, and since I wasn't planning to put it on the road anyway, I didn't use a transmission or stretch the frame in order to keep the cost down (the fact that the frame is twisted and the rear swingarm is seized helped too). I installed a massive custom rear sprocket and used a centrifugal clutch on the output shaft. Its great for messing around in parking lots and rides like an old Rupp mini bike, but it can't do hills at all. I will definetely figure out a gearbox next time around.
Anyway, I'm happy I stumbled on this forum. Its good to know I'm not the only person out there with too much free time!
Shots of both Johns Clutch and rear sprocket. Thanks John!
My names Dan and I'm a long time lurker on the forum here. I really like motorcycle touring and figured that economy wise my current mount SR500 had to me a short range. I like old bikes then I found out about Indian Enfields. They have all I'm after: 350 or 500 single right side shift 4spd and ok mileage. After more surfing the net I discovered people had been fitting Diesel engines into 'em and getting extremely good mileage. I know a Diesel powered Enfield is nothing new but heres another one to the list. Took a few months to build. The project was plenty of fun. My bro helped with all of the welding as he's pretty good at it and I made all the other bits, cables etc. Engine is a Yanmar L100V
I've only got about 70kmls on Diesel so plenty of testing and long distance riding up ahead. At the moment it rides very well, much more enjoyable than in previous 350 form. For me there is not much difference performance wise between the 350 petrol and this. From what I read I was expecting it to be really slow especially up hills. Well I tell ya I was in for a surprise. For 10 horses it moves well up 15% grades. Very pleased. Dan
Dan got some help rom his
brother building this bike.
Kurt's Diesel Motorcycle
I'm kurt and live in belgium. I have been busy all winter building my own diesel bike using a Husqvarna TE350 as donor bike. I bought a Yanclone 9hp engine and streched the frame and reused the original engine gearbox. Other parts used are from Honda, Triumph, Suzuki and even truck parts (head light).
Kurts Diesel Motorcycle. Cheers Kurt!
Petter Holte's Moto Guzzi Diesel Motorcycle.
This is my project for the winter of 2009. The bike is a Moto Guzzi California 2 1985 and the engine is a Yanmar from 1986 taken from a termoking ageregat.
Petter's Winter project, this fabulous California Diesel motorcycle.
Sam's Turbo Diesel Motorcycle
Checkout Sam's turbo Yanmar powered Dieselbike. Its a 3cyl, 958cc. Engine has been totaly rebuilt with preformance in mind. Turbocharged, injection pump modifications,pump timing advanced, all parts to spec. Turns at 4000rpm, lots of fuel, boosts 8psi under moderate load.
One of the youtube videos
Two Diesel Motorcycles from Napenee District High School, Ontario, Canada.
I found your site and a few others about 18 months ago and toook the whole diesel bike idea into my high school class room at Napanee District High School in Ontario Canada. Well it worked out okay with a $4200 grant from the local learning foundation and we were off. Both bikes share the same 10 hp yanmar clones and Comet 40 series clutch to chain drives. The green bike has a 4:1 final drive and the black one is set at 4.8:1. The black one has been tested to 85 kph on the a flat stretch and a little over 90 kph on a slight grade. The green bike has not been run at full speed yet but does not keep up on acceleration to the black one. As these bikes belong to the school they will never hit the road. My plan for this fall is to build another bike or two, one for me that will be licenced for the road by next spring. I like everyone that has riden these things just can't belive how well they work. They are loud, blow black smoke and vibrate how good can it get. Here is a link to the video we shot the first day we had them going . I will get some video latter this summer of them at speed. You can post the pictures and video on your site if you like. Thanks for spreading the word.
Video. More Video.
Sean White
Kingston Ontario
Canada
This green bike built at Napanee District High School has a 4:1 final drive
The drive on this bike is at 4.8:1
2002 KLR Diesel 418cc - $4000 (seen on craigslist in Aug 09)
I have no way of knowing if this bike sold. But, with its good looks it is proving to be something of an inspiration to other builders namely located on our forum.
This is a home built diesel KLR. I'm using a Yanmar clone 418cc diesel engine, with a Comet 40 series convert/drive. It's both electric and pull start. At this moment, it only has 375 miles on it and still in the break in period. The top speed is about 65MPH with an average of 130MPG. I've run it on bio diesel and regular diesel. Both seem to suit it just fine. This is an experimental bike and sold as such.Brian Rutherford's MZ Yanmar Diesel Motorcycle
I live just outside Edinburgh in Scotland and have just finished my diesel MZ (they are never truly finished are they ?). It started life as a 1972 MZ 250 ES TROPHY that a friend gave to me a long time ago (5 years plus) . Then one night at my local rally bike club ( SPECIAL K ) I was discussing what to do with the TROPHY and how it was so ugly it was good. Another friend said that he had two Yanmars living under his bench at work and that they were going to be scrapped, so that was how the project began.
So one sorry looking MZ, two Yanmar LA 100 engines (one for spares), a box of comet cvt parts bought from e-Bay and the project was on. It was always going to be a long project because of other commitments: wife, children, friends, work, my other bikes and rallies. I have made as many parts as I could myself and what I could not do, my friends helped or the internet has proved me with. My friend Davey at spectrum bike paints (07788904946) did the subtle paint for me.
Your site has proved to be a very good source of ideas and information on what can be done.
Here is a list of parts I have made.
Main engine cradle
Battery box
Primary cover
Front brake anchor
Back brake arm
Front sprocket cover
Number plate
There are parts that have been modified originals or from other bikes but the list is quite long. I also wired it myself so I am not so sure about how long before the lights stop working.
Brian Rutherford's MZ based Diesel Motorcycle.
Ben's 1980 Honda CB750C Yanmar Diesel Motorcycle.
Ben's 'John Deere' styled Honda Diesel Motorcycle.
Ben built
this over the winter. It started out as a 1980 Honda CB750C but now has a Chinese
Yanmar engine along with a Comet
clutch system to jackshaft and chain final drive. It's been tested to 95 kph.
2 Wheel Drive Yanmar Diesel Motorcycle
This bike was seen on You Tube and very little is known about it except that it is Yanmar powered and apparently 2 wheel drive. I've put it in under the Private Production simply because the frame looks custom made.
Kawasaki Diesel Bike using Yanmar Clone 406cc engine.
The following text was used to describe this bike when it went up for sale on eBay. The bike was originally located in North Garden, VA, United States.
"This is a diesel conversion motorcycle built from the frame up using a 1982 Kawasaki 550 LTD. It is titled as a Kawasaki 550 LTD. The original frame was modified to accept a DEK 10 HP air cooled diesel (Yanmar clone) and a Comet 500 CV belt drive transmission-jackshaft assembly. This involved removing the forward half of the engine cradle on the stock frame and building a larger cradle to accept the new components. A professional welding shop made all welds. The completed frame was primed and painted using a high-heat ceramic-epoxy spray paint. The front forks were rebuilt using new seals with the addition of fork boots to keep out road dust. The steering stem bearings were removed, cleaned, and repacked; the swing arm received similar treatment. Brakes are original, with the front master cylinder and caliper being rebuilt prior to reinstallation. The wiring harness was custom built (one circuit at a time) and mapped-out for future reference. All lights except the headlight are LED (brake/tail) or LED-ready (turn). The seat pan was custom-cut from the original pan and professionally upholstered. The gas tank (purchased from Coyote-Gear) is mounted rear of the seat; it is a spun aluminum DOT-approved 3-gallon tank with a bottom main outlet and a separate return. There is a fuel filter and an associated cut-off valve rear of the engine’s injector intake pipe. The engine can be turned-off via this valve or by completely rolling off the throttle (which shuts off the fuel injector pump). The exhaust system features a custom-made header and flange (again professionally welded) and a chrome megaphone muffler. The bike has a manual (rope) start and an electric starter (supplied as stock on engine, I have not wired this in). Engine has a compression release for easy starts. The charging system is rated at 150 Watts. This bike is fully functional. Purchaser might choose to make further refinements, for example: selecting a larger rear sprocket, connecting the electric starter, etc. This is a good bike for a person who likes to tinker. Similar designs have attained 140 mpg and 55-60 mph; I have tested this bike on my driveway but have no high speed data or miles per gallon data. Included with this bike is a copy of my journal documenting all aspects of the project (e.g. costs, material sources, schematics), a CD containing photographs taken over the course of the project, and a second (commercially purchased) CD with extensive information on diesel bike design, making bio-diesel fuel, etc. This bike represents the culmination of 2 years of design and research and several hundred hours of build-time; it could well serve as your entry to the world of diesel motorcycling and design. I built it purely for the challenge of creating a diesel bike and never intended to keep it once finished." Bikes VIN is: jkakzfc11cb505599.
Yanmar Moto Guzzi
Many thanks to Mitchell Green from down Tampa, Florida way who sent me details of his great looking Moto Guzzi conversion. The bike dates from 1971 and has been fitted with a Yanmar 3GM30 Diesel engine which gets about 65 to the US gallon. Mitch tells me he will be improving the top speed of 74 mph and adding a gun mount in the near future.
I think you'll all agree that this is a very well proportioned motorcycle.
A look at the left side of this Moto Guzzi Diesel Conversion.
University of Adelaide Yanmar Diesel Motorcycle MKII
I've just recieved another email form Colin Kestrell informing me that his students have built a 2nd diesel powered motorcycle.In his own words he is what he has to say regarding this second machine:
"This year my students set out to build a fully compliant motorbike and register it for road use. They achieved this my modifying a Cagiva and combining it with a Comet CVT and a Yanmar LA100. Once tried and tested we entered it in this years Greenfleet class of the World Solar Car Challenge, which is a particularly gruelling event (for lecturers and students) involving a 4000km trek across Australia (including the compulsory detour to Ayres rock and back from Alice Springs).
Anyway, we had a few dramas (mangled drive spools, lost wheel nuts, blown engine etc - all repaired or replaced enroute) but persevered and completed the event. Not only did we complete it, but I'm proud to say that we won our category with the 'lowest environmental impact' averaging 3.5litres/100km (I'll let you do the maths to convert it to mpg) and by having the best net carbon emissions. Very happy!" DieselBike.net says, "Well done you blokes in Australia!"
University of Adelaide Yanmar Diesel Motorcycle
I recieved an email from Colin Kestell back in 2005/6 who said his students were going to build a diesel motorcycle and could I help them out. I sure could and sent along a dvd of footage shot at several of the Hamm diesel bike rallies. Next thing I know these talented guys have built themselves a bike! They used a Yanmar L100AE engine because of it's power to weight ratio and fitted it into a Husaberg frame which had to be substantially modified. Visit the homepage here.
The Yanmar engined University Diesel Motorcycle from Adelaide.
Dean's Bio-diesel Honda
In the Summer of 2006, Dean bought this 1985 Honda Rebel and converted it to a 10 Horsepower Single Cylinder Yamar Diesel powered motorcycle. He also put an automatic belt driven transmission on it. He gets 140+ MPG and uses Bio Desiel.
Visit Dean's business here.
Dean's bio-diesel powered Honda.
Mike Sieberts Yanmar (clone) Scooter
Mike ( a confirmed scooterist) built this scooter with the smallest size Yanmar Clone he could find. He says it looks like an old mini-bike frame but it is new and larger - and it's street legal!
See a You-Tube link of it when Mike took it for it`s first ride here
Suzuki GSX Yanmar
Here we see a machine constructed in 2006 by Richard Coles. Based around a Suzuki GSX 250E, this motorcycle has had its engine replaced with a 406cc Yanmar L100 (taper shaft). Gearbox is a 3 speed pre-unit affair with the shift lever fitted up by the tank. More on this build here.
Another Diesel Motorcycle from the U.K.
BMW R100RT 1981
Sam tells me his bike has a john-deere/yanmar engine ( TNA-72. 3 cylinder about 900 cc displacement.) He made a billet flywheel and bell housing so the original clutch fits. The transmission is original. The fairing was removed and headlight brackets from another bike were used. The forks are two inches longer than stock to give additional clearance to the front wheel/engine assy. Iit runs on ordinary diesel and he's used it also on 100% canola oil by CRISCO company (cooking oil) as a test. No difference in performance experienced except starting a little bit hard.
He built it about 5 years ago as an amusement and says the stack (exhaust) has the "required" flapper. <G>
Thanks for the info Sam in washington, pa.This machine is now owned by Dave who tells me this bike has a top speed is 63 mph Best fuel gets 70 mpg at 55 mph. It loves biodiesel. I have repainted it added a faring and the tail section around the seat and have added duel tanks. I have reoutfitted the tubing with biodiesel compatible tubing and hooked up an electric switch to go from tank to tank. Future modifications may include getting a tall fifth gear to up my top speed and up my miles per gallon at 55.
Sam Mayberry built this Yanmar BMW which is now owned by Dave.
Ariel Yanmar Diesel Motorcycle
Two picture's
of the Yanmar Ariel. A close-up of the engine and a shot of the finished bike
By Dr Robert Harms.
Honda
Yanmar Chopper Bike This bike was pointed
out to me very recently. It was up for sale on Ebay. I've taken the
liberty of posting up the builders discription of the build and a few
details about the bike. No need to depend
on Middle-East oil when you can drive this chopper that runs on bio-diesel
(or regular diesel fuel if you don't want to buy bio-diesel).This bike
started life because of my son's Middle School Science project on renewable
fuels. The idea of making our own fuel from used vegetable oil caught
our attention and after reading up on the idea, we decided to build
a bike that runs on it. The chopper started life as a 1977 Honda CJ360
with a trashed motor but it had sound frame, front/rear end and a clean
title. We bought a new engine on ebay, a 9hp diesel made for Yanmar
by Launtop. The old used tank and spring seat are also ebay finds. Drive
is through a 40 series Comet torque converter and heavy duty jack shaft
(bought new from an Internet go-kart place). Lights and other electrical
parts were picked up form Jireh. Most everything else was made by us.
All bearings were redone, and it has all new rubber and fittings.The
rigid frame was fab'd out of 1020 mild steel tubing, 1 1/2" for
main down tubes and 1" for all other tubes. All welds were mig
done by an experienced welder. The frame was moulded with NAPA ultra-light
filler and painted dark grey using a textured paint called Hammerite.
The battery and all the other electrics are hidden in a metal flower-pot
under the seat (to keep with the bio-friendly theme). To complete the
bio theme, we airbrushed the tank and fender using gold base coat, leafs
were done in black using freehand stencils, then it was covered by 7-8
coats of green apple candy (all Createx AutoAir). Cleared using Napa
rattle can. It gives a nice colour shift effect that doesn't show up
in the photos. This is a full size
motorcycle and I ride it around town almost every weekend (I'm 6'5"
and 235lbs). It is street legal and the 9hp diesel is plenty strong
for road use. The seat is very low and it can easily be driven by a
child (my 14 year old son rides it in the neighbourhood) and it has
platforms for your feet not pegs (see side view photos). It is a hard
tail but the seat is sprung as is the front fork. Ride is rough but
smoother than an old hard tail I had in my youth.The engine is pull
start but does have a compression release. There is no shifting required
(the torque converter has variable 'gearing') and it pulls like a train
from zero to 70mph. It smokes and shakes like a diesel, but the smoke
smells like French Fries! And, we get well over 100mpg from fuel grown
here in the good old USA. This was a great project for us, and the only
reason we're selling it is to make room for our next project, a gas/electric
hybrid chopper. But the biggest surprise of this project is that as
gasoline prices continue to rise, we now look at fields of corn and
soybean differently - they're a potential fuel source for our future
that really works. Bike has very few
miles on it since it was built. It comes as is with no warrantee. It
has a clean MN title, all paper work for the parts we used, a small
tool kit for the road, and a box of extra parts scavenged from the old
Honda and the new diesel engine. Top end of this
engine is approx 3500 engine rpm (which it does easily). We recently
changed the jack shaft gear to a 12 tooth so it would slow down the
top end so my son could drive it without putting my wife in a panic
(12 tooth gear and 3500 engine rpm the top end is approx 68mph but this
gearing has a very nice low/mid end ride). I use it this way and blast
around town when the weather allows. The engine has loads of torque
and with the 13 or 14 tooth gear it has a much better top end speed
and you hardly notice the low end hit (it could possibly handle a bigger
gear depending on where you drive but torque on this engine is a killer).
Speaking of torque, we now have heavy duty bearings on a big jackshaft.
The original ones we bought from the go-kart place couldn't handle the
torque and failed quickly so we now have a 3/4" jack shaft and
strong pillow block industrial bearings that are rated at 30hp and 5000
rpm. So far after lots of riding around town no problems.I have used
mainly around town, local roads and local highways. I haven't taken
any long rides on this bike because it is a hard tail, and, well, you
know why.The Comet torque converter is an amazing thing and it accelerates
well, not like a big gas bike, but as well as my wife's Buell Blast
(at least up to 40mph). On the road it runs fine. Big hills are a little
slow because the torque converter (as its set up) seems to "down
shift" and the bike slows and rpm rises. The engine has loads of
torque and I was planning on changing some "springs and pucks"
in the torque converter itself (as explained in the manual) to change
the torque curve to better handle big hills. Little hills are no problem.Remember
it is a pull start but it does have compression release. Still, starting
it is not for the timid. I can easily start it, but my son (14 years
old) cannot. They offer an electric start for this engine and with the
battery that is now on the bike you could add it without any real extra
effort. The drum brakes
have been redone and wheels are from the donor CJ360. The speedo is
on the front when and is also from the donor bike.The addition of the
torque converter and jack shaft required right hand drive on the rear
wheel. So, the front brake is in the normal place (right hand) and the
rear brake is now on the LEFT foot (as seen in the photos) not the right
foot as a normal bike would have. Since there is no shifting, I thought
moving the brake to the left and keeping all braking components original
CJ360 was a good idea. That way, finding parts is easy. The bike has no
generator. The optional electric starter (I think) serves dual purpose.
As it is now, I charge the battery using a separate trickle charger
when needed but it isn't needed too often because all it runs are the
front and rear lights.Diesel engines are a little odd if you've never
played with one. Unlike gas engines, there is no separate throttle and
electrical system. So, unlike a gas engine where you can simply ground
the spark to stop it, a diesel (at least this little one) stops when
you shut off its fuel by throttling it way down. The torque converter
doesn't engage at idle or when shutting down so this is not a big deal.
Starting is a little odd too, because it requires some throttle to get
it going. Not a problem once you get used to it, but it does take some
getting used to.Oh, one last thing. Riding this odd bike will get you
noticed. It make some odd sounds and you'll spend a lot of time explaining
to others about bio-diesel and the whole 'green chopper' thing. Royal
Enfield Yanmar This machine has
at its heart a 750cc V twin Yanmar engine. This picture was taken at
2004 Rally. The engine cover came off later but I only have that on
video. I'll try and post when I can. RE
Yanmar 750. The 500 relates to what it was. British
Yanmar Diesel Custom Bike This bike consists
of a Yanmar Diesel cement mixer engine, with no mods, A BSA A10 gearbox
and a custome built frame. Other parts used are as follows: British
Yanmar Custom Bike CB300RSD
Derek
Walters recently unveiled his Diesel motorcycle to the British public
in via the pages of Old Bike Mart. It consists of a Yanmar 308cc engine
fitted into the frame of a Honda CB250RS. Brakes, wheels and gearbox
(cut out from oringinal engine) are all Honda. However the seat and
tank are from a Suzuki GS125. Derek
was inspired to build the machine after meeting Ernie Dorsett on a Steam
Boiler Course. The engine can revto 3600 rpm and top speed is around
50 mph. Mpg is in the region of 120. This
bike was recently featured in the Old Bike Mart.
Diesel
Wiesel This
machine was built (I think) by Bernhard in Germany and consists of a 1
cylinder Yanmar engine of 406cc fitted into a Suzuki Marauder Frame. The
Diesel Wiesel - what a great name. To find out more go to the homepage
here. CB400
Yanmar A pleasant
surprise for 2005 here. Sam Brumby informs me he has built 2 Diesel
powered bikes and this is one of them. A CB400 powered by a Yanmar 275
engine. Sam tells me he built this machine in a week back in April. The
engine is started with the pull start seen here on the right hand side. Yanmar
MZ This
machine came to the 2005 Hamm Rally. It appears to be a Chinese Yanmar
engine inside an MZ Frame. Royal
Enfield 'Salad oil' Motorcycle Built
by the Altmann company this is a Royal Enfield Bullet complete with
406cc L100 'Yanmar'
( Kama KM186, Changfa) clone engine. I've put in in the Commercial section
but you should be aware that the company is not producing them and so
you cannot buy one as such. Although you may be able to buy the plans?
You will have to enquire through their excellent website here.
SJS
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All Rights Reserved
A one off exhaust, Aprillia rs125 front forks and brakes, wheel. Aprillia
rs125rear wheel/brake. Ducati rear master cylinder.Sportster tank, moddified.
Colour: black magic pearl paint. Saucpan clutch cover. One off primary
cover. This bike was built by Gaz's Custom Shack and is owned by Tom.
You can get Gaz on his cell on 07840533064.