Been in/around trials for over thirty years. Thought I had seen it all heard it all! So, I met this guy at a motorcycle store here in the USA, he heard my Scots accent and starts to chat with me. He starts talking about trials and how when he was stationed in the UK during the second WWII he and his fellow air force buddies used to hang around some British trials guys. So far so good, now here is where it gets FUNKY he swears up and down that one of the bikes he saw and had a go on was a diesel yes diesel engine....... Is this even possible? I mean can one have single cylinder diesel engine let a lone put one on a trials bike?

This guy was old but still had his wits about him and could talk two stroke and four stroke technicalities till the cows came home.

Any diesel guys out there that can comment on this, is this guy yanking my chain or was there some attempt by a backshed mechanic in the UK during the WWII in installing a diesel engine on a trials bike?

Hi Billy

I'v seen road reports of a diesel engined bike a few years ago, can't even to begin to imagine a trials one.

Ross

Royal Enfield used to do a diesel motorbike. Maybe they used to trial them???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ScYG3tWiE

I seem to remember a story about a diesel army bike, will have to ask about.

I have heard about diesel bikes in the war.

There is also the new Track Diesel bike. A freakish thing indeed. It uses a smart car engine!

Possible? Yes. Diesel bikes, although rare, have been around for yonks. Puzzling thing is that the British Army standardized on petrol so why would they want a diesel bike?

Don't know about the era mentioned but the diesel army bike I read about was based on KL650 cycle parts and was being developed for the US but apparently Britain was interested. The advantage is there's no need to have petrol when everything else runs on diesel - and you can always commandeer a local chippie for fuel if need be in emergency! As the British Army dropped motorcycles a couple of years ago the matter became irrelevant.

A friend of mine here in Spain, some years ago got confused and filled the tank of his Fantic 200 with diesel. I was just beside him and attended what happened live.

The thing is the bike´s engine strarted second kick, and for around a minute or maybe more; I presume that thanks to the petrol that was in the carburettor and pipe; the engine worked and sound perfectly. Gradually the sound of the engine started to come deeper and deeper, and my friend had to open the throttle more and more to hold the engine started.

My friend opened the throttle and looked at me desperate while his Fantic´s engine issued a sound beyond any description. The funny thing is that the engine kept working for what it seemed to us a lot of time untill my friend stopped it.

It took him the whole day to find out that the problem were the 4 litres of diesel he poured in the tank

I am sure this makes my friend´s Fantic the only diesel twinshock in history !!!!

Edited January 22, 201214 yr by Greeves

Don't know about the era mentioned but the diesel army bike I read about was based on KL650 cycle parts and was being developed for the US but apparently Britain was interested. The advantage is there's no need to have petrol when everything else runs on diesel - and you can always commandeer a local chippie for fuel if need be in emergency! As the British Army dropped motorcycles a couple of years ago the matter became irrelevant.

Marine Bike

Single cylinder Diesel motorcycle motor manufacturer

Nice one Zippy, that's the bike I was thinking of, just think how heavy that engine needs to be,not really trials friendly.

Nice one Zippy, that's the bike I was thinking of, just think how heavy that engine needs to be,not really trials friendly.

Nope don't think it would really work too well for trials, also the following is a quote in the article about the Diesel KLR650 "In contrast to a gasoline engine, which responds instantly to the throttle, a blip of the twist grip resulted in

blip of the twist grip resulted in

Then everyone would be arguing for stop and wait allowed rules.