Diesel Motorcycles – Whatever Next…

Tuesday, November 29 2011

Diesel bikes have been around in one form or another for quite some time, so they’re not a new concept by any stretch of the imagination. However, over the last seven years companies have been developing the diesel bike. Although diesel is definitely not everyone’s favourite flavour, there is reason behind the madness- just take a look at E.V.A. Products’ stunning Track T800CDi, perhaps not huge on horsepower but with a claimed mpg of up to… wait for it… 140mpg! In this economic climate, surely that is something we could all do with.

So, it has twice the fuel efficiency of almost any petrol bike, but what else does it bring to the table? Well, quite a lot actually: it has an 800cc three-cylinder CDI Turbo Diesel engine, developed by Mercedes especially for the bike. The T800CDi has been designed as an Adventure bike, to compete specifically with the likes of the BMW R1200GS. It also has 45bhp and 78lb-ft of torque, but a maximum top speed of only 99mph.

On display at Birmingham NEC’s Motorcycle Live, the Track T800CDi certainly looked the part. A tough sturdy frame, WP suspension, Brembo brakes, and shaft driven; this bike is built to a very high standard. One of the strangest things is the forward facing silencer, just in front of the right foot-peg. Another of its strange features is that it’s a twist-and-go, a big bike for a twisty some may think, but it works! And with a (0–62 mph) in 6 seconds, it doesn’t hang about either.

There were three Track T800CDi bikes on show at Birmingham: the production model, a naked frame to exhibit the engine and workings, and also a police version. The bike definitely looks the part and can stand shoulder to shoulder with the BMW and other adventure bikes and not look out of place.

Diesel has its benefits; there is more energy in a litre of diesel than there is in petrol, so why not harness it? E.V.A Products have done just that and from the look of things, they have done a very good job of it. The only question is… just how big is the diesel bike market?