Royal Enfield diesel looks handsome
A diesel powered Royal Enfield Bullet might be the answer to the question no one asked:
"Hey! Isn't there any way to make this thing any slower, heavier, noiser and smellier?"
But
there is no denying the beauty of the Sommer 462 Diesel with Pav 41
trailer shown here. Dirk, from Germany, shared these pictures of his
motorcycle. What is it?
The Sommer turns out to be the typically German effort to thoroughly engineer perfection into machinery.
Imports
of Royal Enfield's own 325cc diesel into Germany in the 1990s served as
the starting point. "Too dirty" and "too slow," it nonetheless inspired
Jochen Sommer to look for a better alternative. He found it in the
single-cylinder four-stroke Hatz 1B40 diesel engine with fuel injection
and an electric starter.
Cost is 7,500 Euro ($11,000, but that
includes the ghastly 19 percent tax). You can get Sommer diesel Royal
Enfields in black or eye catching ruby red or signal yellow. Other
colors are 300 more Euros (and presumably more tax, so don't ask).
The Hatz firm is happy to provide information on operating on biodiesel fuel or vegetable oil, if you're interested.
Fuel
consumption? I'm not that adept at converting liters consumed per
kilometer to miles-per-French fry. More important to me was converting
the figure for "maximum speed." Prepare yourself: 62 miles per hour.
If you wanted to go faster you wouldn't be reading a Royal Enfield blog anyway.
The
Sommer
web site would rather share Jochen's "philosophy." Most Royal Enfield
owners and riders will find themselves agreeing with much of it:
"A
motorcycle embodies for me the best way to travel in 'freedom'...
Suspension, wheels and engine combine to form an aesthetic whole, a
motorcycle. My personal preference is the simple motorcycle. Lightweight
and compact, these should have all parts easily accessible... with a
high-torque motor, free of electronics and made entirely from metal.
"A
Hatz diesel engine is a universal motor, which mainly serves the
industrial and marine markets. This sector requires absolute robustness
and simplicity... Stringent emission levels can be met, the diesel
injector is long lasting and high compression and low speed combine for
great economy."
And, then, there is the sound, always critical on a Royal Enfield:
"Your
ears and your senses will be satisfied. Low speed with low-frequency
level is perceived as pleasant and always subjectively quieter than a
high-frequency noise. The driver of a diesel is pleased to take note
that the trip was pleasant and relaxing.
"Come and join us for a test drive. I'm sure it will be for you a special experience."
But not in the United States. I wrote to Jochen Sommer to ask if his machines are available in the U.S. and got this response:
The
Royal Enfield diesel motorcycle shown on this blog recently must have
struck Helmut Forsbach as a bit of a coincidence. He emailed me these
pictures of his own 1999 diesel-powered Royal Enfield.
Helmut even has a PAV 40 single-wheeled trailer, like the Sommer motorcycle Dirk, from Germany, showed us, below.
Helmut
is in Germany, too, but his motorcycle is the original Taurus diesel
powered model from India, which featured a 325cc Greaves motor. Seven
horsepower!
The PAV trailers were made in Czechoslovakia during the 1960s and '70s for Jawa motorcycles. Here in the U.S. we can get the Inder trailers, inspired by the PAV but made in India. They are available from Classic Motorworks.
