The Royal Enfield Taurus, also sold as the Royal Enfield Diesel, was a diesel version of the Bullet motorcycle built in India in the 1990s. It kept the familiar Bullet frame but replaced the petrol single with an air-cooled 325 cc single-cylinder diesel made by Greaves Lombardini, good for about 6.5 horsepower and a top speed near 49 miles per hour, in exchange for very high claimed fuel economy. Wikipedia counts it among the only motorcycles ever mass produced with a diesel engine, and says it was discontinued owing to pollution laws. Sources disagree on when it began: Royal Enfield's own website is read as implying 1993, while some Indian news sites place it in the late 1980s. Sales ran until about 2000. A separate Indian tractor maker, Sooraj of Saharanpur, also built a Lombardini-powered diesel motorcycle in the 1980s.
Facts
Top Speed (km/h) Engine325 cc air-cooled single-cylinder diesel by Greaves Lombardini 1 Connections
Exemplifies
Source One Of The Only Mass-Produced Diesel Motorcycles In The World Allegedly Gets 200 MPG And Is For Sale In America (The Autopian)
Of Make
Source One Of The Only Mass-Produced Diesel Motorcycles In The World Allegedly Gets 200 MPG And Is For Sale In America (The Autopian)
In the Other Atlases
Manufactured By
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source One Of The Only Mass-Produced Diesel Motorcycles In The World Allegedly Gets 200 MPG And Is For Sale In America (The Autopian)Lead, manufacturerQuote, Lead, manufacturer
The Royal Enfield Diesel is the only mass-produced diesel motorcycle built in India and what appears to be just one of a few mass-produced diesel bikes sold to the public in the world.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source One Of The Only Mass-Produced Diesel Motorcycles In The World Allegedly Gets 200 MPG And Is For Sale In America (The Autopian)Lead, IndiaQuote, Lead, India
The Royal Enfield Diesel is the only mass-produced diesel motorcycle built in India and what appears to be just one of a few mass-produced diesel bikes sold to the public in the world.
Sources
1. One Of The Only Mass-Produced Diesel Motorcycles In The World Allegedly Gets 200 MPG And Is For Sale In America (The Autopian)
The Bullet Goes Diesel, production start
Royal Enfield's website implies that production started in 1993.
The Bullet Goes Diesel, engine fitted
The Taurus ditched spark ignition for a 325cc diesel single made by Greaves Lombardini in Italy.
The Bullet Goes Diesel, power
This air-cooled industrial engine is good for 6.5 HP and 10.7 lb-ft torque.
The Bullet Goes Diesel, top speed
As you could imagine, these are slow and top speed hovers around 49 mph.
Lead, production years
Indians got to enjoy the little diesels until about 2000
Lead, manufacturer
The Royal Enfield Diesel is the only mass-produced diesel motorcycle built in India and what appears to be just one of a few mass-produced diesel bikes sold to the public in the world.
Lead, India
The Royal Enfield Diesel is the only mass-produced diesel motorcycle built in India and what appears to be just one of a few mass-produced diesel bikes sold to the public in the world.
Of Make: Royal Enfield, Lead, make
The Royal Enfield Diesel is the only mass-produced diesel motorcycle built in India and what appears to be just one of a few mass-produced diesel bikes sold to the public in the world.
Exemplifies: Motorcycle Transport, Lead, motorcycle
The Royal Enfield Diesel is the only mass-produced diesel motorcycle built in India and what appears to be just one of a few mass-produced diesel bikes sold to the public in the world.
View the Source2. Diesel motorcycle (Wikipedia)
Production vehicles, Royal Enfield Taurus and Sooraj 325Quote, Production vehicles, Royal Enfield Taurus and Sooraj 325
Royal Enfield was among the only manufacturers that had mass-produced a diesel motorcycle, before it was discontinued owing to pollution laws.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.