Hero Honda Diesel 400 wish it was sold here .

Just want to point out that the bike in the pic is NOT a diesel bike.

That is in fact a Hero Honda Karizma 250. It is a 250cc air cooled single that is blast to ride in crappy Mumbai traffic. It was introduced years ago as one of the first bikes to break the 200+ cc barrier. Back then you would be hard pressed to find anything above 150cc.

Interesting thing is back then when gas was about Rs. 30 / liter, there was hardly any choice in "high displacement" bikes. Now when gas is more than doubled at Rs. 80+ / liter there are plethora of fun & larger displacement bikes. Manufacturers are now pushing to introduce 400cc models. Honda with their CBR & KTM with the Duke. Kawasaki already sells the Ninja 250 & 650. Oh well.

Enfield Diesel....



[FONT=Arial,helvetica][FONT=Arial,helvetica]Two different power options are available based on the Greaves diesel motor, the kind of engine more likely to be seen powering a cement mixer on a third world building site. The first option is the 325cc, 6.5hp at 3600rpm unit which is kickstart and not too happily married to the standard four-speed gearbox. This has the benefit of being easier to kickstart but has a very low cruising speed of 40mph.
The subject of this test ride though was the 'deluxe' model fitted with the larger whopping 436cc engine with 5-speed gearbox that puts out a heady 7.5hp and which has a maximum speed of just 55mph. To put these figures into perspective, a 500cc petrol-engined Indian Enfield can output approximately three times as much power.

FULL STORY HERE: http://www.realclassic.co.uk/diesel05112800.html



[/FONT][/FONT]The 15cc = 1hp idea is rubbish. A 49cc moped of old will make about 2 bhp..... a 49cc Kreidler racing bike will make 15bhp........ go figure

Because it's ugly. Large, unattractive chunk of metal making the bike look both heavy and recalling the look of toy bicycles, it is one case where aesthetics clearly trump functionality but I don't mind so much.

Beauty is in the eye of the guy who can go coast to coast without touching the chain. No lubing, no adjustment , no mess.

I have done just this on my 30 year old XV920 yamaha. The chain runs inside it's case swimming in a liquid grease as happy as can be, paying no attention to miles, dirt, or rain.

All these modern ugly by design bikes would be better for an enclosed chain. I'm talking Versys, V-Strom ,Tiger 800 etc.

Just get a SHAFTY and have done with it

You'r kidding, right? Without complex, heavy and expensive designs shaft drives have negative effects on handling. Many makes of shaft driven bikes also have a rather high incidence of failure somewhere in the system. They are also heavier, much more complex and a good deal more expensive to manufacture and repair when and if they do have a problem. I prefer chain drive for this very reason. A properly maintained and inspected chain has a very low failure rate out on the road because with just a few seconds spent on inspection you can catch a problem before it fails, whereas with a shaft drive you usually get no warning until the damage is done and you're left with a disabled bike needing an expensive and lengthy repair.

IMO, the longevity of the enclosed chain would be even better by combining the advantages of both, other than the fact that you can't inspect it for wear as easily as with an exposed chain. Still much cheaper and easier to replace if the need ever arises though. Then again, when kept clean and well lubricated, as in an enclosed system design, they will last a very long time with absolutely no servicing.


On another subject of this thread, the use of used cooking oil as a fuel, I just saw a news story on tv about a program that was using it as home heating oil for low income families. Wonder what that news will do to the supply of "free" fuel?

Agree with all your points, but inspection may be over-rated.
This is my XV in Canada in 2011 on it's way home via Mexico. The bike is 32 years old and the chain in the case is the O.E.M. original.There is a sticker on the case that says to replace the chain at 30,000 though I've heard of others getting 50,000 from a chain.Another thing is the replacement will be cheap because it's specified a non O-ring chain.
Mine now has 35,000 and I'm going to replace it for peace of mind.



And Pigford, shafts are for Guzzi's Beemer twins and cars.

I like that pic. You can almost smell the damp pine.

Yeah. I was referring primarily to normal exposed chain drive systems when I mentioned inspections. It takes about 3 seconds to bend down and check the chain tension. Adjustments are required on occasion, but by keeping track of how much you have adjusted it and keeping an eye on the wear rate and sprocket teeth it's pretty simple to know when it should be replaced. Not so with a shaft system. You have no idea how healthy it is until it fails. Just do a search for "BMW final drive failure" if your unfamiliar with this phenomenon. Of course other manufacturers have had issue too. For example, here's a good thread about the Guzzi CARC system... :eek1 Yep, a chain is so much easier, and cheaper, to deal with.

I agree 100% = It was irony

I think a fully enclosed chain looks shite...... as stated in the post above, decent X-ring chains can last 10's of thousands of miles if oiled regulary, so why have all the crap tinware making a bike more akin to a car :huh Save it for the little commuter bikes

Yeah.....the days of restaurants giving away fryer oil have been gone for a while. It's an idea from 10 years ago that was great while it lasted for some people but over time the market has fixed that for everyone. Lots of people invested a lot of money in home separation/filtering, extra tanks, and the other stuff to do it right.