In the automotive world, diesel is not an uncommon fuel. Many car manufacturers still produce diesel cars, pickups and trucks, so why has diesel power for motorcycles never taken off? Why have the likes of BMW not ripped the diesel motorcycle market wide open? Diesel engines are fantastically economical, produce massive torque, are simple to maintain, and are generally very reliable.
On the downside, a diesel engine can be quite heavy and environmentally unfriendly, but is that enough to explain why there have been so few diesel-engined motorcycles in history, when you consider all the positives? To celebrate these manufacturers which dared to be different, here is our list of the top diesel-powered motorcycles.
Pulling data directly from manufacturers, historical archives, reputable news organizations and other reliable sources, we’ve put together a list of the best diesel motorcycles ever created.
Updated September 2023: It’s not too often that we get a diesel powered motorcycle, nowadays. But they do appear from time to time, as well as new information unearthed about older models. To keep our readers up to speed on these developments, this article will be updated from time to time.
1 Sommer 462
It looks like a classic 60s British bike, but the German Sommer 462 is actually available to buy brand-new. Sommer has been building these motorcycles since the early 2000s and if it looks very much like a Royal Enfield, then that is no illusion as the inspiration for the model came from the Royal Enfield diesel model of the late 1990s. When Royal Enfield pulled out of the diesel market due to poor sales, Sommer took up the reins, sourced a 462cc single cylinder diesel engine, installed it into a Royal Enfield frame, and used other RE components.
The engine might only produce 11 horsepower and the top speed is a slightly pedestrian 65mph, but it will do 300 miles on a very tiny tank of diesel! There are four gears in the transmission and the final drive is via belt. The Sommer 462 is handmade in Germany and that pushes the price up to around $13,000, but what you lose in performance, you’ll gain at the pump.
Model Highlights
- Classic British bike looks
- Modern construction and capabilities
- 11 hp, 65 mph and 300-mile range.
2 Hero Motorcorp RNT
There seems to be a rule among major manufacturers that any new motorcycle concept has to be as ugly as possible and no one has ever really explained why this should be! Surely you would want to generate as much interest as possible and, while challenging looks might get the bike noticed, it likely as won’t help it sell! Hero Motorcorp is one of the largest producers of motorcycles in the world and the RNT is much more than simply a diesel-powered scooter.
It’s actually a diesel hybrid as it not only comes with a 150cc single-cylinder diesel engine that produces 13.5 horsepower and 26 pound-feet of torque, but also features a 1.3 horsepower electric motor in the front hub, making this a two-wheel-drive scooter. If you can get past the looks, it appears to be rugged and versatile with various luggage-carrying options. The engine can also be used as a generator to provide electricity if you are out in the wild which, of course, you would be on a scooter! There’s no word on whether it will ever make it to production, but if it did, it would be one of the more interesting motorcycles on the road.
Model Highlights
- Diesel hybrid, with 150cc single-cylinder engine with 1.3 hp electric front hub motor
- 13.5 hp, 26 ft-lb of torque
- Engine can provide electricity in an emergency
3 Track T800CDI
The Track T800CDI is proof that innovation doesn’t have to equate to ugly or outlandish design, looking for all the world like an adventure bike – a cross between Yamaha and BMW, we’d say – it has a whole dose of real-world practicality, despite its advanced specification. It uses the turbocharged three-cylinder, 800cc engine from the Smart Car, producing 45 horsepower and 78 pound-feet of torque.
Acceleration – not usually a diesel engine’s forté – is brisk at four seconds for 0-60mph and this is accompanied by an excellent 140 miles per gallon gas mileage. Tall suspension, steel trellis frame, and Brembo brakes are all the right ingredients, but none of those features amounted to a successful seller. The company started selling motorcycles in 2009 and reportedly sold 50 examples before stopping production in 2012, presumably so the company could concentrate on developing new models, perhaps in the electric field. A lost opportunity, we’d have to say.
Model Highlights
- Turbocharged three-cylinder 800cc engine
- 45 hp and 78 ft-lb of torque
- 140 miles to the gallon range
4 Royal Enfield Taurus
Very likely the most famous diesel motorcycle ever produced, and almost certainly the only such bike produced by a major manufacturer. RE produced its own 325cc diesel engine for the bike, which used standard Bullet chassis and running gear. However, despite diesel engine’s reputation for good torque characteristics, it could only muster a weak 6.5 horsepower and 11 pound-feet of torque. That isn’t much to push forward a 432-pound all-in weight.
Despite those flaws, it was able to record up to 200 miles per gallon, even if it would take you all day to do those 200 miles. Top speed for the RE was 40mph. It vibrated badly, but it was rugged, simple, and reliable. The inevitable death knell eventually sounded though, when the Taurus failed to meet India’s emissions regulations. With its luck run down, the Taurus was discontinued in 2000. A brave attempt to do something different and not likely to be repeated.
Model Highlights
- Standard Bullet chassis with 325cc diesel engine
- 200 miles to the gallon range
- Top speed of only 40 mph
5 Hayes DT-1 M1030 Military Motorcycle
Is there anything the venerable Kawasaki KLR can’t do? Apparently not, because it is still popular and going strong, despite having little to no significant changes done to it over the many years it’s been in production. But one of the weirder feathers in its cap, was that it became the basis for one of the toughest and most successful diesel machines ever made. A military bike.
Using diesel power for a motorcycle makes sense when talking about military applications. All the usual benefits are there – economy and reliability – combined with, in the case of the Hayes M1030, the ability to run on a variety of fuels – truck diesel, biodiesel, gasoline and even jet fuel. And such adaptability is ideal for a military vehicle, given that you never know what fuel might be available at any one time in the field. The 670cc liquid-cooled engine will propel the bike to 90mph, while returning 96 miles per gallon. The US Marine Corps bought over 400, and they are also used by the British and other NATO forces as well. A civilian model was planned, but the number of military orders prevented that idea from going any further.
Model Highlights
- Based on the Kawasaki KLR
- Economic and reliable
- Able to run on variety of fuels
6 Neander Turbo Diesel
Let’s say money is no object, and you want something different in your garage? Well, the Neander Turbo Diesel might just fit the bill. Produced by Neander Motors, known primarily for manufacturing diesel boat engines, this bike was full of extremes. It had a turbocharged parallel twin, 1,340-cc engine, which generated 112 horsepower and 144 ft-lb of torque. As impressive as that was, it paid dearly for it with weight, which was a rather porky 650 pounds. And because of that, it could only record around 50 miles per gallon.
It was designed as a muscle cruiser, and was considered a premium, going for a low, low price of $133,000! At that level, you’d have to do a lot of mileage to make your money back, but maybe that’s missing the point entirely of this one of a kind machine.
Model Highlights
- 1,340cc turbocharged parallel twin
- 112 hp and 144 ft-lb
- $133,000 price tag
7 Star Twin ThunderStar 1200 TDI
It was bound to happen. The performance option! Powered by a Volkswagen 1200cc, three-cylinder turbodiesel engine, the power and torque figures are akin to a modern electric motorcycle, it boasted 180 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. It was also bristling high-end tech, with top-spec suspension, carbon wheels and Brembo brakes.
Some of the claimed figures were also quite high, as it was slated to do about 140mph, achieving 95 miles per gallon along the way. But the economy wasn’t what the makers had in mind, as this was designed to be a powerful and fast bike. Unfortunately, that dream was ultimately left unfulfilled as it never went into production.
Model Highlights
- Volkswagen 1200cc, three-cylinder, turbodiesel engine
- Premium features like Brembo brakes, carbon wheels and high-end suspension
- Claimed 140 mph top speed
8 Sidney Diesel
The Sidney Diesel of 1950 could very well be the first diesel-powered motorcycle. The brainchild of one Arthur Sidney, he designed his own single-cylinder diesel engine which produced 14 hp, although the top speed was a meager 35mph. As the contemporary BMW R68 would top 100 miles per hour on 35 hp, the Sidney Diesel was very slow and there is no record of what kind of gas mileage it got, although it was surely impressive for the day. However, the gas price wasn’t an issue in the early 50s, maybe the Sidney Diesel was a bike before its time.
Model Highlights
- First diesel-powered motorcycle
- Single-cylinder diesel engine produced 14 hp
- Top speed of only 35 mph
9 Boccardo Aero
The Boccardo Aero was the brainchild of Louis Boccardo, who used both petrol and diesel engines from the Citroen AX back in 1987. Only five were ever built: two with petrol engines producing 97 horsepower and three with diesel engines, producing 59 horsepower, all using shaft final drive. As with many small-production motorcycles, styling was not the Aero’s strong point, though there’s definitely something familiar and 80s about its looks. The diesel engine produced sufficient torque to make the fitting of a sidecar a logical development. However, it never got past the limited run stage, and like so many other diesel bikes, it was never mass-produced.
Model Highlights
- Limited run of only 5 units, 3 of which were diesel powered
- 59 hp with shaft final drive
10 Sooraj 325
Another Indian diesel-powered motorcycle, the Sooraj Sunbeamer was manufactured between 1990 and 2010. It was not the most attractive bike ever designed, the 325cc single-cylinder diesel engine was serviced by a 20-liter tank which would give the bike an approximate 400-mile range. But judging by its longevity and twenty year production life, and perhaps despite its vintage, if not pedestrian, looks, it must have had its own share of fans.
Model Highlights
- Long production run of twenty years
- 400-mile range
- Inexpensive, popular commuter, despite its utilitarian nature
FAQ
Q: Why are there no diesel motorcycles?
Diesel engines tend to be slow revving, noisy and heavy, with a lot of vibration, making them unsuitable for motorcycle installation, where light weight is seen as being of paramount importance.
Q: Does Kawasaki make a diesel motorcycle?
No, there is currently no major motorcycle manufacturer producing diesel production motorcycles.
Q: Is Royal Enfield a diesel?
Royal Enfield did produce a diesel-engined motorcycle in the 1990s, but production had to stop in 2000 when it couldn’t meet emissions regulations.
Q: Are there any diesel motorbikes?
There are, but they are produced in tiny numbers by specialist companies and tend to cost a lot of money.