Filed under: Diesel, On Two Wheels, Germany
Neander turbo diesel motorcycle now street legal
The awesomeness that is the turbo diesel-powered Neander monster-cycle has now received the regulatory blessings of the proper authorities in the Bundesrepublik Deutschland and is finally heading for production this fall. If you'll notice in the photo above, the beast-in-question is completely surrounded by Polizei and yet none are reaching for handcuffs, tickets books or other constabulary paraphernalia. Ok, that one guy on the left looks like he's unsnapping his holster but we have it on good authority that he was merely reaching for a stick of gum.
According to the folks at Neander, zealous officials from the TÜV pored over every mechanical and structural detail, from the never-before-seen fork design to the physics-defying wheelbase before giving it their seal of approval and bowing down in awe. Despite all this, company chairman of the board, Lutz W. Lester, put his own backside on the line and drove the machine with counter-rotating crankshafts for as many kilometers as was necessary to ensure the handling and comfort was at the top-notch level it needed to be at. It was.
[Source: Neander]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nick 10:24PM (7/02/2008)
Any information on L/100km or mpg? There's already a handful of motorcycles powered by diesel motors out there that could be reported on.
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Tman 9:34AM (7/03/2008)
Their website says its 4.5L/100km. In any case this bike although very innovative is not something to be considered eco friendly. For a weight of 295kg(649lbs), that fuel economy is ridiculous because most European b segment diesels do better than that and they weigh 3 times as much.
I have been following the development of this bike and its great to see it finally being approved. It little steps like this that makes automotive engineering interesting. there's no way something like this would have come out of the established Japanese or Italian motorbike makers
The twin crankshaft engine is what interests me. Such a design can be applied to a regular gas engine and it would save total weight and cost of direct injection while remaining mechanically balanced.
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