[lindbergq]

the sooraj still exists. I am the owner of 1. fantastic bike man. but the company stopped production in 2000. Parts are tough to get.

[lindbergq]

i have a diesel bike named sooraj. the bikes just WOW, 8 years now not a single repair work done, engine oil not yet changed. done 60000 kms so far, it's just wow. Petrol bikes are heavy on the pocket...

[alexrabbi]

Hi Orpheus,

I heard enfield is coming with new engine where gearbox and engine will be combined, which is not the case ri8 now.

It is supposed give better mileage and more power. For more info u can check AutoCar's - may be last 3-4 months edition.

So i suggest wait for the new machine.

[extreme_torque]

Look at this.... i think this will change the way you look at diesel bikes...

Neander - Motors - Dieselmotor

[hemi]

Rode a diesel bullet few months back,quiet sluggish in pickup and vibrates a 'LOT'.The one sold in India was Taurus,waterpump engine,6bhp and 160kgs,imagine the power-to-weight ratiolol.The bike ran out of steam after crossing 70,returns good mileage around 60+.I remember reading some mag where you could do pune-b'lore on full tank without refulling.Production was stopped long back,availablity of spares will be a problem.Better go for a standard 350.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Look at this.... i think this will change the way you look at diesel bikes...

Neander - Motors - Dieselmotor

100 bhp, 200 nm.....

that motor sounds delicious. Sadly the bike looks like its been designed by a neandrathal.

[shuvd]

Dude, stay away from the Taurus. My uncle had one many many moons ago and the bike had major reliability issues.

[directinjection]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

Sooraj was based on the Enfield chassis, but came much before the Enfield Bullet. In fact the Sooraj was the "inspiration" (if you can call it that!) for Enfield's diesel. Sooraj was built by a mechanic up north when he wanted a really cheap bike to run about. So he took a Bullet chassis and shoehorned his Greaves pumpset onto it, some modifications here and there and voila! the Sooraj was born. Yes it did 80 kms or more to the diesel litre...

Enfield followed suit a few years later and showed no value addition to the mechanic's original concept despite being a large corporation. They aped him and tried to sell a few of those. They even tried to export it to the UK under the name Enfield Robin, with a very politically correct green color job and nothing else. Pity they didnt see the potential of that diesel engine - it could've been a bike cum pumpset cum generator all rolled into one! An all-in-one farm utility vehicle to complement the tractor!

It was (still is?) the world's first diesel bike, allegedly. And hopefully the last, R.I.P !

In case you're laughing, that very same pumpset powers the Greaves Garuda Auto/Good Carrier, the Tempo (okay, Force Motors) Minidor and the Mahindra 3 wheeler, besides a lot of other 3 wheelers starting from Scooters India's Vikram.

In fact, the only other small capacity diesel in the market must be the one inside Tata's Ace. Everyone else seems to use that antique Greaves Lombardi engine.

The crudely built Sooraj was heavily advertised in the early eighties. The ads used to be as crude as the bike itself. The ads claimed that it was the world’s first diesel motorbike. The bike came fitted with 325 CC LOMBARDINI engine designed in Italy and made in India by Greaves. Apart from fuel economy, the only good feature that Sooraj had was the self-starter, something that wasn't provided in any other two wheeler in the country at that time. Sooraj failed quite miserably in the market.

Contrary to the views expressed in this thread, the 325 CC Lombardini engine, being too small, was not used in pump sets, at least not in the North Indian farms. But yes, there used to be a small portable gen set powered by it.

The major difference between the engine of the Ace and those of its competitors is that it is water cooled and hence the vehicle can be driven all day long with full load without fear of overheating. Also, it has two cylinders instead of one, so the NVH levels are lower.

[mobike008]

Just the thought of diesel enfield brings a grin to my face , it will simply tarnish its image

[alexrabbi]

Hey,

The above neander bike link was cool

Thanks

[hemi]

Among diesel bikes this is the best
Welcome to F1 Engineering - Prototype Engine Design, Development and Manufacture
Does 100MPH,enduro,runs of 5 different fuels including kerosene.
I call it the most pratical bike for India for its fuel compatiblity and off/on road ability.Ofcourse,no waterpump or lawnmower engines used but a proper diesel engine for a bike,designed with help from kawasaki.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

In fact, the only other small capacity diesel in the market must be the one inside Tata's Ace. Everyone else seems to use that antique Greaves Lombardi engine.

Bajaj also makes a Kubota design diesel single cylinder for its autorickshaws but I have rarely seen one in Bangalore.
Not sure which engine the Ape uses.

[lindbergq]

hi. i'm from Goa have a Sooraj, i wanted to know, how i can make the bike look better... i wanted to do a few changes to the chassis but can't figure out what and where to change.. Can u help me?

[bblost]

Saw this bike at Gachibowli Hyderabad.
The guy riding it told me that someone called Siddhu does this conversion.
Located at LB Nagar and mobile number is 9849629250.

I have not verified the number.

[Spitfire]

The more interestig part is what does he do with the original engines and how do these conversions get registered?