I'd like to say something about the 45mpg fuel mileage reported. A big Harley, heavy, and driven in some fashions will only return 30 (maybe less) mpg. I know this because I've owned much smaller bikes (read heavy) that could only do 35mpg, running a 650cc engine, and on good gasoline. Our gasoline now is terrible!!!! Mileage will only get worse for Harley riders. So, assuming the bike in question was getting somewhere between 30 and 35 mpg, on gas, getting 45 mpg on diesel is a bonus, at least from my standpoint. Motorcycles (big heavy ones) are piss poor when it comes to fuel mileage.
On another note, regarding my Jetta TDI (diesel):
I just drove 1,600 miles up into the Rocky Mountains from down here in Texas. It took 4 days to complete the trip, and I did it in a fully loaded Jetta TDI, 2006 model. I averaged 43 to 50 mpg, and 1/3 third of those miles were spent at or above 4,000 feet; some of those miles took me to 9,500 feet. If I had been on a Harley, I would have used twice the fuel (gasoline for the Harley), when compared to my Jetta. This, of course is assuming the Harley was loaded with 2 people and some luggage. My Jetta was loaded with 2 adults, and 150lbs of luggage. I ran 40psi in the tires, spent most of my highway times at 60 to 80 mph. In the mountains, speed was reduced to 25 mph, and the DSG tranny was manually shifted. I even ran up to Raton pass at 80 mph in 5th gear to clear the 7.8k+ elevation, to see if the little engine would complain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raton_Pass ... c_Landmark
To my surprise, there were no issues, just good running. Fuel costs were
$3.39 a gallon so I spent close to $120 for the diesel fuel to do the trip. I'd do it again, as I know I'm getting the biggest bang for the buck.
Cris
1980 GS850 converted to 10hp diesel clone power.
2006 Jetta TDI for road work.
2007 Bonneville
As you can imagine I do a bit of trawlng on this subject and I think it's the first I've heard about this particular machine.
