Styling Diesel bikes

[Stuart]

I was wondering what kind of style out there would compliment a big old fashioned diesel bike such as my Royal Enfield based Ruggerfield and kind'a came to the conclusion that the relatively new 'Steampunk' style might be appropriate and the only real way to go. Not that I intend to rip into the bike you understand but I was thinking if styling were to evolve on such a bike, well, which way would it go?

Stumbled upon this scoot whilst searching. Tote-Gote's were mentioned a while back on here and i found a guy who's steampunked his.
http://steampunkworkshop.com/steampunk-motorbike.shtml

And another scoot: http://www.automotto.org/entry/steampun ... oi-minsoo/

Are we giving enough consideration to the style of bikes we put together or is the very act of over-coming all manner of technical hurdles whilst shoe-horning whacking great diesel lumps into frames distracting us from consentrating more on this angle Just a thought to throw out there.

http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2008/ ... otorcycle/

I know Raf over on the German site is a big fan of this style. Can't help thinking he's right and that the Victorian style might suite other newer bikes as well as the older Royal Enfield stuff.

Maybe I should make a nice, red velvet seat cover and line it with brass studs or something and try it on the Ruggerfield Hmmmmm lol.

[Sphere]

Red and black also works well in bratstyle. Unfortunately, losing a front fender in our part of the world requires a clean change of clothes whereever you go

[andrewaust]

Interesting links Stuart


I'm thinking self expression and being very different would help with Styling

More to a mechanical challenge - installing a Jacobs brake on a diesel bike, could just see a 3cyl now, turbo charged with jakes





A

[Crazymanneil]

I like the ratbike style though that steampunk bike is cool. Just getting it all crammed into a bike to begin with is enough I think One thing Mouse pointed out to me last year was the ratbike style may look like its easy and not a lot of thought in it, but when done right its quite the opposite which was interesting to learn - never really thought about it like that before.

N

[Snave]

If styling is the objective, just go straight to Burt Rutan. If he's designing space planes and because he doesn't have a previous track record in motorcycle design, he's the man. He creates fashions not follows them. After all this is the man who built a plane with one wing longer than the other, another one with the passenger cabin in an offset pod and any number of different homebuilt aircraft designs that all outperform just aboubt everything else in their class.
What dieel bikes need is to completely divest themselves of any of the trappings of `what was done before` and instead do things the right way. Perhaps from a truly independent thinker...

The only truly successful diesel bike will be designed as such from the ground-up, catering to the strengths - and eliminating the weaknesses - as it goes. While the current crop of engineering mules are excellent examples of workmanship, none of them also overcome the fundamental limitations of the diesel - its specific power output, weight and bulk - while also dealing with the relative strengths - the flat torque curve and the sheer economy.

As an example look at this:


One bog standard Honda AF125 (100mpg) and now it does 214mpg. which kind of leaves the diesel advantages lying in the dust.

[Sphere]

I don't think that until it really hurts financially to drive a car, people will see motorbikes as anything else as a leisure vehicle. Or, at least a fun way of transportation to whereever. The market for really economical twowheeler (with or without engine) is nothing more than a tight niche. No design in the world can help that.

If this fairing actually doubles mpg in real world usage without mitigating driver safety, it's impressive.

[TedV]

That is Allert Jacobs bike, story found http://www.velomobiel.nl/allert/Recumbe ... orbike.htm I like it.

Yes it is fuel injected gasoline engine. What if a diesel was the power plant? It might be better. VW's original 1 Liter car had about the same HP diesel engine, had 4 wheels, carried 2, and did beat the 1 liter per 100Km fuel milage. I would like to see what could be done if a manufacture produced a clean, fuel sipping small diesel engine. lets face it, the engines we get from generators, aircompressors, farm machinery are no where close to the attention to detail Honda has put into it's 125.

Burt Rutan did do a lot of studies of form meets function. Throw out what everyone thinks it should look like and design for a distinct purpose. I personaly like form meets function designs.

[Sphere]

Hah, is it Allert? This must be hard to fathom for people from the hills that race VW Rabids (joke Ted ) but as you may or may not know, Holland is flat as a pancake and there is an abundance of bicycles. You know, the ones without an engine? We literally have more bikes in this country than people. This guy (Allert) makes the Quest trike (with 2 others). First they started backordering Quests and kept a list of expected delivery dates. Nowadays, they just put you on a list and indicate ETA of the Quest you want as "sometime"

The girlfriend of a colleague of mine waited for one for 18 months, but she ended up buying a different one. Now, you must think Quests are something special. And they are, but be prepared to pay a price. At the current exchange rate, 8350USD. Maybe he will start making a fairing for an Piaggio MP3, he doesn't dare ride the Honda with crosswinds bigger than 40mph.

Then again, riding your bike in a gale might be pushing your luck anyways.

[TedV]

I know a little bit about Holland. My grandmother is from Rotterdam, and can’t remember the town my grandfather is from. Family joke is he was from the highlands of Holland, all 29 feet of it. The V in my screen name is for Visscher, grandmother was Voss. I know of the love of pedal bikes in Holland also, even back many years ago. Favorite story, a friend of my grandmother was reduced to riding her bike on just the rims without tires in the early 40’s. She saw a sleeping soldier who had a bike with very nice tires. One very quiet bike exchange later, she was on her merry way with the comfort of pneumatic tires. Talk about balls.. and luck. If its true, who knows, at the least it’s a good story.

I mentioned to Craig Vetter about the MP3 for his freedom machine project. But he was concerned with Piagios patent on the tilting mechanism and the hassles that might bring. Last I saw he is experimenting with open sides to the aerodynamic shape to see how much being able to get in and out easy impacts the gains full enclosed had.

I still say for an older style bike like an Enfield, classic café dustbin farings or the like. To make it better you must work with the air, not try and beat it into submission.

I’m just shy of 6 foot, and weigh 150 lbs. I don’t think I would want to try and walk in a gale force wind or greater.

[Sphere]

Enfield restyled: