TECHTALK

January 2005

Diesel Motorcycle Developed for Marines

edited by Robert H. Williams

The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered 522 diesel-powered motorcycles for use on rugged terrain. The propulsion technology was developed at Cranfield University, Shrivenham, United Kingdom and Hayes Diversified Technologies, of California.

The motorcycles were designed to run on diesel fuel or aviation kerosene, and intended for NATO military forces.

A spokesman said the design team successfully produced a “motorcycle engine powerful enough to be used on the battlefield for reconnaissance, policing and courier duties, as well as for on-road and off-road performance.”

The engine is a liquid cooled, single cylinder, four-stroke device. The motorcycle, which achieved speeds of 85 miles per hour in recent tests at Bonneville Salt Flat, Utah, goes 110 miles on a gallon of diesel.

The bike soon could be sold on the commercial market.

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