Fastest
diesel motorcycle-world record set by The Diesel Dozen
[Sep
16] Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, US--A specially built bio-diesel
bike has set a world speed record for diesel motorcycles at the
2007 Bonneville Salt Flats speed trials in Utah with a two–way average
speed of 210.203km/h.
The bike started life as a BMW R1150 RT but was fitted
with a two-litre turbodiesel engine from a BMW 3 Series car and
ran on Greenline Industries' B100 biodiesel.
It was designed and built at "The
Crucible", an industrial art school in Oakland, California,
and ridden by founder Michael Sturtz.
The Crucible’s volunteer team – skilled professionals
in engineering, motorcycle mechanics, design, fabrication and environmental
health who were nicknamed "The Diesel Dozen" – built the bike from
a BMW R1150 RT using a 320d turbodiesel they found in a scrapyard
in England (the 320d isn't sold in the US).
Greenline
and The Crucible share the commitment to address the world's environmental
and socio-economic issues and to promote bio-diesel as a viable
alternative to diesel.
"The challenge was to demonstrate the capability of
bio-diesel and call attention to the need for automotive technology
to integrate environmental responsibility with performance.
"We've proved that style, speed, and environmental
efficiency can come together in one vehicle with more than 210km/h
already achieved with only 22 percent of the emissions of a standard
diesel engine."
"We're
not done with this project," Sturtz warned. "We've set the bar for
other alternative-fuel vehicles to compete in speed tests – and
we expect to get more than 250km/h on our next run!