Diesel motorcycles are extremely rare. With the exception of a few relatively mass-produced models, most of them were either one-off customs or failed projects.
The Royal Enfield Diesel is arguably the most successful diesel motorcycle ever made. It appeared during an era when diesel fuel was dirt cheap.
The Royal Enfield Diesel, also known as the Taurus, is considered the only production diesel motorcycle ever manufactured in India and one of the very few mass-produced diesel bikes in the world.
There is no exact data on how many units were produced, but the Royal Enfield website states that production began in 1993. However, some Indian automotive publications claim the model actually debuted in the late 1980s.
In India, these small diesel motorcycles were sold until approximately 2000. Production was discontinued not because of weak demand, but due to tightening emissions regulations that the engine could no longer meet.
The history of Royal Enfield dates back to the 19th century. In 1891, entrepreneurs Bob Walker Smith and Albert Eadie acquired the British company George Townsend & Co. based in Redditch. It originally produced sewing needles, then switched to bicycle parts and complete bicycles.
Later, the company became a supplier to the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield and eventually became Enfield Manufacturing Company Ltd. That was when the Royal Enfield brand was born, with the slogan “Made Like A Gun.”
The company built its first motorized vehicle in 1898, and the first Royal Enfield motorcycle appeared in 1901. In 1932, the legendary Bullet debuted — a model considered the longest-produced motorcycle in the world.
In India, the Bullet became particularly popular after the local army and police placed a large order in 1955. For this purpose, Royal Enfield partnered with Madras Motors to create Enfield India.
When the Taurus Diesel appeared, the standard Bullet 350 with its gasoline engine produced around 18 hp from 346 cc. The diesel version was developed primarily for fuel economy: at the time, diesel in India cost roughly half the price of gasoline.
A completely different engine was installed in the familiar Bullet frame — a 325 cc single-cylinder Greaves Lombardini diesel of Italian design. It featured air cooling, just 6.5 hp, and 14.5 Nm of torque. Top speed was approximately 49 mph, meaning its performance was closer to that of modern gasoline 125 cc motorcycles. At the same time, it weighed a substantial 370 pounds.
However, its fuel consumption was almost unbelievable. Indian publications claimed figures as low as 200 miles per gallon. Even if real-world figures were worse, with an approximately 2.9-gallon tank, the motorcycle could travel hundreds of miles without refueling.
Of course, it wasn’t without drawbacks. The old single-cylinder diesel produced severe vibrations, and the exhaust was so smoky that increasingly strict emissions standards ultimately spelled the end for the model.
Nevertheless, Royal Enfield still proudly calls the Taurus “the world’s first and only mass-produced diesel motorcycle.”
