700cc indeed is a big engine and such kind of engine bike would surely be placed around 3-4 L in india. Becuase if we go beyond that then Indica eV2 base D model comes for 5.5L, And the average woudl be near 80-90kmpl INMO.Because Bullet D use o give 90kmpl as per that owner!!

And a Single cylinder won't be anytime adequate for this Deisel engine, becuase Deisel is way harder than petrol and combustion would always be a problem. So Single cylinder would always be a NO! Infact single cylinder i guess has a limit of some size !! can't go beyond that, it would be dangerous too.

A welcome move, if they do decide to launch in India.. Although the bigger question would be, how will the motor handle the extreme weather and fuel condition with adulteration prevailing in India?

I am pro technology and diesel engine on the motorcycle with modern FI diesel technology will definitely result in higher mileage and more torque than a petrol. However, diesel is more polluting by nature so i guess it would be a challenge to reduce emissions from the bike.


All the best to the company if they are indeed planning to launch it in India.


Cheers,

There is a thread on Tbhp by Dustom_99 (I think he s here also) about his home built bike using Verna Crdi engine. Must say he has done a pretty good job. There are youtube videos of the same in action.
So its not all that difficult (For a manufacturer, not for people like us, Dustam has done a great job, truly unimaginable for many of us).

May turn out to be an expensive proposition. But remember the crdi is a monster of an engine for a bike pumping out more than 100 bhp and 200 Nm of torque. He claims a 0-100 in 3 secs and a 50-100 in 3rd gear in 2 secs flat. Mileage at 27Km/l.
I seriously hope some manufacturer comes up with a diesel power motorbike in India. Does nt matter if it is 3-4 lakhs. Atleast let there be a start. Altius I think has made a good start. Lets see how it comes up on road if they plan to launch in India.
Maybe mahindra too can try their hand at developing a liter class diesel engine for mobikes. Plonk it in a cruiser and Lo we have a true Home grown power cruiser..

can you post alink to that thread. plz.

There you go http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/who-you/...-guy-here.html He s in Xbhp too. Check the you tube videos.

Regardin the Tbhp thread, I m not sure if I m allowed to post here. Will PM u

Yeah, the best part about these car engines is they can be used in a cruiser rivaling Honda Valkyrie or Triumph Rocket III AND we can still get godly mileage. 27kmpl from a diesel engine is better than 40 from a petrol engine from an economical angle.

Damn, I'd give anything to have it as my daily ride...

Why no plans for launching for civilian purpose ? I bet it would be a big hit in the market.

I had seen reviews of this bike more than a year ago and and one member put it, the email to altius bounced. I had then asked a friend to check out the establishment but he had no time to do so. Perhaps a Chennai member could do the honours.

So research yielded pretty much all the info put up here. An addition is that the engine is a redesigned one from the KLR650 (of course under license).

This is the best review I had read:

2011 Altius Scimitar Review - Motorcycle.com

Waiting, waiting, waiting........

that review says it is under-powered for a 670 CC bike, and is sluggish in response, feels heavy, not suited for short riders.

i will say not a very positive review. but thats how non-civilian (pro-army) things are....built to last and built to cover the distance, with a fair amount of luggage on rough terrain.

Well, diesels always feel underpowered (in terms of BHP) compared to petrol engines but they make up with lots of bottom end torque. And If this is underpowered for a 670cc bike think how Royal Enfields are for their respective displacement segments. Bike being heavy and not suited for short riders is something I'd actually call a positive

well, different ppl have different views....

the last sentence is a personal preference, however, if a 6 feet+ rider finds it difficult to reach ground, on a bike, imagine it being used in india where majority of population is below 6 feet.

i am not saying the bike is bad, what i intended to convey is that there is vast scope of improvement, if they want it to be a success in india (if launched)

Nice news....but companies should come up with some diesel bikes like this...R.E had one diesel engine bike earlier should relaunch that once more....