Amazing to think that I have been away from this blog for nearly a year now. I wonder if anyone out there in this strange electronic world has missed my rambling entries at all?!
An unusual date today 11th of the11th 2011, which also coincides with the Remembrance Day in the UK.
The world seems to get stranger by the day, with even more extreme economic events unfolding - I wonder where it will all end?
A lot has happened since I last had some time and enthusiasm to type my last entry. Unfortunately my Mum died suddenly last April, which took up a lot of my time sorting out arrangements back then.
On a happier note, I got my long awaited diesel powered motorbike delivered in March, built by a specialist Royal Enfield bike builder to my requirements. It's a 1971 frame that has been totally refurbished and modified, and the 350cc engine replaced with a diesel one.
After doing some modifications to the motorbike, and running in the engine for about 300 miles on diesel, and doing the first oil change; I have now been doing biofuel experiments, making vegetable oil similar in viscosity and cetane value to diesel oil, and is cheaper than diesel, and from a renewable resource.
So far, the vegefuel experiment has been very successful, and I have just got through the first 2 gallon blend today, doing 284 miles locally in London over the past couple of months. The engine fuel consumption is around 140 mpg! Some say that the 406cc Yanmar clone can do up to 170 mpg! I've also tested it in slow moving heavy traffic, and almost empty road traffic conditions, and starting in hot and cold (4 degrees C/ 39F), with no running problems at all.
The engine seems to run smoother, and with a lot less knocking than when on diesel, so it seems to suit the engine well.
I just put in a gallon of my next new vegefuel blend today, which is a bit cheaper to produce, and is a lot cheaper than the ever increasing price of diesel!
The engine is a Suntom air cooled single cylinder, which is starting to loosen up a bit now, and gives the motorbike a performance similar to a petrol 125cc motorbike, like the 1970's classic style Honda CG125 I used to have. Top speed is around 60 mph, depending on the road and weather conditions, but I have only been able to take it up to 52 mph on the local roads, as indicated on my additional digital speed counter and odometer, with some throttle still left!
The road handling is better than the Honda, with much better low end torque, so the motorbike will pull away in second or even third gear on the flat, if I get lazy with the gear changes! With the extra weight of the diesel engine, it also doesn't get blown around easily by the wind, and is very stable. It's also fun to ride when you get used to the quirks of the 'upside down shifting' gearbox, with the gear change on the traditional right hand side. The nick name is "Old Clunker" which suits the bike perfectly!
The other main advantage of the motorbike, is that because of its age, it's classed as a historic vehicle and has no road tax to pay! It also qualifies for classic bike insurance, which is very cheap as well! So a good cheap motorbike to run in these austerity times, since interestingly, the Enfield Bullet was originally designed in 1948 in austerity Britain back then, where there was still rationing and most things were in short supply.
The results of my biofuel experiments will be put on the diesel motorbike.net website, and it's a good place to visit, and start, if you're interested in diesel stuff/alternative bikes.
Also have had some time to do some other experiments, and mess around with my boat, which also needs some work doing to it! now it it is out of the water.
As for the boat, it's another story in itself!
Maybe some more soon, and some more about my life at B.A. - you never know?!
