Unfixable Diesel Bike is Worse Than We Thought(So I Got The Engineer Who Designed It)
2023 ж. 21 Қыр.
1 101 261 Рет қаралды
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We're finally working on the military diesel KLR. Only had to travel to California to do it.
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how did you post that 11 hours ago?????
I trust you'll keep us posted on the civilian diesels? I had a chance to buy a running one with only about 200 miles on it a few years ago before Bikes N Beards made these (more) impossible to find for $6k, damn I wish I went for it.
Had this video in my recommended feed, almost skipped on it cause I got so sick of the beards and bikes forcing religious rhetoric. Glad I chose not to, Craig's video style is so much better on his own. And no bible thumping.
@@stoddern okay bro.. but hear me out.. Psalm 37:8 - Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil
One thing americas good at😂😂😂 "the west builds weapons to steal money, we build weapons for defense that's why ours actually work" - Shoigu
Engineers like Rick are becoming a rarity. It’s awesome to see someone so knowledgeable and passionate about their craft!
this so true, if they do not pass down the knowledge its gone forever
also knowing so much about one machine isn't easy, one has to be very interested in them.
Idk I try to be like this guy I won't do you wrong or bullshit you I never ripped someone off prob same with Rick being a honest mechanic in this world is hard
Thanks diversity
@@MotiveToKill yessir
"but we know we don't have compression" "well we think we don't" he saved so much time by checking again... It's so cool to watch masters work
Guess who's never going to forget double checking compression release?
The moment he said "well we think we don't" i knew this guy was the real deal. Nothing can replace experience, never assume the obvious.
Since its a diesel could you run it on canola oil like that guy was with his yacht?
trust but verify. LOL keep it simple.
The more you know, the more you know you don't *know*
I worked for HDT for over 10 years, before changing careers.Was there for the development of this bike. Worked with Rick as well, very intelligent man. Interesting seeing this.
As you were present throughout "the development of this bike," i'd appreciate your input on whether or not there was anything other than better mileage and a greater amount of torque, that was/were an/any improvements when compared with its petroleum fuelled market competitors?
I remember reading in a U.K bike magazine that the only reason the army wanted a diesel bike was because the only things they had running on petrol where the bikes. So having a diesel bike did away with having to carry petrol on manoeuvres.
Shawn? Is that really you? You owe me 2.25 for lunch I loaned you. With interest and inflation, that comes to 746.80. Also, I liked your idea of making a KLR that ran off corn alcohol.
@zatomlzxzanamolzy1253 from what I recall, it was mainly to fulfill a single fuel requirement from the USMC. The bike was heavier and overall less maneuverable than a standard KLR650, from what I was told at the time (I never got to ride one, employer/employee liability). The increased fuel economy came secondary.
@@zatomlzxzanamolzy1253 Probably the same reason they ordered the CUCV series as diesels, a single on-base fuel simplifies logistics. I'm curious if the bike could also run on kerosene/JP-8.
There are VERY few people that can make a 30 minute video that I don’t skip a single part. I enjoyed watching you with Sean for who Sean is. I enjoy watching you for the expertise and knowledge you have. Keep at it Craig! You’re an awesome person
That's because you have ADHD
Did we all notice that the 12mm socket didn't jump off of the ratchet like the elusive 10mm always does??
Skipped some ... they took most of a days work.
This man needs to create a manual containing everything he knows about that bike. And then have that younger dude memorise every word. Thank you for this amazing video, this is preservation of engineering history in action.
they did say there making a civlion version. meaning you will be able to buy one.
Yeah a manual would be great. Problem is it would take 10's of thousands of dollars of time writing, editing and printing so if you're lucky you can sell a couple of hundred copies. This book may be the most appreciated book by a very few people but it's not going to make the top ten best seller list!
@@rsmith3062doesn’t need to be edited or printed!! Just post it online!
I thought everything built for the military had a manual so that the military can do field repairs. If that existed it would be a great starting point.
@@natebit7167 Your right, with the limited interest this manual would have posting online would be a good cost savings alternative to printing hard copies. But still for someone with this very specialized knowledge to outline, organize, type and yes, edit as you'll never get it good enough let alone perfect on the first time through. If you're not an expert on publishing, not printing, you'll need some who is to polish it into a usable resource. Don't forget about photos and illustrations that should be included. It will take hundreds if not thousands of hours to accomplish. How much is it worth to take months out of your life to write this manual and how should the author be compensated? This manachic, as brilliant as he is will need help. And the audiandance, how many bikes were produced, several thousand as I recall, half are probably scrap by now. Typical vehicle runs are in the 100's of thousands. It would be great to save these iconic bikes and a good manual would be a giant step in that direction but don't discount that actual task and cost to produce it. Just sayin'!
As a guy who has owned 3 KLRs, I have always been fascinated by the diesel/mil variety…and after watching this, I definitely never want to own the diesel variety. Thanks for in-depth look into KLR voodoo ❤
Hey bud I have 6 250s and I bloody love em!! This is the first video I’ve found on the diesel bike n it’s incredible to see!! But stuff owning it haha.. the only difference though is the crank case it’s basically still a 250 with a 650 swing arm. It’s a marvel to look at the differences and similarities.
I have only ever owned a single KLR (the 2003 currently waiting for an overhaul in my garage this winter) but I share your vision of NEVER owning a diesel version.
Yeah, they look very temperamental.
Leave it to the US government bureaucracy to make one of the most reliable motorcycles and turning it into the worst. I mean the stock KLR is better in almost every way...... what in the hell were they thinking?
@@bigd9260 The diesel KLR will run on EVERY FUEL the military uses......Gasoline is a logistics problem the military will not accept.
The thought of a turbo diesel motorcycle is just amazing! Imagine the fuel economy.
40km/lt no matter what you do, it will never gonna be below that.
It already exists. Sold very badly because of weight and vibrations natural to a diesel.
There is a Dutch biker who developed a bike for people doing lots of miles. He persueded Mercedes to sell him turbo diesel three cilinder engines. They said YES! But for reasons I still do not understand, he started production and he stopped production. The bike was excellent. Maybe the time was not right. Maybe bikers are one track ponies having no idea that turbo diesel is great for them. Whatever. The bike brand was Track. Do check that. Pray that he will start again, some year.
That was incredible friend, the mere fact that you found the guy who developed that motorcycle shows the commitment and love for motorcycles, I appreciate it a lot
This bike is way to complex to ever give to a bunch of soldiers in a far away land. Imagine having to get this thing started quickly in a tense situation. It's easy to see why the military only bought a handful of them. Great video Craig
100% correct.
Mechanical complexity is less of an issue than having half a dozen ecu and a canbus...
That's why they gave it to the Marines instead.
I had same thoughts!
2 stroke 2 victory
It's amazing to watch someone who knows exactly what they're doing work on something.
Yeah. But that chubby guy with the beard was constantly in the picture and running his mouth
Diesel bike would be awesome, this veteran would love a chance to put a bid on it, when it comes up for sale 🙏🙏🙏
@@erik_dk842 without that "chubby guy with the beard" this video wouldn't exist, and even if someone else decided to buy that 50k diesel bike instead of him and make this video but don't disturb and just let the engineer work you would learn nothing from it because he would just be working and not doing a tutorial by answering someone's questions
@@CreeplayEUI just don't like the fake drama format. That's why I threw out my TV 15 years ago
HDT USA man himself, Fred Hayes ran these bikes for speed testing at Bonneville for several years before he passed away. My brother and I ran motorcycles at Bonneville hanging out with Fred and his wonderful family many times. Fred was super cool to hang out with👍🏻
*I LOVE THE WAY* they talk about how reliable military equipment has to be and how much they testing testing test... And there stood next to a broken bike in a workshop for broken bikes.
When I was in the Army they still had Gamma Goats. The joke on them was that they would be running perfectly on Friday afternoon and broke down on Monday morning.
@@lancenorton1117 😁😂😀😁
Standard KLR for me, that diesel would give me nightmares. I have worked on diesels, have an AA in it, but they are not for bikes.
@@johnl9977 yeah but the dod doesn't care they just want everything to run on JP-8
I love the technicality of this video. Also, Rick's got natural camera presence and is a legend for being on here!
I am not a big bike guy personally but between watching Sean's video and yours it amazes how much both information both Matt and Rick how much knowledge they have about these rare bikes. Super cool to listen to all the engineering behind it
We need to get a camera in front of anyone that's like Rick! Being the only two people in the world that know how to work on deseign, fix, rebuild and be enthusiastic about something is a special thing! If this information doesn't get recorded and put on the internet it will disapear forever! Now that this video is on KZhead anyone that wants to buy and fix one of these bikes can do it in a couple months and not a couple years. I'm sure there are mechanics and machinesest that could of got it running pretty quickly, but now anyone can do at home. I also think having a video is way more useful than even some of the best manuals! Awesome video, awesome dudes, and a awesome bike!
Dude that Gentleman is awesome!
I have no plan in ever owning anything diesel powered but I found this video to be very interesting. The knowledge of the details, like the length of the fuel tank screws, is just plain impressive.
Same here. This like ASMR for me
Same with the De Havilland Twin Otter. The rear part of the undercarriage fairing has numerous screws, of about 6 different sizes. Put a screw too long in the wrong place and it gouges the fuselage skin and leads to a very expensive repair shock 😮! That’s just one example.
Diesels are a fascinating beast. Just running off the exploitation of physics in what feels like an even more complex manner, to me.
Same here
Once you drive a turbo diesel, you will get it. Pure power!
I don't know how, but you've got to get Rick in more videos! This guy is a diesel whisperer, and as a diesel guy myself(heavy marine diesel), I love seeing my trade craft and my passions come together one one my favorite channels. Keep up the great content Craig!👌
Hey, how different is this diesel construction from diesel engines that you work on? I think in principle they are the same right? It's just the details how everything is connected and put together?
Not much warms my heart the same way watching people with passion work together to do cool things. The respect everyone showed each other and banter had to have made that a day to remember for a lifetime.
It's nice that you can have access to a ton of info on the internet, but learning fron an experienced craftsman is just another level of human interaction
He is amazing, I could listen to him talk for hours. I love how he wants to share his knowledge
Nothing exited me more than Hearing that hes developing a commercially available diesel motorcycle based off thr klr platform. I wonder what the cost of such a unique machine is
Yet the absolute idiot who made this video has the audacity to cut the video right when he's starting to explain something or give a small lesson.
What an absolute legend Rick is and a great character.
“You can’t kill a KLR”, except for the Doohickey, if you don’t replace it, then the motor will self-destruct.
Right? This is all very cool but in which world is it normal to have machining chips from manufacturing left over in your oil?
85 y/o retired military and looong time biker. Been curious about this bike for years. Thanks for the tour!
The diesel KLR is probably the only bike in the world I've wanted continuously after hearing about it. If I actually had one, I don't think I could ever outgrow it.
I think you’d get over it pretty quick. It’ll be a never ending repair. You can tell it also ran like crap when he rode it otherwise they’d have shown it.
What a great episode. Rick is a master and Will is a legend. How amazing is it to see one of 214 brought back to life by the man who engineered it!?!? Good stuff, Craig.
He said he started at the company after this one was designed and build.
I'm super happy you came across Rick, him being the authority on these bikes!! Man it's been a LONG time coming, I sure hope your audience appreciates all that went into the making of this video and how LONG it's taken to get to this point! I'm sure Rick is SUPER busy and booked to the T so it's great he found the time to share the vast amount of knowledge on this platform with you and all of us!! Awesome!
I was so invested, i even watched the full ad, didn't skip a bit. These bikes are quite the machines, and hearing it sputter to life, idling smoother after the pump adjustment, I was matching Craig's energy when it fired up the first time. I enjoyed the plethora of info and the technical side of the video, and would love to have more like them in the future!
KLM is an Austrian company, as soon as I saw that injector I knew it was an old Bosch injection system, was a Mercedes mechanic for a lot of years, that injector looked right out of a 1970's Mercedes 240-D
The first prototype design and build was done by an engineer/lecturer/professor (don't remember his name) from RMCS Shrivenham, and was 'heavily influenced' by a contemporary Mercedes diesel engine.
glad rick has an apprentice to keep the bikes alive and teach all the ways and tricks of the trade, not many mechanics and engineers these days do that.
I have 25 years experience seing self proclaimed experts with an attitude. Its always a shock to see someone proudly say he's a pro and THEN DELIVER!
I love hearing engineers like him. All that come out of his mouth is precious knowledge.
Craig you my friend just broke the internet bringing to light knowledge nobody else has posted on a grand scale! Wow what a cool feather in your hat as a bike mechanic! Also a blessing to be able to carry Rick’s knowledge forward to the next generation!
It’s always cool to see someone in their element and that guy is a prime example thanks for sharing
I called the compression release before you!! For some reason it stuck in my mind when he was explaining how it worked and didn't close it. Glad I at least got that one. I screwed up the injection timing on my fuel pump once and had to take it down and get it rebuilt and timed. 4 cylinder Mitsubusi diesel
Man, what a great video - I remember dreaming about these Diesel KLR's like 15 years ago, and getting to see one fixed up like this really scratches an itch.
Rick is an artist. How fortunate it is that you found him.
This is prime content for the gearheads out here. That old guy surely knows his stuff.
I absolutely live for videos and learning experiences like this. There is nothing better than learning from someone who clearly knows exactly what they are speaking about. Great video! Sadly there doesn't seem to be many Rick's left
Rick needs his own channel. Please keep us informed on the upcoming diesel motorcycle your working on Rick.
Yeah, that is one piece of tech I would pay a pretty penny for.
I love motorcycles and I love military vehicles. It's not often the two overlap. I love the KLRs and these military ones, well, they bring back memories. Thank you all for bringing this KLR back to life.
I worked on the B-2 bomber acquisition program for 20 years starting back in the mid 80s and there was a term that was used called having a "grey beard" meeting or getting the grey beards together to solve a problem. That's what I thought of when I saw this guy. You have to go to the source when things get scrambled up like that bike was. Great video!
Great video.. on the smell of diesel fuel, Years ago I had a friend that was a comms officer in a diesel powered sub, after a deployment, he smelled of diesel for a couple of weeks until the fuel / fumes eventually leached out of his system, and just in time to go back and do it all again
These are getting better every week. I see a 69 Bonneville near me for sale that is crying to have your healing touch!!
This video made me smile 😊. I'm a skilled tradesman. I know a good mechanic when I see one.
Rick is my new favorite mechanic!!! You can tell he lives to make people happy!!!
In the early 2000's I bought a multi-axis lathe from Roger Flynn @F1 Engineering in Hesperia. HDT was across the complex from them. F1 Engineering was contracted by Hayes to produce the engine and related parts; he told me they did a lot of re-engineering of the engine and fuel system to get the reliability and power needed to get military approval. Within a few months of my visit, HDT lost their contract with the military and left F1 with pallets of unpaid parts. F1 branched off into the aftermarket ATV parts as BilletKing, then into firearm parts... not sure if they're still around.
Great bike And what a star of a mechanic
Awesome video Craig,so glad you were able to find someone so knowledgeable and willing to help! Such a different and cool bike to see!
I had a huge smile watching this the whole way through. Both you guys sharing so much knowledge with everyone watching while doing something you guys have a deep passion for. Really what life is all about.
This is one of the best perspective I have seen within the yt community. Format and information transfer and translation. Seeing the guys grab tools when he walked off was the BEST lead for little lions watching!!!! Honored to have seen this video.
This is your best video yet Craig!! It is always awesome to see folks who are experts about rare stuff and these guys were great! Love how you all worked together and everyone’s enthusiasm really shines through!
Rick is the man. Thanks Rick for getting involved. It’s truly entertaining watching you effortlessly work your stuff and turn those wrenches. I also can’t wait for your diesel bike.
Really cool bike, hopefully Rick and will ; will create a manuals for klr bikes for the future buyers. Great to have their knowledge and expertise. Knowing a little about engines; knowing the true tricks of their trade is very valuable and time saving for the KLR master pieces.
0:43 I can tell you what's wrong with it, too: SHE DURNT RUN. 😂😂 Great series! This is fascinating. Subscribed.
Awesome to see 2 experts in their field share their knowledge.
The videos keep on getting better. Those dudes know their stuff. Thanks, Craig!
I found these short cut outs annoying, picture jumps weirdly. It makes video shorter but hard to eyes.. too jumpy.
I've never ridden a motor bike but I really enjoyed watching this :)
I haven't had to work on any diesels yet, but I'm keeping that trick with pulling the glow plug while bleeding the fuel system in mind. Seems like a real battery saver.
I've been waiting for this moment since the other video. I love diesel motors and the science behind them. My favorite video to come from this channel and bikes and beards.
Amazing job! So nice to see a piece of American engineering brought back to it full glory! You should think about doing ending video recaps. Like time spent, problems found, money?, etc. I think it would be super fun and informative
I love watching you guys working on this together…as a team …problem solving ….
This KLR has been a dream of mine to own!!! I remember the first time I saw this military bike way back in the early 2000s, I told myself that one day, I would have a bike like that, now knowing that there were only 3000 of them made now sounds like a pipe dream... Damn good video working with one of the very few people who knows everything about these "killer" bikes is just epic on so many levels! Thank you so much for this video!!! This video is going into my favorite video selection!!
I think this is the video by far most educational that i saw on this week... working among engineers and mechanics that know what they´re doing it´s remarkable. Thanks for sharing this Craig, cheers from Chile🍻
Such a cool bike, awesome to see it running again.
Love this. Did a similar revival to an old Ruggerini diesel I ended up with. Priming the fuel system always takes forever!
Thank you thank you thank you. I am from South Africa and have heard about this bike but as you can imagine could find nothing. This video just popped up today and WOW, Not only a bike I love to know more of but one of its designers helping you, what more can I ask for. Hope you make a few more videos on this bike would love to see it on the road and see how it rides.
No wonder these weren't heavily deployed. Seems very finicky and extremely fragile.
I own 3 of them (Got them from gov auction a while back.) They're VERY slow to rev up, to the point of really being difficult to ride. They were also replacing klr250s, which are much easier and lighter to throw around offroad for most riders. Too many trade offs were made to get a jp8/diesel engine in a bike, which was really only to simplify logistics of fuel delivery. HDT really was delivering a Minimum Viable Product with them, and these would have never sold on the civilian market in their state at the time. If HDT had the money to keep going for 3-4 more years, and continued to develop the engine, they could have had a good product, that would have never been able to be sold due to failing to meet emissions. They failed emissions in their day, let alone modern ones. Hence ey were never sold to the public. These bikes put out more NOx in 15 minutes than a modern 18 wheeler puts out in 8 hours of running at full load. They had good bones for it, at least.
Most modern engines will break when you run them backwards
Shut up, please. All bikes are as good as the dudes doing the maintenance. So, you only know fragile, finecky men.
Love to see these oldschool guys with tons of knowledges and experiences !!
This kind of thing is my jam!! LOVE the technical/ wrench heavy episodes!!
Amazing Thank you. What a trip down the memory lane this video was. I was able to see them in action, our scouts used them. I envy those guys and wanted to be part of the pilot program, never got the chance. I was not able to get info on this bike from anyone until today. Once again thank you.
I have enjoyed working on challenging machines. It's sad that the knowledge gets forgotten. It was so good rewarding to see it run.
Rick is something else man such a wealth of knowledge & also rocking some flip flops he's the real deal.
I've always wanted one of those diesel KLRs but wow it takes a lot of knowledge to keep it running etc.. THanks
So much knowledge! What a pleasure to this guy working and teaching
Love this stuff man, finding enthusiasts for a machine that know their stuff inside out is awesome, and they are usually rare, would love see more of this type of vids.
Do more of these technical videos, this was awesome Craig!
Brilliant to overcome the odds, and come through with a working bike! I've always been interested to see a practical CI engined diesel motorcycle, and this one has all you could wish for. Nothing else comes close, considering it's a single cylinder, and with a suitably matched up turbo would be a real goer for sure. Nice one guys, and have fun!
What an awesome video. That compression moment was so organically perfect.
The more technical the better. Learning and cool machines
Very convenient for us in the UK! 👍🏻
Absolutely one of the best videos I have seen in a great while. The techniques and mastery of technical knowledge is unrivaled. Please, keep your videos coming. Some of the best videos on the internet!
It's so cool to see an expert at work.
If or when the civilian version comes out, I’ll be glad to go buy one! I’ve always dreamed of having a diesel motorcycle.
I'm happy to see closure on this bike. Been following since ya bought it.
Good on you Rick. You learned your lessons well, but more importantly you have remembered them! :) Good to see an intelligent bloke at work. Thankyou.
Awesome! As a guy that fixes diesel powered buses for a living, I found this video very interesting. 😊
not just fix them but looking to make a cilvion version.
Rick seems like a down to earth kinda guy. Really enjoyed this. Buy another one of these and take it to Rick again.
Buy another one 😂😅😂
You have power of timer that fires named distributorless and you have KLR's business garage at the bay door. Glow plug that emit heat rays. You have another thread hole in the glow plug wholly assembled head. That thread hole is air injection to provide profession two stroke flat top piston in OHC in KLR upper motor system of rocker arm ratio which have the numerical value...
Wow, Rick was an amazing connection! I love watching a man who knows what he's doing work.
Amazing! Congrats on getting it running and making some awesome new friends!
very interesting video, I would like to see more like this about obscure motorcycles and the skills needed to keep them running. You need to do a second video running the bike off road on some trails etc
I have wondered about this bike for a while. I am glad to see this video deep dive, great job!
Great video. Been waiting to see if this bike would run. Guys like Rick are people to be treasured and we are running out of people like this. I enjoyed this video and loved the in depth stuff. I have to say I am also really glad that it was Craig doing this one so we got the tech and the deep information on this one . Keep it up.
Only 2 things I knew about diesel motors were confirmed by this video. Never run a diesel out of fuel, never use starter fluid.
Great video. A one-minute montage of you riding/jumping the bike over small stuff would have been a great finish to the whole thing. Glad you got it up and running and could share all that info with us.
Rick needs to write a maintenance and repair manual for these things before it's too late.
Great to hear about the consumer version in the works. You learn, we learn, best videos.
Was wondering if you were going to make a followup video. Love seeing this one run. Wanted one since I saw it growing up. Any links to their page for the new diesel bike?