00:00Hello, dear viewers, you are on the CrossMoto channel.
00:03Throughout the entire history of motorcycle manufacturing, there have been very few diesel motorcycles.
00:09If we exclude homemade custom builds and focus on serial diesel machines,
00:14or at least on projects that at some stage were planned for mass production,
00:19you could count them on the fingers of both hands.
00:23And, most likely, you are familiar with some of them.
00:26For example, with the Touring Enduro Trek 800, or the Military 1030.
00:32There is one interesting motorcycle on this list of machines that we will look at today.
00:38It's a French one.
00:40This large asphalt touring bike was equipped with a 1.3 liter diesel engine producing 59 horsepower.
00:47One full tank of the 30 liter fuel tank was supposed to be enough for a range of 1,000
00:52kilometers.
00:53What was it like, when, and by whom was it designed?
00:57And why didn't the motorcycle go into mass production?
01:00We'll sort this out now.
01:01Enjoy the show.
01:12If you dig a little into history, you'll find that the French were at the origins of motorcycle manufacturing
01:18at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
01:21The designs of French motorcycles were in many ways advanced,
01:25and the number of firms and companies involved in this industry was off the charts.
01:31A similar situation was happening in other technically progressive countries at the beginning of the 20th century,
01:37the United States of America, Britain, and Germany.
01:40In the 1950s, the European motorcycle industry faced its first major crisis.
01:46The population of post-war Europe had somewhat recovered from the shocks of World War II,
01:51and during this period, ordinary citizens began actively switching to cars,
01:55since four-wheeled vehicles had become affordable for a fairly wide segment of the population.
02:01The second, more serious crisis occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
02:07This time, the reason was Japanese motorcycles,
02:11which in many respects began to surpass European machines and were somewhat cheaper.
02:16Every country has national ambitions.
02:19France, which was once at the forefront of motorcycle engineering progress,
02:24by this time had found itself on the sidelines of the industry.
02:27But the former greatness and ambitions remained.
02:31High-ranking officials in the government wondered,
02:33could it really be that Great France was incapable of designing a good motorcycle?
02:38They announced a competition to create a people's French motorcycle,
02:43and in order to save on engine design and to make the finished product cheaper and easier to maintain,
02:49the condition was to use a mass-produced automobile power unit.
02:53Due to the competition, several BFG machines emerged,
02:58such as the 1,300 with an opposed four-cylinder engine.
03:03About the detective story of which I told in a separate episode,
03:06the MotoFranchise 650 shares similar specs and engine design with our Dinepi and Ural models.
03:14The last constructions were the Bacarda Aero Motorcycle.
03:18Aye, Louis-Marie Bacarda,
03:19a French motorcycle engineer,
03:22is directly related to the design of all this equipment.
03:25The first two attempts by Louis and his associates to build a people's motorcycle failed.
03:31However, after gaining enough bumps and bruises,
03:33Bacarda was confident that the third time would be a success.
03:37In 1987, Louis Bacarda returned to the world of motorcycles,
03:43presenting a new concept at the Motorcycle Show in Paris.
03:47This motorcycle was called Bocardo Aero,
03:49and in the end, three versions of this motorcycle would be constructed.
03:53The first was the Bocardo Aero 85,
03:55which used an inline four-cylinder gasoline engine,
03:58the PSATU-24.
04:02For example, Citroën cars were equipped with such an engine.
04:06There is some discrepancy in online sources regarding the power output, 85 or 97.
04:13For example, if you look up the specifications of car engines,
04:17you'll see power ratings in the range of 55 to 65 horsepower.
04:22The first motorcycle version has 85 horsepower,
04:26while the second has 100 horsepower.
04:29It's possible that the engines were boosted specifically for the motorcycles.
04:33I also don't rule out that the numbers might not be entirely accurate.
04:38Finally, there was a...
04:40Later called the 1,200.
04:44It was equipped with an inline four-cylinder diesel engine,
04:47with a displacement of 1,294 cubic centimeters,
04:52with indirect injection,
04:54and a power output of 59 horsepower.
04:57This engine was also used in some other models.
05:01Why was the focus placed on automotive engines?
05:05This was done in order to reduce construction costs and simplify maintenance.
05:09The engines had already been proven over the years,
05:12and in case of a breakdown or for maintenance,
05:15you could go to any service station.
05:171,200 was a motorcycle for pragmatists,
05:21not for those seeking thrilling adrenaline rides.
05:24In 1990, the magazine wrote that somehow there was a buzz around this project,
05:31and about 32 motorcycles had already been built.
05:35About 15 of them were diesel.
05:38The chrome molybdenum tube frame housed the longitudinally mounted,
05:42engine.
05:43A gearbox was attached to the engine,
05:45the same type that was used on motorcycles.
05:48From it, the torque was transmitted to the rear wheel by a driveshaft.
05:52A notable feature of the car engine was the timing belt.
05:57The magazine also noted that six employees worked in Louis-Bacar's small workshop.
06:03At that time, Louis-Bacar had secured the support of 24 dealers in France,
06:07and he also planned to export motorcycles to some European countries.
06:12Moto journalist Alan Ketkart rode the Bacard aerodysel in 1991.
06:18In his review, Ketkart noted that attempts to reduce the weight
06:22resulted in the motorcycle weighing a reasonable 250 kilograms.
06:27The engine starting procedure was interesting,
06:30although it is familiar to anyone who drives diesel cars.
06:33After turning on the ignition, it was necessary to wait 6 to 10 seconds for the glow plugs
06:38to warm up and only then start the engine.
06:42Ketkart noted the smooth operation of the engine and its pulling power.
06:46He was also impressed by the 5-speed transmission with long gears.
06:51The motorcycle was perfect for laid-back long-distance journeys.
06:54The big tourer could accelerate up to 112 miles out of H.
06:59Complaints were caused by the rather weak 40-millimeter fork by Yoll,
07:03and the rear-wheel suspension shock absorbers by Fresnel's.
07:08Regarding fuel consumption, during test runs at a speed of 90 kilometers per hour,
07:13the motorcycle consumed 2.35 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers traveled.
07:20With the tank holding 30 liters of fuel,
07:23it was confidently estimated that on a single fill-up,
07:26the range would be at least 1,000 kilometers.
07:30This is impressive fuel efficiency for a motorcycle of this size.
07:34Among the top five most fuel-efficient production motorcycles,
07:38only one is included for comparison.
07:40The 2023 model, according to the magazine,
07:43consumes no more than two quarts and one-half cup per 62 miles.
07:48And this machine is a charming mini motorcycle.
07:52In a number of my stories about economical diesel motorcycles,
07:55I have come across comments like,
07:58oil tycoons are holding back this technology
08:00because they would lose their profits.
08:03I don't believe in your conspiracy theories.
08:05I doubt that even a series of 100,000 such motorcycles
08:09could noticeably hurt the wallets of the oil giants.
08:12Just look at the amount of fuel used nowadays
08:15for millions of trucks and tens of thousands of cargo ships,
08:18and you'll realize that these motorcycles
08:20would have saved just a drop in the ocean.
08:24In fact, the reason for Bacard's project's failure,
08:28as well as many other similar projects,
08:30was the high cost of the finished product.
08:33$1,200 in 1990 cost $11,500,
08:38which, adjusted for today's prices, is about $27,000.
08:44Japanese motorcycles with similar dynamic characteristics
08:47and comfort levels were cheaper.
08:50Also, apparently, the equipment did not receive government support
08:54from the French government.
08:55And that's exactly why Louis had to quickly forget
08:58about mass production of motorcycles.
09:01The money ran out quickly and the company went bankrupt.
09:04Various sources claim that Bacarda went bankrupt in 89,
09:08but I think it all happened in 91.
09:11Otherwise, how could it be?
09:12Alan Ketkart reviewed and test drove the motorcycle,
09:17suggesting improvements to its running gear for mass production.
09:21There is also information from a French motorcycle magazine.
09:26Issue 44.
09:29For the year 2020 states that only five prototypes of the motorcycle were produced,
09:34two gasoline and three diesel,
09:36not 32 as the magazine claimed.
09:40What can be said for sure is that, like most other diesel motorcycles,
09:45the 1,200 is a little-known part of motorcycle history.
09:51This is the rather vague story of another attempt by Louis-Marie Bacarda
09:55to create a people's French motorcycle.
09:58This is where my story comes to an end.
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