Registration and RTA inspections in NSW Australia

Insurance & Registration issues etc..

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PeteronTweed
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Registration and RTA inspections in NSW Australia

Post by PeteronTweed »

Hello , I'm new here ,just signed up .

I have an Enfield and have been mulling over a diesel conversion for some time .I've found Andrew's site previously and noted his comments about RTA inspections ! I don't think I have anywhere near his engineering expertise but am moderately competent .

Andrew ...how hard was it to get your bike through ?
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andrewaust
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Post by andrewaust »

Hi Peterontweed



Welcome to the forum buddy! For myself the bike was not all that hard to get through the RTA red tape. although it took a lot of investigation prior to purchasing the donor bike.

Because I have qualifications in Mechanical Engineering I could also talk the jargon that may have also made things easier.

What year model is your bike, a 95 - 98 model is fine, any newer and it may be subject to pollution laws.

Don't just go with the first RTA verified engineer, some (most I feel) are structural and cannot think outside the square.

Australia must have some of the craziest red tape laws on the planet - here's what I mean! It is a requirement for a diesel engine to have a fuel cut off device to stop it inadvertently starting if it starts rolling from the parking position "Um its a motorcycle :wink: ", this one is true for anything with more then 2 wheels, how can a motorcycle do such a thing, even a trike for that matter :roll:?

So there are some obstacles to get around.

My build is featured on Stuarts webpage http://www.dieselbike.net/AndrewsRoyalE ... nfield.htm and also Charles Altmanns site http://www.altmann.haan.de/riding_on_salad_oil/

Even though I had to jump through hoops, it was all worth it at the end of the day, the amount of attention it gets is something I never expected :shock: so it's a good ice breaker.

The first thing I would do is get all that red tape legislation out of the way, then source the parts "you'll most likely have to deal with someone overseas" and then prepare to do the conversion.



Cheers


A :wink:
PeteronTweed
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Post by PeteronTweed »

Thanks for the reply Andrew .Yes I've looked at both of those sites , yours and Charles Altmann's .Both are very good ...inspirational actually ! :)

My Enfield is a 1995 ,pretty much the same bike as your donor .Quite a nice bike actually .

You mention parts .Now it seems that various engines require different inner chain cases ...Taurus ? Are these still available ? I had heard that they had ceased production .

Which is the best diesel for my bike ,the Yanmar clone that you used or would you suggest another ? Are there variations to be wary of ? Different lengths of output shaft ,etc ?

regards ,
Peter
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andrewaust
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Post by andrewaust »

Hi Peter



Yes your spot on, you'll need the inner Taurus chaincase and input transmission shaft. Maybe someone from the forum may be able to guide you to where you can get hold of a good second hand inner chaincase, and new input shaft (as yes they ceased making them), but the input shaft is still available as a brand new item.

I've had no problems with the Yanclone diesel, its been really faultless, the shaft you'll need is the straight 25mm one with keyway, they also come tapered as is the case with the one in my diesel genset. Length variants I'm not sure about.

You shouldn't have any major drama's if your bike is a 95, if you are fairly proficient with mechanics I cannot see you having any problems converting the bike.

Word of warning though, do not cut the frame to allow for the electric starter, once you do that it opens up a whole new Pandora's box of red tape. :wink: :evil: :twisted:

Ebay has some really good deals on Yanclones here, a place called the pump factory is where I purchased my engines from "yes I purchased two, one for a spare".




A :D
PeteronTweed
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Post by PeteronTweed »

andrewaust wrote:Hi Peter

Word of warning though, do not cut the frame to allow for the electric starter, once you do that it opens up a whole new Pandora's box of red tape. :wink: :evil: :twisted:
Thanks Andrew , good advice .About the electric start ,would you consider doing said modification to the frame post rego ? :wink: I wouldn't want to upset the inspector but I also wouldn't mind electric start .....I've never had it on a bike !


Also I'm searching though forum posts and actually answering a few of my questions instead of annoying someone all over again .Heaps of good info !
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andrewaust
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Post by andrewaust »

I did think about having the electric start, but the ease of starting the bike with the kickstart and the hassle of adapting a larger battery with a charging system that barely handles the setup now made me choose to drop the electric start idea altogether.

Apparently you can purchase the original L100 Yanmar stator which has a much higher amp capacity and will fix the charging problem, the frame and battery issue still has to be addressed.

The engineer also takes photos of the conversion, so I don't know what the ramifications would be if you had a claim for insurance and they obtained the photo's of the conversion.

And they say we live in a free society :roll:




A ;)
PeteronTweed
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Post by PeteronTweed »

More good stuff Andrew .

I didn't know the original Yanmar had a higher amp rating .Interesting. Good lights are something I value ,especially after riding some truly horrible 6v machinery in the past .There was an original L100 with a hydraulic pump on Ebay .au . a while ago for $1000 .I let it go having not decided on this at that stage .

Kick start ? A pity ...photographic evidence :( :( would be embarrassing ! What is it like to start compared to the petrol 500 ?

cheers ,
Peter
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andrewaust
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Post by andrewaust »

The engine kick starts easy, push the decompression lever down, wind over till it clicks up, then a slight twist of the throttle and a good hard but steady push down on the kick starter and away it goes.

Winter mornings, wind over 3-6 turns with full throttle then start using the same procedure.

I found I could kick the 500 easy, some forget to bring it up to TDC on the compression stroke and make a meal of it. :lol:

The L100 came out with two different stators, if I remember correctly one was a 5amp, but the one you want is the 20 amp one. I may be slightly out with the exact amps, but know its close.

It is discussed in previous posts on the forum.


A ;)
PeteronTweed
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Post by PeteronTweed »

Cheers Andrew ...thanks mate , lots to think about :) .
Dan J
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Post by Dan J »

At this rate there'll be a 2009 Australian diesel rally :D
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andrewaust
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Post by andrewaust »

It would be great to see something formed here Dan, it gets lonely riding alone down here :wink: :cry:


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