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“TAURAS” Turbocharged
Thiruvananthapuram: A group of students of the Lourde Matha College of Science and Technology at Kuttichal, near here, has developed a turbo-charged engine for the Royal Enfield Taurus, the only diesel motorcycle in the Indian market.
V. Ganesh Nair, B.S. Harikrishnan, K.R. Rajeev and K. Shinju, all final-year students of Mechanical Engineering, developed the bike as part of their project work. They were assisted by R.J. Deepu, lecturer in the department.
The students used an imported Japanese turbocharger for the project.
Explaining the principle behind the turbocharger, Ganesh Nair says, “It is basically an air compressor driven by a turbine powered by the hot exhaust gas from the engine. As more air is inducted into the engine, better combustion of fuel takes place.�
“What we had in mind was to provide the bike with a more refined engine, albeit one with enhanced power and performance,� said Shinju.
The team opted for an imported unit after inquiries revealed that turbochargers for two-wheelers were not made in India. “The Japanese turbocharger was the smallest unit available and it suited the engine air flow requirement of the Taurus,� Harikrishnan said.
The students used parts from the Maruti car, Piaggio Ape three-wheeler and the Daewoo Cielo car to marry the turbocharger to the bike.
Tests carried out on the prototype in the college laboratory showed that the bike generated 15 per cent more power while fuel efficiency went up by five per cent. Road tests also proved that the vehicle was smoother than the factory model, with substantially lower vibration and noise.
“Above all, the modified engine had shed the diesel ‘thud’, the most jarring element of the bike,� says Ganesh Nair.
The students are now working on incorporating an intercooler and a technique to reduce the additional heat generated by the tweaked engine. The prototype cost Rs.17,000 and took seven months to complete.
“If Royal Enfield could incorporate our modifications, the Taurus can be relaunched in the market with little additional cost,� says Rajeev.
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