We write about diesel motorcycles a lot around here, there’s the Thunder Star of course, the D650A1 Bulldog now going into production, the Roush diesel ATV and we mentioned the biodiesel Royal Enfield several days ago. Performance varies all across the spectrum, but if we use the term “diesel fueled” motorcycles, we can add one more, the Y2K Superbike built by Marine Turbine Technologies, the one lots of folks know about because Jay Leno has one. It doesn’t use compression ignition but it does run on diesel fuel so let’s push the verbal envelope.

The Y2K Superbike has a Rolls Royce Allison 250 series turbine, with 320 horsepower (286 horsepower at the rear wheel) at 52,000 rpm, very un-diesel like. It has 425 foot pounds of torque! That’s more like a diesel and they say it has been clocked at 227mph. But, best of all, fuel requirements are kerosene or diesel fuel. Now considering the fact that turbines are less picky about what they burn than some other engines, you could probably use biodiesel, too. Hmm … sounds like a jet, smells like a french fry.

If anyone still believes diesels are slow, show them this one.