I'm not doubling down on anything, just making a joke. Sorry if I upset you or anyone, didn't realise it was a sensitive issue. My apologies.
I lived and worked in India for 18 months in Pune and travelled the country. That was about 15 years ago. The country was and still is, developing rapidly. Infrastructure, such as roads, lagged behind. I love and respect the friends I made there, who would agree the road infrastructure is not what it should be and that, and local wages, dictate what they drive and ride, if they can afford that luxury. A 350cc is a large bike for the speeds you can drive in the cities. BTW, spending most of my time in cities, I chose to never get behind the wheel in India, let alone ride. You need to grow up with their rules of the road!
I enjoy bimbling on my 500 in the UK. I also have a classic Norton, which is a bit quicker, but I don't abuse it. Speed was not my point, really. I was just tickled by the irony and personally would not choose a diesel RE, for the reasons I gave. But, I'm glad we're all different. Once again, I apologise that my posts came across in a way that upset. No malice intended.
Martin
No offense taken. I thought you were joking, and I went overboard with my response. But I do often see here in the forum a sort of cultural supremacy that I consider misguided, more than offensive. I often find myself taking the unpopular role of pointing out that RE bikes aren't made for us in the west, and aren't intended to meet our needs or desires.
Regarding the Taurus, if the objective was to take advantage of cheap diesel fuel, which in the early 90s was around half the price of petrol, to do it quickly and expediently with an available engine, and thus satisfy a market that valued economical operation, the Taurus was quite successful. Almost no development required, and a 8 year production run.
The RE Taurus wasn't, after all, created from a blank sheet of paper. It's very close to the product that Sooraj Tractors had already been building for at least 5 years before Royal Enfield decided to grab a piece of the pie for themselves in 1993. RE used the same Greaves Lombardini 325 engine, but had the capacity for much higher production numbers. RE also fitted a larger fuel tank, some owners saying that they can nurse 1000 km from their Taurus' tank.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaQhvOsL89chttps://www.bsmotoring.com/news/sooraj-diesel-cheap-thrills/4664/1https://www.bikes4sale.in/notes/c/feature/2943/diesel-motorcycles-of-india-taurus-and-soorajAt the end of the Youtube video, we see a Sooraj in action. I think, that if my local roads consisted of the 3 meter wide, gravel track through forest that we see in the video, that heavy framed, big two wheeler, with a lawn tractor engine seems well suited to the task. I could strap a couple of jerry cans to the back for my journey to the fuel station twice a year.
But, I don't live in rural India, and, as is the case for you, the diesel bike would be quite impractical for my urban commute. Nevertheless, I found it interesting to read the comments on the last article I link to, which is primarily a long list of people, dated over the last few years, listing their phone numbers and expressing their desire to purchase a diesel Bullet. Apparently people still want this machine, 20 years after it was discontinued.
Some sources say that Sooraj was modifying existing Bullets, while others say that the frames are quite different. I don't have the eye or knowledge to discern from the limited information I find. One thing seems clear, if the RE Taurus is rare, the Sooraj is even harder to find, but if one does want to find an example of either to buy, a trip to India seems advisable.