Author Topic: Reliability And Realistic Cruising Speeds...And New Member Introduction!  (Read 7703 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

clubman

  • Grease Monkey
  • ****
  • Posts: 300
  • Karma: 0
My own experience of regular freeway, (or UK equivalent), use was a succession of things breaking or falling off due to vibration; that was at 65-75 speeds that the engine itself was more than capable of. It became a big enough issue to add a Guzzi to my stable for longer journeys which is in fact most of my riding. The RE has become a secondary plaything to use for 30 miles of minor roads when the mood takes me and in that capacity has proved perfectly reliable. I enjoy riding it enough to like the idea of using it for longer rides but the trust just isn't there anymore. As a niche bike it's great, but I would not personally recommend it as an all rounder.

Maybe it would be a different story if you stick to 55-60 where it is probably at its smoothest. I don't know as that's not what I want from a bike.


ace.cafe

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,457
  • Karma: 1
  • World leaders in performance/racing Bullets
Regarding the vibration issues, this is not present to the same degree on all of these Royal Enfield bikes. Some exhibit this more than others.

It has been my finding on the Iron Barrel bikes, which had a terrible reputation for vibrating, that they can be made smooth as silk with a proper crankshaft truing job. I would surmise that this is also the case with these new UCE bikes.

So, I would say that vibration problems are not necessarily a "fatal flaw", because they can be corrected. It might be a fairly big task to get the engine  out and stripped down and corrected, but it can be corrected if you want it.

These pressed-up cranks are completely at the mercy of the person who is truing them before they go into the crankcase. If he doesn't true it down to a small run-out, then it vibrates.
You would not even believe how smooth our Fireballs are, after we really work at truing those cranks down to less than one-thou run-out. This is a miraculous improvement from the way they were as stock. And the less it vibrates, the less it's going to reduce the life of the engine bearings and other parts.

The UCE uses a crank that is VERY similar to the Iron Barrel, and it might even be the same crank that is used on the AVL. The truing of these cranks means EVERYTHING to the vibration levels you are experiencing.
In a production line environment, it is impossible to spend the time necessary to get perfect run-out on every one of these cranks as the bikes go down the line. Some get done better than others, and thus we see varying degrees of vibration issues in these bikes.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2012, 02:38:32 pm by ace.cafe »
Home of the Fireball 535 !


barenekd

  • Grand Gearhead
  • *****
  • Posts: 5,516
  • Karma: 0
REs are just good motorcycles you can ride anywhere. They excel on the twisty backroads and in the mountains. They do quite nicely on the freeways.
My 2011 G5 has 13,000 miles on it and has pretty much covered any kind of road you want, even some decent dirt roads. It's a cafe racer,so I don't exactly get into the rough stuff. However other than a high cruising speed it'll do anything else you ask of it had get 70 mpg in the process. More smiles per mile than anything else out there. I've been through the same sportbike ritual and liked most of them. I like the Enfield more.
There aren't really any generic problems with the UCEs. They're like anything else, a few people have problems and those are the ones you hear from. The rest are out there enjoying the bikes. There are quite a few RE owners that I have met that are never on this forum, but have had no problems with the bikes at all.
You shouldn't have any problems with one once you get used to all the little rattles, knocks and other vintage thumper traits, you'll love the way it talks to you. Most pleasant.
Just keep everything tight with loctite. They do have a tendency to loosen up for a few hundred miles when new.
Bare
2013 Moto Guzzi V7 Racer
2011 Black Classic G5 (RIP)
I refuse to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death
http://www.controllineplans.com