[High On Octane]

It's better than it used to be, but the design itself is flawed.  A lot of owners remove the ES all together to eliminate any possible future problems.

[gashousegorilla]

I thought the sprag issue only affected the earlier models and there had been an improved, stronger version fitted to the new bikes.

Is it still an issue on new models?

John

  Correct. The new one is a much better design... And like the old one , it has no aluminum parts in it.  Both designs have the sprag housed between gear halves. So it is enclosed, and I would think  extremely difficult, for steel bits to exit the relatively small oil passages that lead too it.  Not impossible now !.  BUT.... your sprag would likely have to shred to such an extent to get that , that you would surely know it when you hit the start button.

[JohnDL]

That's why I don't think it's a starter sprag problem. I've had no problems with the starter and the bits are aluminium whereas as stated above, the sprag gears aren't!

I'm hoping it's just machining debris, but another inspection after a short period should hopefully show a clean gauze. Fingers crossed!

As I said earlier, the paper oil filter was debris-free when I tore it apart so that's encouraging.

Thanks for all your input.

John

[singhg5]

No - it's performed faultlessly.

I showed the bits to my brother who's an engineer, and he thinks it looks like left over bits from the machining process. He said the thin bits could be parts from when the threads were cut into the engine for things like the drain plug.

I tore the paper cartridge filter apart and there was nothing in there to cause concern.

I'm thinking of draining the oil after a few miles and inspecting the gauze again before tearing the engine apart.

As the bits are aluminium if something catastrophic was failing, I would've thought there'd be more debris than that, and some abnormal sounds coming from the engine.

John

I agree with your brother totally.

If something had broken inside, you would have known it by now. RE is not shy to clatter when things go wrong.

Once I have had a small sliver come off from machining left over. Nothing to worry after I realized that. Everything has been fine. As a matter of fact removing them out of the way keeps engine clean and it gets better and better. 

[SteveThackery]

I agree with your brother totally.

If something had broken inside, you would have known it by now. RE is not shy to clatter when things go wrong.

I think your brother has made a good argument.  However, if it were my bike and I'd just shelled out all that money for it, I would definitely take it back to the dealer to at least give them the chance to investigate.

[Arizoni]

John
IMO, no, the sprag clutch is not a big concern on the new Royal Enfields.

There is no part of the sprag clutch that is made from a non-magnetic material so I am sure those pieces are not from it.

Small bits of aluminum chips like these may have been small burrs caused by the various machine operations while making the parts.  Usually, these are knocked off by the deburring processes the parts go thru but it isn't unheard of for a few burrs to escape the process.

When I did my second oil change I also found some odd bits of metal stuck in the oil pump inlet screen.  That was 14,000 miles ago and there hasn't been any problem with the engine or with the gearbox.

Just let your dealer know what you've found so if a problem comes up later you can remind him that this all happened during the engines early break in period.

[GSS]

My C5 had a few tiny "normal" metal slivers and shards at 300 miles.  The GT was a bit concerning as it had about 50% of what you fished out......a closer look led me to the same conclusion that this was machining debris from the aluminum case, or tiny aluminum bits sheared off by whoever hammered in the bearings and oil seals!  Bike runs smoother than my C5 did at a similar mileage and I don't think there are any issues here. Thanks.

[gashousegorilla]

I think your brother has made a good argument.  However, if it were my bike and I'd just shelled out all that money for it, I would definitely take it back to the dealer to at least give them the chance to investigate.

  I can tell ya.... Every UCE stock piston that I have seen come out, had nicely scratched piston skirts on the thrust side.  I think cleanliness during Engine assembly would go a long way.

[Ducati Scotty]

If they're not magnetic and your brother thinks they're just machine turnings, they probably are.  They do look a bit odd in the picture though.  I'd still say it's worth going to the dealer to check.

Scott

[gizzo]

I've just changed my oil last week at 6200ish km and the suction screen still had plenty of ali swarf in it. The magnetic drain plug had some fur as well, and the oil filter contained it's share of glittery particles. Seeing this is the first time I've changed it myself and have no idea whether the shop changed/cleaned the filters (they charged for it but you never know) I don't know if it's still coming or is old stuff. But I'll be keeping an eye on it for sure. Mine wasn't big chips like yours but kind of flaky stuff, like it's spalling off from somewhere, hopefully during assembly, or machining swarf. And a bit of fluffy stuff there too, maybe the infamous shop rag?

[JohnDL]

Thanks for your replies.

I've emailed the dealer as suggested to let him know what I've found. They do look more scary in the photo than in reality!

My plan is to run it for a few hundred miles providing I don't start hearing any abnormal noises, then dump the oil and check the gauze filter again.

I bought the bike with the intention of working on it myself and am reluctant to let the dealer rip into the engine when it's running so well without any worrying noises.

John

[SteveThackery]

I bought the bike with the intention of working on it myself and am reluctant to let the dealer rip into the engine when it's running so well without any worrying noises.

That's my intention, too.  On the other hand I want to be sure it's "right" because of the money it cost me.  Anyway, I would send the photos to the dealer and ask for their comments - that way you've covered yourself. 

That's just my advice - obviously you must do what feels right to you.

[JohnDL]

I emailed this pictures to the dealer on Saturday and had a reply today:

"I understand your concern at what you have found but in our experience it’s not uncommon."

Hopefully this means I've got nothing to worry about.

Thanks for everyone's opinions. I'll update once I've checked the gauze filter at the next oil change.

John

[SteveThackery]

"I understand your concern at what you have found but in our experience it’s not uncommon."

Hopefully this means I've got nothing to worry about.

Wonderful!  That is all I would have hoped for.  So now the dealer has been alerted to it, in case anything should go amiss in the future, and you have peace of mind.

I think you can safely forget about it.

By the way, it says some seriously bad stuff about RE's manufacturing processes.  How disappointing, bearing in mind how much they've invested in that new factory.

[crock]

I have seen plenty of new engines (not Royal Enfields) with similar or worse coming out of the sump, and they soldiered on forever. You probably don't have much to worry about. Just check the filter on the next oil change and see if anything looks worse.