[Vinny Singh]

Hey there everyone. I'm a brand new rider and just bought a C5 classic.  I've always wanted a royal enfield since I was a kid and now I have one. I know nothing about the maintenance and mechanical things about motorcycles. I'm just looking for helpful tips and advice for a new rider like myself so I that I can do something when I encounter a problem. Thank you.

[Arizoni]

Welcome to the forum.

It would help if you told us if your C5 is the fuel injected model or the one with a carburetor.  Also, if it is one of the new UCE engines or an older AVL or Iron Barrel.  (I think some of these older models in India could have been called "C5"?)

Assuming it is a new UCE powered motorcycle and it hasn't been fully broken in, following the break in instructions is the first best thing you can do.  The second best thing you can do is to make sure the 1st engine oil and oil filter change is done at the recommended mileage.

Beyond that, keep the rear drive chain lubed, never run the fuel level down to the bottom of the tank and enjoy your rides.

[Vinny Singh]

Thanks Jim

It is a 2015 fuel injected UCE engine. I am currently in the breaking-in process. Do you know how often or when I should lube the belt and if I can do it myself?

[suitcasejefferson]

Thanks Jim

It is a 2015 fuel injected UCE engine. I am currently in the breaking-in process. Do you know how often or when I should lube the belt and if I can do it myself?

Welcome. You will find plenty of help and information here. I don't know of any other motorcycle that has such a nice forum. The Enfield is a very easy bike to maintain, and do minor repairs on. If you are talking about lubing the chain, it is super easy, I do mine about every 300 miles. I lube my chain with the bike on the centerstand with the engine off. Rather than lube it at the rear sprocket as many do, I do it on the lower chain run, while turning the rear wheel by hand. I use a spray lube, and a bent piece of cardboard as a shield to keep chain lube off the rest of the bike.

It would help if you let us know what state/country you are in. Types and brands of motorcycle maintenance supplies vary widely around the world. Even the bikes themselves can be different. My 2013 B5 in the U.S. has FI. Yet at that time in India you could still buy one with a carb. If you are completely new to motorcycles in general you might want to look into some kind of training. Enjoy your Enfield!

[Vinny Singh]

Got it. I'm in California and I've actually just recently taken a basic rider course from CMSP (California Motorcycle Safety Program) before I got my license.

[heloego]

   Welcome to the forums and congrats on your C5. Mines a 2012, and if yours is half as reliable as mine has been you've got a real treat!
   As stated, be sure to follow the Maintenance Schedule in your Owner's Manual religiously, lube your chain regularly, and, if you haven't already, go over the bike front to back and tighten every nut and bolt you can using blue Loc-tite. Blue Loc-tite is your friend!
   And you'll find the greatest guys here with p-l-e-n-t-y of help if you need it!
   How about posting a pic of your bike so we can admire it, too? 

[The Old Coot]

Glad to see you on board. You'll find the C5 is a great ride. Stay on top on maintenance, buy or download a shop manual and it will help, you can get it from our host here. The RE is one of the easiest bikes to work on as it's such a simple thing and when it's running right it's a joy to ride. With real luck you'll find another Enfield owner who can show you the ropes.

Here's a link to one of our members Videos and he makes it easy to understand what's going on with simple repairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNK9tfJ1_xc

[Sebastiaan56]

Sounds a bit like my story. My C5 (classic chrome black) is just on 1900 kms and is getting nicer every time I jump it. The maintenance is really simple stuff. As indicated there are heaps of videos and lots of expertise on this forum. People want to help.

My piece of gratuitous advice? Ride between the surges of traffic. Here in Autstralia we have a yellow L plate for learner riders, it seems to be a dickhead magnet. So I pull over, let people pass and ride on my own. Much more fun.

[Ice]

Hello Vinsinghg37, welcome aboard and congrats on your Bullet !

 Link to brother SinghG5 fantastic video library.
https://www.youtube.com/user/singh5g/videos

[Vinny Singh]

thank you guys! here are a few pics of it.

[Ice]

Ahh a Military  welcome to the club 

[Vinny Singh]

Should I take it to the dealer that I bought the bike from for the maintenance or any motorcycle repair shop?

[Arizoni]

Should I take it to the dealer that I bought the bike from for the maintenance or any motorcycle repair shop?

That depends on how familiar you are with working on motorcycles or automobiles.  Also, on what sort of tools you have.

There are many posts here on this site that describe how to do all of the normal maintenance tasks that are required and there are also many videos on YouTube, made by Singhg5 showing how to do them.

The common jobs consist of changing the oil and oil filter, lubricating the drive chain, adjusting the drive chain, inspecting/changing the spark plug, checking the tightness of nuts and bolts, lubricating clutch and throttle cables and changing a few burned out light bulbs.

All of these tasks are rather simple and the most complex tool you should have is a  3/8" drive, torque wrench, which can be bought at Harbor Freight for about $15 along with the metric sockets which will be used with it.
(There are a few large sockets that are handy to have but these are needed only for adjusting the chain).

Other tools that are handy to have is a good adjustable wrench, a set of open/box end wrenches (spanners) a pair of pliers and a Phillips screw drivers of medium size.  (The one in the RE tool kit supplied with the motorcycle will work fine).

If your new to all of this, check out a used book store or two.
Look for any Haynes book on repairing a motorcycle.
The motorcycle brand isn't real important because you will be looking for the basics and they are the same for almost all motorcycles.

Any question you might have, just post it here on the forum.
You will get good advice from a lot of people here.

[tenacres650]

last post has a link to a manual

https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php/topic,15522.msg167269.html#msg167269

[pmanaz1973]

I agree that getting a couple of books on basic mechanics, motorcycle maintenance and having the manual linked to above is a great start. Understanding the fundamentals is critical to building on your knowledge and doing work safely.  A good set of tools is not that expensive anymore and you really don't need all that many with this bike.

Learning to turn your own wrenches is a very liberating experience; you will no longer need to wait on a dealer or shop and you will get to understand how and why your bike works the way it does.  It also save a great deal of money. I've always worked on all my own vehicles and while my dealer is great, he is over 6 hours away.

These bikes are very easy to maintain, so jump in and have fun.

Welcome to the forum and to the RE experience.