[rumple4skin]

Hello Gents..and Ladies
I,ve been taking a tour of youre exellent site,and im hoping that you might be able to help me make the right desicion.Well long story short i am very interested in a Royal Enfield chop/bobber,a very nice looking old scool chop(i know a few purists are gonna lynch me,but its what i like and what im used to).Im lead to belive its a 2002 350 Bullet Delux,with  5000km or 3107miles under its belt(but most of that milage was in its original state).

im also led to belive it is 12volt istphaze alternater and 12volt coil/points ect.He says he has rejetted using 105main and 27.5primary with K&N chrome tipped conical air filter.This is where the warning bells start to ring,on reading on the site im lead to belive its not a good thing to have a unboxed/exposed air filter,and living in the U.K(not know for warm and dry) im worried about engine vacume sucking in water.Plus the bike will be doing about 140-300miles round trip on a regular basis,so an engine sucking in half a lake would be no good to me.

And as i stated this is a Chop and is void of idicaters(thats what hands are for),speedo(but my gps gives me the right speed anyway),but this is where the bells go off again it has no Ammeter is this not crucial in doing your maintenece checks??.The frame is a hardtail custom made frame buy a pro fabricator(i checked him out).Now all my bikes have had hardtails(im a glutton for punishment),but im lead to belive enfields are very prone to high end vibration,is there anything i should be aware of apart from the usual tighten up routine.

Im very sorry for clogging up the forum with this request,but i have allways wanted an Enfield but for one to come along as a Chop/Bobber was to much for me not to take notice.
thanx for your time

[Jon]

An ammeter is not crucial,useful but not essential. I have never heard of rain being
a problem for K&N filters but I suppose one could fill up with water if you
left it parked in a downpour.You could probably fabricate a shield for the filter
if you are that concerned.

Nice looking chop.

[ace.cafe]

Well, it looks like a pretty decent job for that style of bike.
I wouldn't worry about the air filter. Probably at least half of us here are running that same filter on the road in regular use.
Ammeter can easily be added if you want it. It can help to find TDC for kickstarting.

My main warning flag about your post is the 140-300 mile regular round trips.
I hope that's all going to be at less than 50 mph. You might get away with 55 mph, and the bike can go faster than that, but sustained cruising should probably kept to 50mph.
Because a Bullet 350 is going to be pushed over its sustainable speed maximum on an "A road" where speeds over 50mph are needed frequenly, if not required.
The Bullet is not a highway cruising bike, especially not a 350.
"B roads" are okay.

Other than that, it looks interesting, and if it runs as good as it looks, you'll probably have a fun bike, as long as you don't try riding on the highways.

[Thumper]

I'm with the other two posters. A conical K&N or S&B shouldn't be a problem as long as it's properly oiled. You probably want to make sure there is good output from the alternator before you by it though.

High end vibration? Of course, it's a thumper!

Much like you hardtail-types who don't worry about bumps in the road, we single-owners don't care 'bout no stinkin' vibration!

BTW, love the bike! Let us know what you decide.

[rumple4skin]

Well, it looks like a pretty decent job for that style of bike.
I wouldn't worry about the air filter. Probably at least half of us here are running that same filter on the road in regular use.
Ammeter can easily be added if you want it. It can help to find TDC for kickstarting.

My main warning flag about your post is the 140-300 mile regular round trips.
I hope that's all going to be at less than 50 mph. You might get away with 55 mph, and the bike can go faster than that, but sustained cruising should probably kept to 50mph.
Because a Bullet 350 is going to be pushed over its sustainable speed maximum on an "A road" where speeds over 50mph are needed frequenly, if not required.
The Bullet is not a highway cruising bike, especially not a 350.
"B roads" are okay.

Other than that, it looks interesting, and if it runs as good as it looks, you'll probably have a fun bike, as long as you don't try riding on the highways.

Well ACE,my journey consists roughly half of A&B roads and half highway/motorway.If i do these distances would i be right in saying regular stops to cool down and tighten would be order of the day,if so how often should i stop say for instance doing a 140 mile trip and how long should i stop for and is there anything else i should be looking and checking for??
cheers ACE

[Bankerdanny]

No, I don't think you need to make intermediate cool down stops. You just need to keep your speeds down. From everything I have read the 350 is not that much slower than the 500, so an average speed in the 50-55 mph range should be easily sustanable. Just keep a very close eye on oil levels.

Asthetically I think the bike looks good, but it sure doesn't look like it would be very comfortable for a 4-6 hours in the saddle regular trip. But to each his own.

[ace.cafe]

Well, it's tough to say, because each bike has it's own individual characteristics, but there are some basic generalities.

The main issue is that the 350 barely has enough horsepower to do those kinds of speeds, and you'll be pushing the bike at the limit for hours. That will kill it right off.
I think all it will do is about 65mph max when you're sitting up,
A general guideline for extended riding would be about 75% of maximum speed on a Bullet, which would be about 48-50mph on a Bullet 350.
Even the 500 should only cruise at about 60 mph max for extended periods.

The fastest way to get into problems with a Bullet, is to try to make it a highway bike.
It will never be one. Especially a 350 Bullet.

This is not a modern bike or a big road bike. It's an ancient  commuter bike, designed from a time when there were no highways and all speed limits were around 45mph.

If you really want to use this bike for longer distance, find a B Road route to get there, don't do over 50 mph, and leave earlier so you can get there on time.
That would be the best advice.

If you want to test your luck at 55 mph or more, then I'd recommend slowing down to below 50mph about every 5-10 minutes for cooling purposes. You don't have to stop totally. Just a slow down to the speeds that you "should have been riding at previously" will get you by. You should allow sufficient time for the engine to resume normal operating temps while running slower. Say about 15 minutes at the slower speed before attempting to resume 55 or more.

And mind you, this might not work and you could find yourself with a seized engine on the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck. It has happened to thousands of people before you, who contemplated trying it.
I'm not trying to throw a "wet blanket" on this, but every one of us here has had to accept the fact that we don't have a highway bike. And we have 500cc Bullets.

[Bankerdanny]

You might want to consider moving up one tooth on the counter shft sprocket.

On a 350 this will certainly cost you some top end, but it will also lower the revs by 300-400 rpm, which doens't sound like a lot, but for a bike with a practical limit under 6,000 rpm, a few hundred revs adds up.

[rumple4skin]

Well, it's tough to say, because each bike has it's own individual characteristics, but there are some basic generalities.

The main issue is that the 350 barely has enough horsepower to do those kinds of speeds, and you'll be pushing the bike at the limit for hours. That will kill it right off.
I think all it will do is about 65mph max when you're sitting up,
A general guideline for extended riding would be about 75% of maximum speed on a Bullet, which would be about 48-50mph on a Bullet 350.
Even the 500 should only cruise at about 60 mph max for extended periods.

The fastest way to get into problems with a Bullet, is to try to make it a highway bike.
It will never be one. Especially a 350 Bullet.

This is not a modern bike or a big road bike. It's an ancient  commuter bike, designed from a time when there were no highways and all speed limits were around 45mph.

If you really want to use this bike for longer distance, find a B Road route to get there, don't do over 50 mph, and leave earlier so you can get there on time.
That would be the best advice.

If you want to test your luck at 55 mph or more, then I'd recommend slowing down to below 50mph about every 5-10 minutes for cooling purposes. You don't have to stop totally. Just a slow down to the speeds that you "should have been riding at previously" will get you by. You should allow sufficient time for the engine to resume normal operating temps while running slower. Say about 15 minutes at the slower speed before attempting to resume 55 or more.

And mind you, this might not work and you could find yourself with a seized engine on the side of the road, waiting for a tow truck. It has happened to thousands of people before you, who contemplated trying it.
I'm not trying to throw a "wet blanket" on this, but every one of us here has had to accept the fact that we don't have a highway bike. And we have 500cc Bullets.

Thanx for reply,and i fully understand what you all are telling me,belive me i have the 1340cc 8ft long hardtail bull in a china shop and after 6yrs of riding her im selling up and getting my life expectancy up 3quarters rather than half which is pretty much the truth considering how the mental the roads have become over the years.Im very happy to cruise at 50 and let the maniacs and speeders past.And to be honest i have the power and speed of the V-Twin but im still limited to how fast i can go on a hardtail,if you have ever hit a raised manhole or bump in the road doing 65-70mph or higher i can assure you it can be a real buttock clencher.Life in the slow lane is what im wanting at this stage of my life.thanx ACE

[rumple4skin]

An ammeter is not crucial,useful but not essential. I have never heard of rain being
a problem for K&N filters but I suppose one could fill up with water if you
left it parked in a downpour.You could probably fabricate a shield for the filter
if you are that concerned.

Nice looking chop.

Thanx for your advice and time Jon

[rumple4skin]

I'm with the other two posters. A conical K&N or S&B shouldn't be a problem as long as it's properly oiled. You probably want to make sure there is good output from the alternator before you by it though.

High end vibration? Of course, it's a thumper!

Much like you hardtail-types who don't worry about bumps in the road, we single-owners don't care 'bout no stinkin' vibration!

BTW, love the bike! Let us know what you decide.

Cheers THUMPER,its looking good for the ENFIELD,hardtailed and vibrating what a combo..pmsl.thanx for your input and time.

[rumple4skin]

You might want to consider moving up one tooth on the counter shft sprocket.

On a 350 this will certainly cost you some top end, but it will also lower the revs by 300-400 rpm, which doens't sound like a lot, but for a bike with a practical limit under 6,000 rpm, a few hundred revs adds up.

Thanx B.D,i will look into this,will let you know if i go ahead and what the outcome is.Thanx for time and input.

[rumple4skin]

Hello again,well i took the plunge and bought the beast.I picked her up on sunday rode her 115miles back home avarage speed 45-50mph.Let me just say it was a bit of a culture shock going from H.D(dare i metion the name on this forum..lol) to a classic bike,but much fun it was.The drum brakes combined with lefthand breaking and righthand gear change made for some eye opening moments and it was raining just to top it off.

But i feel that there are a few little problems that need to be ironed out,so i hope i can turn to you hardcore bullet riders for some support and help.Im kind of dreading but also excited in a strange kind of way of something going wrong,i feel the bullet will help expand my mechanical tinkerings and give me the confidence to take mechanical matters into my own hands on a bigger scale(full engine rebuilds).

Thank you all for your replies and time.

[Thumper]

Congratulations! We'll be expecting a complete portfolio of photos....

[Bankerdanny]

Welcome to the club.

I always thought that adapting to right foot shifting would be tough. On the plus side, the shift quality is supposed to be better with the shifter on the right where it was designed to go.

[PhilJ]

When I bought my Triumph it was difficult for me to make the switch. For a while when I had to get on the road I would tell myself "In panic situation BOTH FEET DOWN". Then I got used to it. Several years later I had to make the switch back. It wasn't as bad but I was concerned and very careful.