[lokiNYC]

Hey all- Loki here in NYC. Just bought my beast (Falkor) May 14th in Connecticut.  Just wanted to share.

5 miles on the odometer - no low beam- replaced with the 5 3/4 light they sell on here (so next time I can just replace the bulb)- dealer said - oh, headlights aren't covered under warranty and a bulb can pop any time.  Great - but I just bought it and need it to pass inspection within 10 days in New York- I mean, they could have sent me a replacement light
25 on the odometer- heat shield vibrated off going down the highway
300 miles - wanted to replace mirrors for something less vibratey, and stripped the right mirror hole.
1200 - first service - I know, but I was on a trip. Went to an old dealer, not new authorized dealer, since that's 3 hours away in Connecticut. Had them install a crash guard and fix my mirrors (back to stock mirrors, which actually were better anyway). Crash guard ordered off an Enfield parts site from India, and they had to sort of come up with a fix, as it sits too close to oxygen sensor- looks good, though
1250 - horn only works intermittently and is sometimes very soft, had a shop install a ped slicer, and they installed too close to my forks, so the bottom of the headlight was hitting the plate when I would go over bumps or brake too hard.  Their fix was to move it down the fender a bit, which also means I have 2 extra holes drilled into my brand new bike (grumble grumble)

Somewhere at 1000 miles I have had a couple of near stalls just sitting at stop lights and giving it gas to pull off - like a miss almost- I think once it actually did stall.

Overall I love it, but jeeze. A month in, and I'm pissing money on this thing. lol

Took a trip over Memorial Day weekend from NYC to Lake Ontario and back- doing 65-75 (eek) on the highway at times- and although my ass was clinched most of the way, he did ok.  Definitely more fun at 60 mph than 70, though.

[2014BulletC5]

Welcome to the Royal Enfield Experience!

[Richard230]

Yup.  Royal Enfields have character, all right.  More than most modern motorcycles.   

[krimp]

Welcome aboard. As a future note, most of us here do a lot of our own work, so feel free to ask us for help. Also, anytime you have something that you think should be covered under warranty, reach out to RENA (Royal Enfield North America) before you take it to a dealer (our host can put you in touch with them). Quite often, RENA can get you a replacement part sent directly to you or the dealer of your preference. When my headsteady broke, they sent the replacement to me. I had it installed faster than I could have travelled to the dealer.

[Rich Mintz]

I had a terrible first year (much worse than yours; they had to take the engine apart twice under warranty, electrical failed, etc.). Four years later, I love the bike (rode it to work today!) and I'm glad I have it... but it's not suitable for those who aren't interested in a bit of adventure with their riding. And if I'd known then what I know now, I probably would have bought something else. Which is too bad, since I love it now that I have it!

[pmanaz1973]

Loki - Sounds like your "dealer" didn't do a proper dealer prep and the response to your burned out bulb is a good indicator that they don't give a rip...at least to me.

Save yourself some heartache and money and get in touch with someone who knows how to set up the bike properly.  It sounds like the bike needs a thorough going over to ensure everything is in order.  They do require a bit of tinkering for the first couple of thousand miles, but after that they settle in and become predictable.  My C5 is as reliable as the Honda's I've owned, but it has required more tinkering and the materials are not as good.  If you do plan on doing many more 65-75mph trips, I'd consider a different bike, or a second bike.  Just my humble two-cents.

[malky]

Hi Loki. A good pdi makes all the difference, once everything settles down the bikes are great which is where a good dealer/mechanic makes all the difference, and don't you just love someone, who after you've just given a wedge of cash, can't throw in a bulb as good will. I know where I would have stuffed the old one. Sideways.

[mattsz]

I know where I would have stuffed the old one. Sideways.

Still connected to power, for good measure... 

[tooseevee]

Hey all- Loki here in NYC. Just bought my beast (Falkor) May 14th in Connecticut.  Just wanted to share.

1250 - horn only works intermittently and is sometimes very soft, had a shop install a ped slicer, and they installed too close to my forks, so the bottom of the headlight was hitting the plate when I would go over bumps or brake too hard.  Their fix was to move it down the fender a bit, which also means I have 2 extra holes drilled into my brand new bike (grumble grumble)

           I recall how insanely careful I was when I installed my front plate making sure I thought out everything first and I would have been livid (I don't use that word often, read "really pissed") if some idiot mounted mine that way and THEN left two holes in my fender repositioning it. Sometimes I'm glad I've never had to rely on a dealer although I recognize most of them try hard.   

[Kevin Mahoney]

Welcome to RE ownership! As far as a mechanic in NYC goes have you checked out Hugh at Sixth Street Specials? http://sixthstreetspecials.com/

I have helped him with others RE owners from NYC. He is a good guy and knows more about bikes than most ever will.

[Guaire]

Just saw the website. Looks like my kind of place.

[Rich Mintz]

Also worth mentioning Metropolitan Motorbikes, in downtown Union City, NJ (10-minute NJT bus ride from Port Authority). They aren't a warranty shop, but they did some major body repair on my Enfield with excellent workmanship at a fair price, and look competent to do engine work too (they've done it on my other bikes).

[mattsz]

This is starting to sound like a good topic for a new thread... member-recommended repair shops that can and will do a competent job on RE bikes...

I have a shop with a good reputation near me, but it's Harley only - they won't even look at any other make.  They'll change a tire if you remove it from the bike and bring the wheel in, but that's as far as they'll go...

[mevocgt]

This is starting to sound like a good topic for a new thread... member-recommended repair shops that can and will do a competent job on RE bikes...

I have a shop with a good reputation near me, but it's Harley only - they won't even look at any other make.  They'll change a tire if you remove it from the bike and bring the wheel in, but that's as far as they'll go...

That's probably because they don't own any metric tools....?

[mattsz]

That's probably because they don't own any metric tools....?

That's why I wouldn't bring a wheel in there - they have no metric tire irons... 

[wildbill]

you probably have not done it yet so if you buy yourself a ngk bpr6es sparkplug and fit it to the bike - I think the riding experience will be much smoother and for the better.

those mirrors are always tricky to remove/replace and if not very careful they could be easily cross threaded and stuffed.

[Sectorsteve]

you probably have not done it yet so if you buy yourself a ngk bpr6es sparkplug and fit it to the bike - I think the riding experience will be much smoother and for the better.

those mirrors are always tricky to remove/replace and if not very careful they could be easily cross threaded and stuffed.

the stock mirrors that came with my bike were utter rubbish.

[suitcasejefferson]

Wow, you've had more problems than I've had with my 2013 B5 in nearly 10,000 miles. At about 200 miles, all my rear lights failed. Brake, tail, and turn signals. I found the rear tire had chewed through the harness, which was mounted under the fender. I repaired it and rerouted it under the seat. The rear brake didn't work from the very first mile, though I really didn't need it. I removed the rear wheel and centered the shoes. That made it about 90% better. Good enough. The front brake worked (sort of) but made a loud squealing noise. I fixed that by putting some of that goo they make for car brakes on the back of the pads. The exhaust header nuts and studs came loose several times. I started carrying a wrench with me to tighten them. I finally replaced the nuts and studs with bolts, and drilled and safety wired the heads so they couldn't come loose again. I just noticed that my high beam indicator doesn't work. Not a big deal, I still have both high and low beams. I have no problems with the stock mirrors. I just ordered a new exhaust for it, to get rid of that huge and heavy cat con pipe, and hopefully get a little more sound out of it. If that works out, my next addition will be the "pedestrian slicer" which I will install myself. My plans from day one were to replace the EFI with a carb setup, but it costs close to $1000, and I'm worried about spending that much money on it, due to several posts about cracked frames.

I don't exceed 60 mph on mine for any reason, and usually ride it around 55. That seems to be it's sweet spot, where the sound and vibration are perfect. My bike is out of warranty, and being a retired auto mechanic/technician, I do all my own maintenance and repairs. I wouldn't go to a dealer even if it was free. Having been employed by a few dealers, I can tell you flat out that they don't care. They are there for one reason only, to make money. Mechanics are constantly being pushed to "beat the clock" (the time given in the book for a specific job) The faster they can do it the more money they make. Dealers hate warranty work, because they usually get paid very little for it.

Everybody knows that RE is not up to Japanese quality standards, and that will be their biggest issue in the U.S. market. But Japanese brand dealers are among the worst of the ones that don't care about their customers. Until they improve their quality, RE can go a long way towards earning customer satisfaction by having dealers that go out of their way to be helpful to the customer. But RE will have to pay for that, dealers are dealers, and their goal is to make money. RE would have to pay them enough to both take care of their customers and make money.

I would love to see RE gain a bigger share of the U.S. market, but NOT by modernizing their bikes. They would no longer appeal to the customers that buy them. They need to improve quality, but keep their old tech design and looks. Harley Davidson has been very successful by doing just that. But IMO, they have used a lot of technology that is not necessary, just because. For example, I would never buy a bike with ABS or ride by wire.

Sorry I got carried away a bit. My Enfield has been stored for the summer, in the living room, with non ethanol race gas in it. I probably won't ride it again till sometime in late October. I miss it already.

[lokiNYC]

I've checked him out, but it seems like a huge wait every time- like he's really overwhelmed. And well, I just got a bike- I don't want to wait a week for someone to install a slicer or crash guards.  But he seems nice enough!

Welcome to RE ownership! As far as a mechanic in NYC goes have you checked out Hugh at Sixth Street Specials? http://sixthstreetspecials.com/

I have helped him with others RE owners from NYC. He is a good guy and knows more about bikes than most ever will.

[malky]

That's why I wouldn't bring a wheel in there - they have no metric tire irons... 

I've got a metric adjustable.

[The Old Coot]

I've got a metric adjustable.

I got you beat Malky. I have a LEFTHANDED metric adjustable wrench.

Really, came for a place called "For Lefties Only" that sell tools set up for left hand use, the adjusted nut on the wrench turns left to close and right to open.

[Rattlebattle]

My 2015 C5 LE has never fuelled properly. I have tried the 02 sensor eliminator (aka snake oil IMHO) but it still ran too rich. I have just ordered the carb conversion kit from Hitchcocks. I don't know what options you have in the States, or Australia, re carb conversions but the latest one from Hitchcocks dispenses with the need to replace the generator. It is now a fair bit cheaper and, presumably, easier to instal. £330 including VAT and postage, cheaper than a PCV from the same source.

[malky]

My 2015 C5 LE has never fuelled properly. I have tried the 02 sensor eliminator (aka snake oil IMHO) but it still ran too rich. I have just ordered the carb conversion kit from Hitchcocks. I don't know what options you have in the States, or Australia, re carb conversions but the latest one from Hitchcocks dispenses with the need to replace the generator. It is now a fair bit cheaper and, presumably, easier to instal. £330 including VAT and postage, cheaper than a PCV from the same source.

It'll be interesting to hear how you get on. Contrary to some reports the bike will run good with a MK1 concentric if that's what you've ordered. A bit of fiddling with the slide cut out may be necessary, and re-profiling the needle. I've done a couple for owners who couldn't get theirs to run right and they are fine now. No flat spots.

[Rattlebattle]

Yes, the kit comes with a Concentric Mk1. Not the best carb Amal do but it has a tickler and a choke. I suppose I could have upgraded it to a Monobloc but that's quite a bit dearer - much better carb though IMHO. I also have a new 276 that might fit - that really is the one that would have been fitted in the early to mid fifties, when the Monobloc was introduced. English Bullets were extinct by the time the Concentric came out..

[malky]

I had a MK 1 Concentric on my old modded 500 Bullet. Never had any issues, ran perfect and smooth throughout the range,  Always started first kick hot or cold. If you haven't seen it already this is well worth watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&v=jwDUplLn4Xg

[Rattlebattle]

Thanks for the link; I hadn't seen that one. Back in the day I had a lot of bikes with concentrics. The main problems I and my friends had then was the high wear rate caused by the slide and the mixing chamber being made of the same "monkey metal" resulting in difficulty in synchronising twin carbs. These days you can buy brass slides like the earlier carbs had. My favourite is the monobloc, at least on a single. They are easier to set up in my experience. Just my opinion.

[lokiNYC]

Mile 1450 - Rode to work, all fine, came out from work a few hours later, battery won't turn over the engine and had to kick start.  Rode 20 minutes and made a stop, still wasn't charged back up, road 20 more minutes home and tried again once I got home, and still no.  Starts with kick start fine, thankfully.  Is a month too soon to have to get a new battery?  (Bought May 14th).  Went ahead and ordered the lithium battery they sell on here. 

[The Old Coot]

I'd check the battery cables first. On the C5 they are a known problem and it could be spreading.  Look at the negative cable closely as it fails under the heat shrink tubing and it has to be peeled back to check.

Or you could have a shorted cell in your battery and that would be the end of that. I have a car battery do that, the plates in the battery break free and it's toast. 

[lokiNYC]

Thanks for the tip.  Is a battery cable hard to replace? lol

I'd check the battery cables first. On the C5 they are a known problem and it could be spreading.  Look at the negative cable closely as it fails under the heat shrink tubing and it has to be peeled back to check.

Or you could have a shorted cell in your battery and that would be the end of that. I have a car battery do that, the plates in the battery break free and it's toast.

[lokiNYC]

Bought this spark plug - is it just plug it in and go? 

you probably have not done it yet so if you buy yourself a ngk bpr6es sparkplug and fit it to the bike - I think the riding experience will be much smoother and for the better.

those mirrors are always tricky to remove/replace and if not very careful they could be easily cross threaded and stuffed.

[The Old Coot]

If it battery terminal is bad, broken into just cut it off and crimp on a large enough ring terminal to fit the battery bolt and carry on.

[gashousegorilla]

Mile 1450 - Rode to work, all fine, came out from work a few hours later, battery won't turn over the engine and had to kick start.  Rode 20 minutes and made a stop, still wasn't charged back up, road 20 more minutes home and tried again once I got home, and still no.  Starts with kick start fine, thankfully.  Is a month too soon to have to get a new battery?  (Bought May 14th).  Went ahead and ordered the lithium battery they sell on here.

   Do you often take short rides ?   Ride with the headlight on ?      If so, I would invest in a battery tender and plug it in when you get home.   Not the best charging systems in the world......

[lokiNYC]

In the US the headlight is wired to always be on.  Ride at least 2 hours a day

[The Old Coot]

In the US the headlight is wired to always be on.  Ride at least 2 hours a day

Well you can always remove the jumper wire in the head light shell then just like magic the on/off  switch will turn the head light on and off. BUT remember I didn't tell you. 

[lokiNYC]

Incidentally, my dead horn sound perks back up when I rev it up- if that helps narrow things down - you guys are great for posting, thanks!

[The Old Coot]

Battery's weak...but you know THAT. Now WHY it's weak is what we need to find out. 

[gashousegorilla]

In the US the headlight is wired to always be on.  Ride at least 2 hours a day

  Yes it is .... And not a bad Idea to have on for visability.  Especially in a congested area like our's     But , a charging system to accommodate such things would be nice !        Do a lot of low speed , lower rpm riding ?   A lot of stop and go city stuff ?   Use a tender if you do...

[lokiNYC]

Yeah, yesterday particularly the bridge was a parking lot - so low speed riding a lot.  Headed to the highway this evening, though, then to Asbury park tomorrow, so maybe the highway will get him charged back up. 

  Yes it is .... And not a bad Idea to have on for visability.  Especially in a congested area like our's     But , a charging system to accommodate such things would be nice !        Do a lot of low speed , lower rpm riding ?   A lot of stop and go city stuff ?   Use a tender if you do...

[Arizoni]

lokiNYC
The NGK BPR6ES spark plug is a plug and play IF it has a removable cap on top.
Remove the cap so that just the threads are showing.

Use a screwdriver to pry the metal/rubber spark plug connector up. 
Unscrew the existing spark plug using the spark plug socket wrench that came in the tool kit.
Screw the new spark plug in using just your fingers.  After it snugs up, use the spark plug socket to tighten the plug about 1/2-3/4 of a turn.  (It should give noticeable resistance.  If it doesn't, continue to tighten until firm resistance is felt.
Replace the spark plug connector cap pushing it down until it stops.  You should hear a "zzzzzip" as the connector moves over the threads.
Your done.

IMO, you really should remove the headlight jumper wire in the casquette to make the light switch work.
Ride with the headlight on but if you get into stalled traffic, move it from the main headlight position to the parking light position.
Here's why:
If I am riding with the headlight on my system voltage is over 13 volts and the battery is being charged.
If I come to a stop with the headlight on, the system voltage drops to 12 volts (or less) and the battery is discharging.

If I ride with just the parking lights on, the system voltage is almost 14 volts and the battery is receiving a nice charge.
If I am stopped with just the parking lights on and the engine idling, the system voltage drops to 12-13 volts so the battery is not being discharged.

Just revving the engine up just a little bit will bring the system voltage back up enough to keep the battery charged.
The grounding wire (black) for the battery actually has 2 wires.
One is a heavy wire that goes to the starter motor housing.
The other, smaller black wire acts as the ground path for ALL of the electrical things on your motorcycle (including the charging circuit).
  It is this SMALL wire that causes the problem.  On the C5s especially but on the G5 and B5 as well, this small wire can break just below the battery connector.
If it breaks, often it will still touch the other end of the broken wire and things will seem to work normally.  Then, it can lose contact and battery charging quits, other things like the horn won't work and the electric starter may refuse to work.
The break usually happens underneath the rubber cover that covers the connection to the battery connector.

Just because a battery is new doesn't mean it can't have problems.
As others have mentioned, the plates can break loose.  The internal connections may break.  It might not have been fully filled at the factory.  It might be really old and sat on a shelf for a year or more.....

[mevocgt]

Maybe a good idea to look for an LED headlight.  NY traffic, you are rarely going to be able to recover the lost charge from just using your electric start, especially with the headlight on. But the LED light will have less draw. 

And a second on the battery may not be any good.  Lead acid batteries not prepped right, sitting on shelf charged, or let sit with low charge will not last long.  I use to sell motorcycle parts at a dealer, and we would have about 10-15% of our brand new batteries come back within a week, not holding a charge...

[malky]

I got you beat Malky. I have a LEFTHANDED metric adjustable wrench.

Really, came for a place called "For Lefties Only" that sell tools set up for left hand use, the adjusted nut on the wrench turns left to close and right to open.

Okely dokely, so your real name is Ned Flanders.

[gashousegorilla]

.... then to Asbury park tomorrow....

    Festhalle & Biergarten !? 

[lokiNYC]

So nice fast highway ride to Asbury Park and back this weekend, and it's all charged back up - so I think it was just the slow slow riding in traffic around the City the other day that did it. Nice strong horn, electric start starts right up, etc.  I went ahead and ordered a lithium battery, to see what that does.

Gonna try this spark plug install today.

[lokiNYC]

5100 miles- for the last week, (it's getting worse) when I try to accellerate in liek the mid throttle range- in any gear, this thing just coughs and misses and seems like it's going to die.  Early on, if I opened it up ont he highway, it would be fine, but slowing back down in that 2nd 3rd gear range, it would act up again.  Changed spark plug (again). No change.

I've had battery problems since day 1- I think low idle city riding with an always on headlight, I'm just not getting enough juice to keep the battery charged.  I replaced the battery, bought a tender, and I still usually can't use my electric start or horn unless I've done a good deal of highway riding.  Buying a proper battery charger today, so hopefully this coughing thing is related to the EFI not getting the proper juice? 

Love my bike, but the experience is eh. I go to GoldCoast for service (about 30 miles away), and that's super eh.  The dealer in Connecticut, also eh - and I'm not driving 3 hours to get work done.  RENA said previous dealers are still authorized to do warranty work, but finding a good bike shop in New York- omg- total nightmare. I had to have the special snowflake bike... heh heh

[gashousegorilla]

5100 miles- for the last week, (it's getting worse) when I try to accellerate in liek the mid throttle range- in any gear, this thing just coughs and misses and seems like it's going to die.  Early on, if I opened it up ont he highway, it would be fine, but slowing back down in that 2nd 3rd gear range, it would act up again.  Changed spark plug (again). No change.

I've had battery problems since day 1- I think low idle city riding with an always on headlight, I'm just not getting enough juice to keep the battery charged.  I replaced the battery, bought a tender, and I still usually can't use my electric start or horn unless I've done a good deal of highway riding.  Buying a proper battery charger today, so hopefully this coughing thing is related to the EFI not getting the proper juice? 

Love my bike, but the experience is eh. I go to GoldCoast for service (about 30 miles away), and that's super eh.  The dealer in Connecticut, also eh - and I'm not driving 3 hours to get work done.  RENA said previous dealers are still authorized to do warranty work, but finding a good bike shop in New York- omg- total nightmare. I had to have the special snowflake bike... heh heh

 Do you have to park that bike on the street ?  Or are you in a position , where you can plug that battery tender in ever time you get home ?  If not, you need to.   Like mentioned above, I would pull that headlight jumper so the switch works.  Get some bright ass LED's for your running lights ... the ones on either side of your headlight.  And put that headlight switch in the middle running light position for around the city.  An LED taillight bulb is also not a bad idea.   That's what I do....

[wildbill]

ive had let me see 1..2 ..3 no actually 7 c5's ....well 6 and a half  and have not struck this problem you have here? I even ride with the headlight on - I want those other idiots on the road to hopefully see me so here's what i'd try

1. motorbatt battery
2. ngk bpr6es plug -think you have that
3. remove the neg battery lead and probably fix the broken wire
4. check your regulator. plus the bracket should be broken or close to it by now.
5. check all your ecu type push in click connectors around the rear of the tank section. I once had one not seated correctly from the factory and it took a while to loosen up and cause a bit of drama.

now if all that fails. take it out along a quiet road......and shoot it! but not in the tank!

[longstrokeclassic]

Those symptoms do sound like a faulty reg/rec connection where the full output from the charging system is not able to reach the battery.

This requires visual examination of the inside of the connector blocks to check for arcing, not just physically pushing both plastic halves together.

[Sectorsteve]

With only 5 miles on the odometer the dealer didnt really do a proper set up.
You should be covered by warranty and not spending any more money on a 2016.
Also dont thrash the bike- yet. Its too early. Itll go better at about 2000 miles onwards.
You shouldnt have to sort this out- the dealer should. I wouldn't be buying batteries etc id be dumping it on the dealers doorstep and insisting the fix the problem/s.
You may have bought a dud  RE. it happens.

[lokiNYC]

So had time to take a better look today after charging it over night.  I think the negative lead to the battery was loose, and that's it.  Took it for a quickie around the block, and no sputtering.  Checked all the connectors, too, and the regulator bracket broke at about mile 200 (got that fixed in service already). 

I'll keep this one, but definitely not buying a newer one until NYC has it's own dealer. 

Thanks for all the suggestions! 

[mevocgt]

Ah, the old sympathetic vibrations wiggling loose connections.  If you've seen it once.....

Glad you found it....

[Scotty Brown]

Remember the three T's -- Tires and Tits will always give you Trouble!  Fortunately I had an excellent dealer and a proper set up.  12,000 and have never been back for service.  I do my own oil and filter changes.  Suggestions -- DO disconnect the headlight bridge so you and control your lights. DO remove the kickstand switch and discard it. They are prone to failure IMHO. Just don't forget to put up your stand before you ride away.  DO lube your speedometer cable occasionally, as well as the rear chain. Lastly remember to check tire pressure and experiment on what feels best.  Best advice --- Watch all of Singhs videos they are the best.

[Sectorsteve]

So had time to take a better look today after charging it over night.  I think the negative lead to the battery was loose, and that's it.  Took it for a quickie around the block, and no sputtering.  Checked all the connectors, too, and the regulator bracket broke at about mile 200 (got that fixed in service already). 

I'll keep this one, but definitely not buying a newer one until NYC has it's own dealer. 

Thanks for all the suggestions!

So this is still happening to the new REs...mental...

[215 Enfield]

Hello everyone, I too am a new RE Owner as of last week. 2012 Classic Military with 900 miles. Got a good deal on it after a gentleman traded in 2 RE's for a Ducati. I live about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Pa, and would love to know a good mechanic in the area. The idea of a topic with repair shops is a good one.

[wildbill]

welcome to the forum. I think most things you can do yourself with help here but sourcing for answers back through the threads begs for some interesting reads.

a few here would probably know as much as a mechanic or more and in my case I've even told them things they don't know about the bike and models so enjoy the reading.

[Rattlebattle]

welcome to the forum. I think most things you can do yourself with help here but sourcing for answers back through the threads begs for some interesting reads.

a few here would probably know as much as a mechanic or more and in my case I've even told them things they don't know about the bike and models so enjoy the reading.

Blimey. 900 miles in four years; it must be nearly worn out! Seriously, although it's four years old it won't be run in if the mileage is genuine. If it were mine I'd change the oil and filter unless you know that the supplying dealer has already done so. Really it should have the proper spec oil in it; some RE dealers here in the UK don't put the correct oil in it (see handbook) so it's doubtful that a non-franchised dealer would either. With care (the threads need treating with respect and care) these bikes are easy to service yourself, one reason why owners like them. Can't help with a local dealer - different continent.

[lokiNYC]

I'll post this here, but start a new thread somewhere, too -


Thank you for your interest in Royal Enfield Motorcycles.  At this time we are restructuring our dealer network to better serve our customers, but unfortunately we do not yet have a new authorized dealer in the New York Metro area.  We do see this area as an important market and are actively looking for representation there.  In the mean time, though they are quite a distance, the closest active dealer to you is currently:

Mark's Motorsports
70 Enfield St.
Enfield, CT 06082
860-741-5115
http://www.marksmotorsports.com/

There are other dealers that were part of the prior network and though they will not be authorized new bike dealers any more, we are allowing them to continue to do service work until we have built a more robust dealer network.  I have attached a list so that you may look through it and try to contact them to see if they can help you with your service needs

Pease let me know if you need any other assistance

Omar I Buker
Regional Manager - North East United States
Royal Enfield (A Unit of Eicher Motors Ltd.)
F  https://www.facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica
​twitter.png https://twitter.com/RoyalEnfield_NA
W royalenfield.com/usa

[pmanaz1973]

A dealer is a nice thing to have close, but these bikes really are dead simple and a great machine to learn to troubleshoot and fix stuff on.  With even a basic metric tool kit and this forum, you can fix almost anything.  Taking it to a dealer is convenient, but with the uncertain service you can get and the insane rates, you are better off learning to wrench on it yourself.  I know in the city that can be a real pain or even close to impossible unless you have some level of a enclosed space.  I know how supers get when you start wrenching on stuff in the parking garage..that and stuff always seem to disappear. 

Just my humble two-cents.

[lokiNYC]

5400 miles- clutch cable broke... 2 blocks away from a bike shop, thankfully.  doh!

[Rattlebattle]

If you buy new you get a spare set of cables and some other stuff. The cables aren't the greatest though. I have a dealer about two miles away but I still prefer to work on my own bikes and buy my spares from a specialist supplier who knows what they are talking about (Hitchcocks in the UK). Order one day, goods arrive the next). My supplying dealer has recently started a Husqvana franchise. I get the impression that RE bikes aren't selling too well here. I believe this is most likely because most owners are getting on in years and have already bought one. The CGT is more likely to be bought by a younger person, but it's getting a bit old hat now and faces stiff competition from a whole host of other modern cafe racers, not least the new Triumphs and Ducati's Scrambler, not to mention Yamaha. With existing stock not being Euro IV compliant it will have to be registered before the end of the year. I can see a few bargains being available early next year. By contrast pretty well all the old type Triumph twins have been sold.

[lokiNYC]

5700- got him out for spring ride, and he rode like shit- I'd get to a mid-throttle, and he'd just sputter and misfire like all get out.  Finally got around to replacing my (replacement) battery with a Motorbatt (16.5 amps, because I'm sick of this dead battery business) - and what an instant difference it made.  Running perfect now- so I think I can brave the 2 hour ride to the nearest dealer to get some servicing done.  Ahhh- to actually use the electric start! Such a luxury!

Up next - 7 inch headlight conversion with white headlight (so it finally matches my pilot lights). Horn upgrade (something obnoxiously loud is coming). And hopefully doing service they can install whatever relay they need to so my LED turn signals blink at the normal rate again and not speed blink.

Bring on the twin and the ABS- I love my bike, but...

[dogboy443]

I'll post this here, but start a new thread somewhere, too -


Thank you for your interest in Royal Enfield Motorcycles.  At this time we are restructuring our dealer network to better serve our customers, but unfortunately we do not yet have a new authorized dealer in the New York Metro area.  We do see this area as an important market and are actively looking for representation there.  In the mean time, though they are quite a distance, the closest active dealer to you is currently:

Mark's Motorsports
70 Enfield St.
Enfield, CT 06082
860-741-5115
http://www.marksmotorsports.com/

There are other dealers that were part of the prior network and though they will not be authorized new bike dealers any more, we are allowing them to continue to do service work until we have built a more robust dealer network.  I have attached a list so that you may look through it and try to contact them to see if they can help you with your service needs

Pease let me know if you need any other assistance

Omar I Buker
Regional Manager - North East United States
Royal Enfield (A Unit of Eicher Motors Ltd.)
F  https://www.facebook.com/RoyalEnfieldNorthAmerica
​twitter.png https://twitter.com/RoyalEnfield_NA
W royalenfield.com/usa

Mark's is my local dealership, 15 minutes or so on the highway. They've always treated me right and answered all of my questions. Carl is the RE man over there.

[lokiNYC]

5900 - Service at the new RE dealer in New Jersey - installed new Stebel Nautilus horn (obnoxiously loud), 7 inch headlight conversion with visor - which is great, but they had told me white, not the warm white/yellowish of the original headlight - so my tiger eyes being LED white still don't match my headlight, which drives the OCD in me crazy. So I ordered full on yellow led's for the pilot/tiger eyes and see what that does.  Also, the 7 inch they put in is sealed beam (where my previous one from the shop on here you could replace just the bulb). We'll see how it goes- but then when I want to replace, I just get any 7 inch sealed beam and I'm good? Also- visor is cute, but seems to vibrate loose a bit so there's a gap between headlight and visor.

[Scotty Brown]

MAKE BLUE LOCTITE YOUR BEST FRIEND.

[Blairio]

5900 - Service at the new RE dealer in New Jersey - installed new Stebel Nautilus horn (obnoxiously loud), 7 inch headlight conversion with visor - which is great, but they had told me white, not the warm white/yellowish of the original headlight - so my tiger eyes being LED white still don't match my headlight, which drives the OCD in me crazy. So I ordered full on yellow led's for the pilot/tiger eyes and see what that does.  Also, the 7 inch they put in is sealed beam (where my previous one from the shop on here you could replace just the bulb). We'll see how it goes- but then when I want to replace, I just get any 7 inch sealed beam and I'm good? Also- visor is cute, but seems to vibrate loose a bit so there's a gap between headlight and visor.

I also have the LED tiger eye lights.  I agree, they are a 'cold blue' white, rather than the more pleasing (but less visible) soft white of the incandescent bulbs. On the matter of the headlamp visor: I used to have one fitted.  It was sandwiched in between the headlamp reflector and the rim, and held in place by the pressure of the spring clips behind the reflector. The visor was very hard to move once fitted. and certainly didn't vibrate. Perhaps review with the dealer how it was fitted?

[lokiNYC]

6700 miles- back brake squeaks like crazy when tapping the pedal

[Arizoni]

6700 miles- back brake squeaks like crazy when tapping the pedal

If you have the old drum style rear brake, most likely what you need to do is, centralize the brake shoes with the drum.

To do this, loosen both of the rear axle nuts and the cover plate anchor nut (the big hex nut that is below and slightly forward of the rear axle).  If your chain adjustment is good, don't move the snails.

With the rear axle, wheel and brake backing plate loose, stomp a few times on the rear brake pedal.
Get a helper to step on the pedal fairly hard and then tighten up the 3 hexagon nuts (2 on the axle and 1 on the cover plate (backing plate) stud.
This backing plate nut should be torqued to 50 NM (37 lb/ft) of torque.  Using a lower value can cause the plate and stud to move resulting in damage and a possible loss of breaking.

With the brake shoes now centralized with the drum, the squeeking should go away.

If you have a CGT with a disk brake, some squeeking is to be expected.  If it is more than "some" you can disassemble the caliper and lightly lubricate the pins or surfaces that allow it to slide sideways.  Don't use common grease.  It must be the high temperture grease that is made for disk brake calipers.  (Also, do not try to take the piston(s) out of the caliper.  Just make sure they don't move together when the caliper is off of the disk.  Also, do NOT touch the brake pedal while the caliper is removed.

OK.  I'll crawl back into my hole and allow folks to talk about their experiences.

[heloego]

  I had a similar problem.
  Arizoni is correct. 

[lokiNYC]

Drum style it is- and thanks for the response!

[lokiNYC]

6800 miles- speedo backlight burned out

[wildbill]

the best thing about buying the enfield -you will get the chance to fix or replace a few parts. sometimes more than once....lol

[Warwick]

Got my yearly inspection for rego on my 94 CBR and the mechanic says that the new Honda's have lots of issues as compared to the old ones. One of my enfields has 16,000 trouble free kms (bar a broken clutch cable). Moral of the story is all brands can issues, particularly the more you ride em. And ride em you should!!!