[maxwell123455]

Hi all

Im Daniel from Northern Ireland (near Belfast) im 20 (yes i know very young), at the moment i ride an 06 Yamaha XT660R which is a great bike for doing any type of riding be it on or off road, very similar to the Kawaskai KLR650. I use it all the time for commuting to and from uni, and at the moment im racking up about 12-14k miles a year

Anyway enough about those bikes and more about the enfields. Ive always like the look/sound of old bikes and the enfield seems to be the only old style bike still in production.  But my main problem with getting an Enfield Electra X (my enfield of choice) would be that im tall. 6ft5 to be precise and i wiegh a good 14.5 stone.

Im just wondering would there be any chance of fitting on this bike at all? and if i did fit im sure the power to weight would be pretty bad?

Also what is a comfortable cruising speed for this bike? Ive heard 60-70mph, but then others have said 55mph which is a bit slow for over here.

I wouldnt be buying it yet because im a student with no money but plan on doing some slow travelling around the UK some time in the next couple of years and might even get a side car to take all luggage etc. (main reason being is im be coming an engineer and any time taken off from work needs to be well spent)

[Thumper]

Welcome Daniel.

There are other tall riders who don't have complaints. However, the bike feels a bit small for me at 5'7" and I-have-no-idea-how-many stones 

Personally, I wouldn't plan on cruising at more than 60mph - and my bike is happier at 55.

Remember that if you add the sidecar you can subtract another 5mph right off the top.

Matt

[Chasfield]

Hello, Daniel

I feel that those meaty Japanese thumpers you are used to will have a stamina that no Enfield Bullet could quite match. You would kill one pretty quickly if you looked for the same usage and performance profile.

That said, the new models with roller bottom ends and alloy barrels would, I am sure ,lope along at 60 plus with no problems.

My Classic 500 is definitely a 55 mph cruiser, with bursts of 60-65 possible.

Chas

[fun2drum]

I don't know how stones compare to lbs, but I weigh 210 lbs and I'm 6'3" tall.  My Electra has no problem getting me around, and the seat is high enough that I feel pretty comfortable.  My wife is 5'6" and she says it's way too high for her.  I have a top speed of around 80 mph on flat land and that's assuming I'm leaning forward and have a pretty good tail wind. 
Actually, my Electra's sweet spot seems to be between 60 and 65 mph.   It'll do 70 without any problem (not uphill, though) but it seems to rev kind of high at that speed so I avoid the freeways.  Don't fear the Electra just because you're tall, but if you're wanting to go fast then you may want to get something different. 

[fun2drum]

Oh, yea, I forgot... WELCOME, DANIEL!   

[PhilJ]

Welcome Daniel,
I know from what you said your used to the newer faster bikes. It' got to be your call. Even the Electra or AVL engine bikes will not tolerate 70 MPH sustained. If you really like the Enfield, and there's no reason not to, resolve yourself to slow down and smell the roses, i.e. leave earlier. Take a back road if you can. When I have to get on a fast road, I just into the right lane (left to you) and go my speed. If there is a shoulder, when it's safe, I'll ride on the shoulder and let the speedsters go by.

1 pound = 14 stones. He's 203 pounds.

[bob bezin]

thats 1 stone=14 pounds.

[maxwell123455]

Cheers for the replies and welcomes guys.

I understand the Royal Enfield would not be as powerful or as speedy as any thing ive ridden so far (might be on power with my 125), its just ive never knew what an easy cruising speed is on it as many people claim different speeds.

Due to the credit crunch (im sure youve heard of it) everyones slowing down or looking for cheaper means of transport here in the UK. At the moment im just thinking ahead with the Royal Enfield, it wouldnt be my only means of transport but seeing as they are so easy on petrol they would pay for themselves pretty soon.

 (Petrol at the moment is £1.10 a litre, and most bikes get around 50mpg, my XT660R gets 65mpg if i take it easy but thats always hard to do)

I would mainly use the bike probably for commuting, bit of touring, sunny sunday ride outs or generally just an A2B bike with some scenrey in the back round.

Will have to get down my local dealer and see what its like, more than likely going to be like a push bike to a wrestler but unlucky, i can always dream

[Adrian]

Hi Daniel,

I'm 6'3" and 16 stone (224 pounds) and cope with my Electra OK (that's after a history of riding unit single BSAs). I did find that mine was a bit over-geared for my weight and wind resistance with the Electra's standard 18 tooth gearbox/countershaft sprocket, but the classic 500 Bullet 17T sprocket sorted that. I also swapped the standard european market handle bars for something with a higher rise, you might wish to do the same.

It has served me well for three years as a commuter bike and general runaround machine. The standard CV carb is supposed to be very economical (remember it's a lean burn engine), so you could get one for general use and keep the Yamaha for thrashing. I fitted a performance carb and exhaust to mine and did some cylinder head work to get a bit more out of her, but fuel consumption is still acceptable.

Don't forget that the Electra-X will be replaced by the EFI/UCE models in the UK from next year (new Electras in the UK are actually 2007 models imported last year to beat the Euro III emission regs deadline), so there may be some Electras being sold off at a healthy discount to make way for the new model. Either that or buy a good used Electra and save a few £££/$$$. They can be found!

Regards,

Adrian

[PhilJ]

thats 1 stone=14 pounds.

Picky Picky Picky    Yes your right and I have dyslectic tendencies as I age. Phooey!

[fun2drum]

Cheers for the replies and welcomes guys.

...At the moment im just thinking ahead with the Royal Enfield, it wouldnt be my only means of transport but seeing as they are so easy on petrol they would pay for themselves pretty soon.

 ...I would mainly use the bike probably for commuting, bit of touring, sunny sunday ride outs or generally just an A2B bike with some scenrey in the back round.

Will have to get down my local dealer and see what its like, more than likely going to be like a push bike to a wrestler but unlucky, i can always dream

If that's what you're trying to accomplish, then I don't think you'll be going wrong with an Electra.   I have gone from 3 fill-ups in my Land Rover per week down to less than 1 per week since I got the Electra.  At around $80.00 per fill-up, do the math on my savings... Yes, it will pay for itself if you ride it. 

Do keep in mind that these speeds we're talking about are after the run in period.   You'll not be able to run 60+ mph right out of the store.  After you hit 1,000 miles you'll be able to do about anything you want and its performance will keep on improving up until around 2,000 miles.  I'm at 1,800 miles and it still keeps getting smoother every time I take it out. 

[maxwell123455]

Adrain

Sounds good your around the same size and still fit. The main reason this all came about me looking into the Royal Enfield again was because a bike mag over here had an article about the new RE motor and i thought they will probably be selling older models off cheaper. So will be keeping an eye on it so far.

Dont worry fun2drum ive read all about many different ways of running in an engine, most generally say below that RPM and this speed for that amount of miles, service then take it up the RPM/speed a bit.

Still only in the stages of nabbing about, as i still havent sat on one yet. But all sounds good so far.

[ridgerunner]

Welcome Daniel. If you choose to embark on this adventure into the vintage design and style of the Enfield you will quickly learn how advanced the new machines are. If you appreciate tinkering with the manual adjustments and routine upkeep of your machine, you wil find great joy in the Enfield. If you prefer the turn-key reliability and performance of the modern machines, you may be disappointed. Not a decision to rush into...but welcome regardless of which you choose.

[geoffbaker]

Hi Daniel,

I'm 6'2 and 210 and have no trouble on my military Enfield. I've added highway pegs so I can stretch my legs a bit at highway speed; otherwise I don't find it any trouble.

You think you've got problems with the RE highway speed? Try converting to diesel and watch your top speed drop! Mine's probably only 50-55. On the other hand, I probably get 200 miles to an imperial gallon; so it's a toss up.

I used to visit Belfast a lot during my student days in TCD. I'd go up and stay with friends in Holywood. Beautiful round there. And those County Down girls...

Enough reminiscing. Hope you enjoy your RE!

[maxwell123455]

Well mr baker i never!!! . haha, yea some of the women havent changed over here.

Diesal bike isnt sold over here and i dont think they will ever bring it out as there just isnt enough of an interest, saying that the credit crunch is hitting some people hard so you never know.

I dont mind doing a bit of tinking every now and then, i suppose ive got used to the simple, key in start and dont worry about things, but i would be planning on getting another bike, or possibly just one bike and selling my Yamaha in 2-3years time when i finish my degree, then i will be at work all the time so the nights/most of the weekends are my time to tinker.

Also ive thought about fitting a set of pegs up front on my yamaha for when me and a friend are going to tour europe in the summer for 3 and a bit weeks, just to ease my legs give them a bit of movement.