Where to start...
You are getting excellent advice about using the decompressor. If it were me I would not use the ES either. It is a horrible design which never got any better. A failure of the sprag is expensive and the replacement might last forever or an hour, you just never know. A failure can also take other parts with it - parts that are getting hard to find.
All of the fussing about does this method or that method for stopping the engine cause more strain on pistons etc. should be reserved for the pub. Those arguments are right up there with Ford vs Chevy, which oil to use etc. and are non consequential.
At one point the factory did recommend overfilling the primary under the theory that the oil wasn't lubricating the sprag hence failures. The factory was never able to get their hands around the problem. First remember that the ES wasn't sold in India so the numbers were small. Next the factory never believed the global importers when we had any problems. I can't tell you that one year is better than the next because the problem was never solved.
Much research was done by the UK importer (Watsonian Squire) to solve the problem. It became evident that kickback was taking out the sprag. They found that they would get an extra spark sometimes that would cause some of it. The first fix was to put a resistor in the AVL ignition system. The next and best thing was to replace the black "brain" with a green one. We sent them out for free for years. It prevented spark till the engine had a couple of turns going. I have the prototype ES and am scared to death of losing a sprag.
Lastly you should fix whatever it is that is causing your wet sumping. There is no reason whatsoever that it should to that other than a couple of worn parts.
My last question is serious - Given my age the idea of wearing gloves while working on cars, bikes etc. was unheard of. For the past many years I see all mechanics wearing them. What is that all about?
I am honored that the undisputed Major Domo of these forums might take an active interest in a n00b like me first coming to grips with his new-to-him Enfield. Last but most serious question first: I must also admit that apart from working with stuff like fiberglass or caustics like paint remover, I also scarcely ever wear gloves when tinkering. Get off my lawn, hydrocarbons
! You don't scare me you benzene-ringed punks
! Why in my day we
gargled with used motor oil before a hot date
! Still hot from the pan
! Gave our voices a nice warm and smooth yet gravelly manly-man authority. Then
we'd hang that big onion from our belt, which was the style at the time, and head into town for penny candy and a matinee over at the movie palace. That said, did you
watch that
Bangalore oil change and hot enema film? C'mon, you just
know that guy's marinated 10 or 12 hours a day in more bargain solvents of sketchy provenance and heavy metals than a shaved OSHA lab guinea pig. My hunch is he won't be featured in next month's
Better Health magazine. Another hunch is that a lot of this outbreak of garage glovery may be ascribed to the wishes of mechanics' wives and girlfriends. Like you say, lube is lube, but 9 out of 10 gals prefer KY to old Castrol. Not all, of course--and that's that dirty little wench you marry, if you're lucky enough to find her.
I'm a little sorry to hear about the fragility of the Enfield's electric start. The Nortons and BSA I've had didn't have one. The last real Norton Commando, the 850 Mk. III, had
something which at its best could typically only be considered a sort of "help starter," still usually requiring a hefty kick in concert with it to awaken the beast. At least my Enfield's consistently gets the job done under its own steam. In fact, I don't believe the previous owner may have
ever used the kickstart. Given your advisory and considering the source though, I believe I may begin exclusively kick-starting her henceforth, at least when she's already warm. I've no idea whether mine has the green or black "brain box" you describe--Would this be clearly visible without tearing her apart?
That whole by-the-book kick starting process using the ammeter needle swing that one finds described here, there and everywhere just doesn't seem to quite jibe with my own ride. Cycle as much as I like through the stroke, my ammeter needle doesn't budge until the engine's running, when it then tips encouragingly into the green. I expect this may have something to do with my particular 2005 model's having been rigged to always have its lights on for "safety's sake" whenever the ignition's on, and that load is likely masking that little draw of those points opening and closing their gap. But that's OK, I know from thousands of starts of the old BSA single I used to have what "TDC-and-a-tad" feels like for starting, and if necessary I'll figure out something more exact for determining exact TDC for later tappet adjusting I'm sure...maybe one of those spark plug hole screw-in measurement doo-dads. The Norton's tappets didn't really need spot-on piston pinpointing. Maybe the Enfield won't either.
As for the "wet sumping issue," there hasn't been one since I have begun keeping the bike's piston when at rest up near TDC. I'm led to understand it's a fairly common issue if the piston's left low in the stroke. So, for now I'm just going to chalk it down to "just one of her quirks." In fact, I suppose I should be grateful for it in a sense, since the day I finally met the previous owner to look over the bike, that wet sump, the resultant palls of smoke as it burnt off, a slightly maladjusted decompressor cable and the sudden onset of fortuitous flurries that afternoon, more than halved her asking price on the spot. I'd have likely bought her anyhow, but now I've got a few extra bucks for toys and other needful gimcracks from Ft. Worth
!Anyhow, thanks for chiming it
! The weekend forecast up here in Virginia's looking sweet, so I'm hoping to get out there again for a good long burble.