[ace.cafe]

I cut and pasted this from another forum. For anyone who doesn't know, Steve Linsdell has the fastest road racing Bullet in the world. A Royal Enfield legend.

Steve Linsdell took one of his racing Bullets to Australia for the International Festival of Speed meeting at the Eastern Creek race track, near Sydney, held over March 14 to 17th inclusive.

 Rider Chris Swallow renewed his aquaintance with the Bullet following his superb ride at last years Classic TT, and won all his races, 5 out of 5, despite some bad conditions , particularly the last day, when unseasonal torrential rain made conditions very difficult for all riders.
Chris had also set fastest qualifying  time, so all in all the team has had a highly sucessful foray into the Southern hemisphere.

Other Brits in the same races were Alex Sinclair who finished regularly in good positions on an Egli Vincent Comet, and Davey Todd on a Norton ES2.

[cyrusb]

Holy cow, he's 64 years old!!!Amazing accomplishment. Any pics of the bike?

[ace.cafe]

Holy cow, he's 64 years old!!!Amazing accomplishment. Any pics of the bike?

I haven't seen a pic of this particular Bullet, but it was said to have a Redditch Bullet frame.

His other Bullet, which might still hold the lap record for vintage 500 singles at the Isle of Man, has a Seeley frame and is very heavily modified all around. That being said, it is faster than just about any 500 single around, including Manx and G50 top shelf racers.

[Beardo]

Having read that the Seeley framed bike has a lot of original motor parts, what in the bottom end was modified to withstand those speeds?

Me personally, I would love my IB to reliably cruise at 70mph without exploding apart.

[ace.cafe]

Having read that the Seeley framed bike has a lot of original motor parts, what in the bottom end was modified to withstand those speeds?

Me personally, I would love my IB to reliably cruise at 70mph without exploding apart.

Steve is very secretive about what has been done to the bike. One of the most effective mods was de-stroking the crankshaft to allow much higher revving whilst keeping piston speeds within reason.

I would say that Steve was being very tongue-in-cheek about it having a lot of original motor parts. I doubt that there is even one original part anywhere in that motor.

Regarding your IB cruising at 70 mph reliably, it is very do-able. We have built over 40 Bullets that can do that, and go over the Ton at top speed.

[cyrusb]

He had a double win at the Isle of Mann at age 52. And although I'm sure the bike is very tricky, Lindsdell's riding ability weighs in very heavily. The connection between the seat and the handlebars is at least the other half of racing success. I'm 64 and will be thinking of him as I wobble out of my driveway this summer!

[Adrian II]

I'm sure the bike is very tricky, Lindsdell's riding ability weighs in very heavily

If you had read Ace's post a little more closely you'd see that it wasn't actually Steve Linsdell riding in these races.

A.

[cyrusb]

Oh shite! Thanks for pointing that out, makes me feel a lot better! I had a feeling something wasn't adding up. Hats off to Chris Swallow.

[Chuck D]

Having read that the Seeley framed bike has a lot of original motor parts, what in the bottom end was modified to withstand those speeds?

Me personally, I would love my IB to reliably cruise at 70mph without exploding apart.

It's easy.
All you need to do is free flow the intake and exhaust, restore the original crank case breathing system, replace the cast iron barrel with an aluminum one, replace the main crank case bearings with FAG or some such, replace, the factory con rod with a Carillo or equivalent, replace the factory piston with the ACE piston (or similar) then balance for the new, lighter set up, then true up the whole thing for no more than .001 run out. Now you can get to work on the head. Porting, polishing, all that fun stuff. New valves and seats, new springs that can handle the higher revs, a decent quality carb like a Mikuni which makes it easy(er) to tune the thing once you get it all back together is also nice.
Once you start "reliably cruising" at 70mph (AFTER the tedious break in procedure) you'll quickly realize that the suspension and the tires as they come stock, kinda suck so you'll want to upgrade that too, sooner rather than later. And then after you've done that, you'll say "jeez, the bike still feels kinda wobbly at real 70-75mph" and it'll dawn on you that this frame was never really meant to go this fast bacause every little ripple upsets it. Well, you're in luck because there is a guy in Pennsylvania who builds beautiful replica Norton "Featherbed" style frames and he just happens to have a special fondness for Bullets...

[Beardo]

Well, if that's all I need to do, where do I sign up??

[Chuck D]

Well, if that's all I need to do, where do I sign up??

You're kidding right?

[cyrusb]

Thats some funny stuff Chuck I would be surprised if there was one actual Royal Enfield part anywhere on those winning race bikes. Is it still an actual R.E under those conditions? The George Washingtons Ax analogy comes to mind. I guess if the engine cases have a valid serial number, it's an R.E.

[Chuck D]

Thats some funny stuff Chuck I would be surprised if there was one actual Royal Enfield part anywhere on those winning race bikes. Is it still an actual R.E under those conditions? The George Washingtons Ax analogy comes to mind. I guess if the engine cases have a valid serial number, it's an R.E.

I'm still on my original speedo.

[Beardo]

You're kidding right?

Couldn't be any more kiddingerer...er.......er........

[ace.cafe]

A Bullet is basically a kit bike that come unfinished from the factory, but it appears to be complete.

Everything is made to the cheapest possible standard, but the basic original Brit design is pretty good. You just have to get all that India factory stuff out of it.
 

[Beardo]

And that's what my aim is. Just to have a solid, reliable motorcycle that I can ride anywhere, albeit slowly.

[Chuck D]

And that's what my aim is. Just to have a solid, reliable motorcycle that I can ride anywhere, albeit slowly.

Just do the bottom end stuff. She'll run forever.

[Beardo]

And what 'stuff' in the bottom end needs done?

[Chuck D]

And what 'stuff' in the bottom end needs done?

Well, firstly, I guess, the engine as a whole doesn't shed heat well so a mod such as replacing the cast iron barrel with an aluminum one is cost effective and worthwhile. And since you'll have the head and barrel off anyway, now would be a good time to drill out the vestigial stub of an elbow on the left side just below the barrel in order to restore the original crank case breather which was misguidedly short circuited by the factory and actually creates positive pressure under the piston; bad for obvious reasons. Sorry for that run on sentence.
That's the minimally invasive "stuff".
If you really want peace of mind, you go for the new rod and piston and main bearings. I think that stuff may be more critical when you start getting into hot rodding the engine with a tuned head and liftier cams.
But I mention them because those factory items have a well documented history of failure.

Mind you, I'm not making light of any of this. I only knew that it should be done. I didn't trust myself for one minute to actually do the work. I looked to Chumma and ACE for that.

[cyrusb]

And that's what my aim is. Just to have a solid, reliable motorcycle that I can ride anywhere, albeit slowly.

If you drop the 70 mph requirement, you won't have to do that much. I have 10k of "albeit slowly" miles on my 05 kick only and the only mechanical problem that is emerging is loose lifters in their bores. They click,but not that bad. They come deathly lean from the factory so new carb, new pipe, reroute the breather and you can be good to go. Just my 2c

[Beardo]

The breather keeps being brought up. Is there a thread that addresses this issue?

As for the 70mph requirement, in my mind, that simply provides a cushion, to what I would really be doing. And backroads aren't 70mph, but knowing the bike is built for it, is peace of mind.

[ace.cafe]

The breather keeps being brought up. Is there a thread that addresses this issue?

As for the 70mph requirement, in my mind, that simply provides a cushion, to what I would really be doing. And backroads aren't 70mph, but knowing the bike is built for it, is peace of mind.

What year is your bullet?

[Beardo]

2000 Bullet 500

[ace.cafe]

2000 Bullet 500

Okay, the 2000 model has the proper engine crankcase breather system. They didn't start doing bad things to the breather until the 5 speed models.
So, that part is good for you.

You can improve the catch can and plumbing, but the basic breather system is good. The 2000 is a pretty good year overall. The worst part is the left shift and right rear brake , and that can be fixed.
IMO, the 4 speed is serviceable but not very good, and the cost to improve it makes getting a 5 speed gearbox a good decision(but still quite costly)

You have a good Bullet.

After being inside many Bullet engines, I consider the factory piston and con rod to be junk. Replacing these with a Carillo rod and quality forged piston, along with good bearings would be top priority for your goal, IMO.

[Beardo]

Excellent information Tom. Very much appreciated.

Until I incur any real time issues with the 4 speed, that will remain.

The rod and piston, I take it, you sell? Along with all quality bearings?

The bike already has an aftermarket VM Mikuni, and aftermarket muffler, which is obnoxious and needs to be replaced. The stock breather system is in place and accounted for.

[ace.cafe]

I don't have any of those things anymore, but Hitchcocks does.
If you cannot rebuild a crank, or have a shop do it, you can buy a whole new crank with a good steel rod and roller bearing from Hitchcocks too.  He also has good main bearing sets.

[Beardo]

Are you no longer taking in any jobs?

[ace.cafe]

Are you no longer taking in any jobs?

Well, it's a long story.

Basically, after the UCE was out for a few years, the Iron Barrel work started dropping off. It got to the point that I had to get a full time job because the RE market was not supporting my efforts enough to keep going.
Once that happened, I couldn't order my custom parts in enough quantity to sell them for even a small profit. Then Joe Mondello died, and things got crazy at the shop, and then there was a fire which took out a bunch of my stuff and my main machinist moved away.

I was in the middle of this new head design for the UCE/GT, and that became the focus because it was the newer model. So, I got it done, and there were some issues with machine shops going out of business and such, and now I am finally getting version 3 of the billet head out for testing and for ordering.

The whole epic saga is in the Continental GT section in the ACE GT Head Project thread.

Anyway, that's where it is at presently.
The bottom line is that people can't provide new innovative designs and products if users don't buy them. If anyone is wondering why hardly anyone makes speed parts for the RE, that's the reason. Everybody told me that when I started, but I went ahead anyway.

I don't regret doing it, and I feel like I made big strides in improving the Bullet for about 50 enthusiasts. I learned a lot, but now it's all a moot point. I might get about 2 inquiries a year now for Iron Barrel stuff.

We will see how the billet head is accepted into the market. It is expensive, so it's a risky venture in this cost sensitive market.

So, there you have it.

[GlennF]

Any pics of the bike?

This an article on the 2017 Isle of Mann bike, no idea if they are the same machine:
https://www.bikesportnews.com/news/news-detail/2017-classic-tt-linsdell-achieves-140mph-royal-enfield-dream

[cyrusb]

Thanks, those are going strait to my screensaver. Beautiful work. Any pics with  the fairing off?

[GlennF]

Thanks, those are going strait to my screensaver. Beautiful work. Any pics with  the fairing off?

I have not come across any. The original article did include a stationary photo but with fairing on:

[AgentX]

it'll dawn on you that this frame was never really meant to go this fast bacause every little ripple upsets it.

OK, I was convinced my frame was tweaked or something...the bike gets startlingly weavy at speed (since my speedo's still busted I don't know exactly when...probably 65-75mph, maybe slower sometimes) but it seems to be a consequence of picking up an oscillation from the road, or [experimental] handlebar input rather than purely a function of going fast.  Weighting the front end helps recover stability, as does dragging the rear brake just slightly.

Does this match your experiences with the stock frame?  I *do* have slightly longer shocks which I intended to tighten up the handling and tend to blame them; might try a set of stock length for comparison if I can borrow from Chumma or get cheap from India.

I have been considering a steering damper, as well, once I felt that it was a result of outside input rather than necessarily inherent to the frame.

[ace.cafe]

Perhaps the longer shocks could be an issue. Also, check the rubber swingarm bushings.

As a general comment, we have not seen handling problems on the stock Bullet frame up to about 105 mph. No steering dampers on any of them. However, laying down on the tank is helpful because sitting up can lift the front end at speed.

[AgentX]

Thanks, Ace.   Also thinking I should try a systematic change of tire pressure for effect, too...simple things first...

(Edit:  Tried running less pressure and it definitely made things better...still there but far more subdued.)

[cyrusb]

You can get a glimpse of Linsdells  frame in this video. Notice it is far from stock. https://youtu.be/A46njZAEzkw

[Adrian II]

The frame in the video is a different frame from the one used on the bike in the photo above, which is a later Redditch frame.

I think the rider is Chris Swallow in the picture above, who tragically was killed in this year's Classic TT. 

A.

[cyrusb]

Yikes, that too bad about Chris Swallow. We very rarely see the 'Mann races here in the states, nor do we see world rally anymore as it was deemed too "dangerous ". To watch? Anyway, the point I was trying to make and I believe Chuck D mentioned is the stock Indian frame has it's limits. I personally have had mini bikes with better constructed frames. However it is up to the task of handling all 18 horsepower as is.