Author Topic: New RE 500 rider from India  (Read 22597 times)

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indian48

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on: November 03, 2007, 03:14:08 pm
At the age of 48, having given up commuter biking in India 15 years ago, I decided that if I do not fulfil a 30 year old dream of having my own Bullet, I never will - is that a mid life crisis?!
Anyway, after a lot of research on REs India site, I got myself the latest offering in India, the AVL engined RE 500, last month. I am currently living the joys of running in,,,having quite given up on those on the various modern autos that I have "broken in" in the last 15 years! Quite by chance I discovered that the US site is also full of very interesting stuff about REs, hence this post. Having worked my last job in a US MNC in India, I have had to spend a lot of time in the US - it is great place to visit, and I have very good friends and ex colleagues there, but I am sure that folks there would understand my sentiment of not wanting to stay there for good - HDs notwithstanding!
Given too that for most things one needs to look outside of India to satisfy any passion about things motoring/mechanical, it is a wonderful feeling to know that there is one passion that is best fulfilled living in India!
A long time ago - that sounds like Star Wars - I had read books written by Brits in the fifties about bikes, and their running in,,and all those memories are very useful in the running in of the bike. Have to say that the views expressed here, as well as those on the Indian site, have been very useful and entertaining as well. I am not quite sure that I agree with Dew though, when he says ride it like you stole it,, I understand the theory about piston ring sealing, but I would rather be a little more careful than that. Knowing fully well, that the manual recommendations for the running in are a lot of rubbish,,,,What one needs to remember is that running is the final act of machining that RE has not installed technology to accomplish, and is to be done at higher and higher speeds, but with as low a loading as possible, dialling in prolonged exposure to heat build up in a progressive manner. What I like about this process is that the finished motorcycle therefore will be just as good as the person who is a key part of the finishing process - the first owner over the first 2000 or so miles. How many products give one that pleasure today?!
Again, thanks to the various folks across the US that are part of the revival story of RE - may they long prosper, but not so much that they start making bland anonymous food processors attached to two wheels!!
If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well


dewjantim

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Reply #1 on: November 03, 2007, 05:18:23 pm
Hello Indian48, and welcome to the RE USA website. Its good to have some views from the homecountry (REs, not mine). Hate to hear that you disagree with me about break-in but I sure don't mind a little disagreement or even argument from time to time. I post on the India RE site quite often and have had lots of discussions about all things Enfield. Everyone I have chatted with in India has been very respectful and polite, I think you will find this website the same. We have some good discussions from time to time and everyone takes it in stride. Most of us are older guys who have been around bikes for quite a while. There is lots of wisdom here, hope you feel free to add to the mix........Dew
If it hurts, you're not dead yet!!!!!


Thumper

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Reply #2 on: November 03, 2007, 05:43:43 pm
Welcome Indina48. It's good to have more international members! Keep us posted on your break-in period and new adventures. Eat some vindaloo for me.

Matt


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Reply #3 on: November 03, 2007, 09:10:57 pm
Greetings, Indian48, such a pleasant post you wrote, I hope we will be subjected to your prose regularly. Have you posted a picture of your bike to the gallery yet? We would all like to admire it.
aka Indiana Bulleteer.
''99 Classic Bullet. '05 Ural Tourist sidecar rig, converted to 2wd. '05 Harley Davidson Sportster.
Jefferson County, WA


indian48

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Reply #4 on: November 04, 2007, 12:49:33 am
Appreciate the feedback folks -- Dew, I have read a lot of your posts on the Indian site, where as you must know, you have guru status!! Re the vindaloo, its too spicy for me! Thing about India is, as it is in the US, there is a whole range of cuisines and tastes, and mine tend to run milder than many of my friends in the US! I love the place where vindaloo comes from though - Goa!!
First experiences in getting to know the bike - am still to successfully kick start it from cold, can manage when it is not. I find that the torque spread is not quite as wide or low in the rpm range as I expected, I have to downshift oftener than I thought, the engine sounds like it is lugging and I do not want it to do that while running in. 5th gear is pretty much useless in Indian traffic, and cannot be used below 40mph. I did read someone else say that here, about the 5th gear use. I find all the false neutrals, but I suspect that will go away as the bike breaks in, and I get used to the distance the shifter has to travel to make changes. On the other hand, I still need the green light to tell me about the true neutral, and I expect to not need that as well, as I get broken in to the bike! Other than that, no complaint thus far - but I do hope that the thump get better over time - I plan to see how things are at 2000 miles and do some mods to the exhaust pipe at that time, though I prefer not to. Still to find the time to do a longish spell out on it though, and I hope to do that this week.
Its great to be in India, now that the global home of RE is here!!
If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well


indian48

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Reply #5 on: November 04, 2007, 02:47:27 am
Having said what I did about running in, I would like to hear Dew amplify the "like you stole it" comment to see if there is something to learn from his method,,,given that heat is the enemy when you are running in engines with "coarse" internals, how would you address that subject while still riding the bike hard? I assume that you do agree that lugging the engine in too high a gear is worse than the other way around, but even then, heat remains a factor. Appreciate any input, Dew or from anyone else.
If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well


scoTTy

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Reply #6 on: November 04, 2007, 03:18:20 am
mine has been a slow process... this coming from a past tall milage person on BMW's..   the engine sOiunds great..  a shade under 600 miles/.so far .  try to kick start it every night an then use the electric starter..  and then breath exhauust fumes for the next 45 minutes or less//   got some good riding areas.. I'd say :)


indian48

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Reply #7 on: November 04, 2007, 12:09:46 pm
I wanted to express my appreciation of how responsive and helpful the posts are here - while I am from India and live there, I suspect that I will find a lot of answers here in the days to come. The Indian site is good, but there is more about riding and rides on that - which is good - but not enough to do the troubleshooting from.
On the other hand, I can offer help to anyone out there on the site for anything that you may want help with from here - from information on sourcing of cycle parts, to logistics help if any of you at any time plan to travel to this part of the world,,,feel free to ask, and if I can help, I will be glad to.
If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing well


dewjantim

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Reply #8 on: November 04, 2007, 05:21:33 pm
Having said what I did about running in, I would like to hear Dew amplify the "like you stole it" comment to see if there is something to learn from his method,,,given that heat is the enemy when you are running in engines with "coarse" internals, how would you address that subject while still riding the bike hard? I assume that you do agree that lugging the engine in too high a gear is worse than the other way around, but even then, heat remains a factor. Appreciate any input, Dew or from anyone else.
There are differences in running a bike fast and running it hard and abusing it. Running a bike hard entails revving to redline a lot and shifting fast and hard a lot. It would also be lugging a bike through traffic at 20 mph in high gear on a very hot day. Those are things I will not do. Now, going fast (70-80% of maximum rpm) for short periods of time and then letting off and cruise at slower speeds. Riding to keep the engine cool. It is pretty hard to overheat any engine (new or not) running 60 mph (about 100 kmph), which is about 2/3 of my top speed, in 60-70 degree weather. If everything on the bike is set right, especially the timing, this should not hurt at all. As a matter of fact, your rings will seat faster and give a better seal, yielding a better running bike......Dew.
If it hurts, you're not dead yet!!!!!


indian48

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Reply #9 on: November 04, 2007, 08:01:58 pm
Well said! I will only argue that what you do in practice is not quite " ride it like you stole it" ! I am going about it exactly the way you suggest, looking for doing what may be called high speed machining under minimal load, in bursts at a time, extending the periods of the bursts as the miles mount.
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indian48

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Reply #10 on: November 06, 2007, 02:48:35 am
Does anyone else find that the mirrors are vastly inadequate? Even more so in India, where with so much traffic crowding you in the cities, even some highways, one needs to know whats around in every direction,,,and over 40 mph, they vibrate so much to be useless.
Also, how do I change a clutch cable at the gearbox end?
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scoTTy

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Reply #11 on: November 06, 2007, 02:57:52 am
er the mirrors.. mine have etched lens thst say " objects are closer than they appear"..  the mirrrors seem to virbrate in a clockise motion.. i think...  they always change..  the etching is upside dowm this evening.. sorry can't help with the clutch cable.. mine hasn't broken yet ;D


jonapplegate

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Reply #12 on: November 06, 2007, 05:25:35 pm
About that running in. I want to keep this post simple. Ya, quick break in is probably more effective for setting the piston rings but what about the rest of the internals? I would err on the side of caution with a truly new bike and take things easy. If and when you do a top-end rebuild or bore change then i would do the fast break in. Just my thoughts. New to bikes but am a long time muscle car tinkerer.


indian48

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Reply #13 on: November 07, 2007, 01:10:56 am
Good point that, about the rest of the internals - I remember reading about the need to even be gentle on the brakes for the first 100 miles, to allow the pads/discs to bed in well too. I think that the key is to be progessive in the process, and building up to the full capability over the running in period. Being gentle the entire time, and pushing things to the max as soon as the running in time is over, is almost as bad as flogging it from day 1.
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charte

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Reply #14 on: November 12, 2007, 04:23:57 pm
Hey Indian48!

This is your 500 pal in Delhi.  I'm with you on the mirrors.  They are just not enough for the traffic here.  Like another fellow said, I get a great view of my shoulders.  I'll try that place in the UK, but there must be some place in India too.  If you find one, let me know.

BTW, we are targeting June for the Leh trip.

Re: vindaloo in Goa....I might put my Bull on a train and head down there.  I would love to Bullet in Goa!!
1969 Bullet
2007 Triumph Rocket III Classic
2017 Moto Guzzi VII Special