[Superchuck]

My electra's at 230 mi as of now and I'm gearing up for the first oil change/general maintenance.  My question is:  is it too early to start various parts of the maintenance? 

I'd like to do the whole thing over the stretch of a few days/week due to available free time.  Also, I'd like to only do one maintenance item at a time so I can ride it around a bit and see if everything is working right. (ie: not just take it all apart, put it all back together, then have no idea what's going on when it runs weird)

Thanks, and I know about the engine oil spring thingie and that the primary drains from its entire length, but any other pointers would be much appreciated!  Also, any maintenance that should happen before or after a particular event...

chuck

[Superchuck]

Lastly, is there a resource online with all of the official royal enfield service bulletins?  I googled it and couldn't find...

[REpozer]

Well,  50 miles probably not going to change things too much.

On-line bullet-tons..? Not sure, but , didn't you get a hand book/ owners manual with the RE? It has all the suggested maintenance intervals in it.

I do suggest you use GP grease on your primary gasket( so you can use it many more times) and also use a torque wrench as much as possible to keep from stripping out aluminum threads.

I hook my loose primary cover to a bungee cord so I don't have to remove the alternator electric cable.

[UncleErnie]

Yeah.  Those cable plugs are REALLY HARD 

Rubber Chucky, you talk too much.  Now CMW has been alerted.
Could be trouble...

Don't forget the new gaskets foir the rocker covers after you beat them to death.   I just use a little grease on those, too.

[Superchuck]

Thank, all good pointers... yeah i have the maintenance schedule, I was just wondering if all the updates were posted anywhere... an example of an update being how 'RE says to use double the oil in your primary to possibly help prevent sprag failures'

i know i'm on here obsessively... i'm at a computer all day at work so i can't help but click over to the forums (basically all the time).

i've got a tub of belray blue grease- twas recommended by someone here...
since it's still about freezing here at night I don't see myself getting out and doing any serious work til possibly this weekend.  probably be around 300 miles by then anyway.

anyone else have tips for a maintenance virgin?

thanks,

chuck

[UncleErnie]

Did I mention keeping your thumb down HARD on the filter top while unscrewing the nut?

[Superchuck]

Right, yes will do.

So after pouring over my maintenance schedule there are a few things I'm unsure of.  This is going to be a lot of questions, but please bear with me.  I'm mechanically inclined, but clueless and a totally beginner with bikes-  any advice is very appreciated:

Below is a list of items on the maintenance schedule and questions i have about them:

Eccentric Spindle - adjust when required.  (where is this part? how to adjust?)

Inspect HT lead for crack - (i get it, now i'm a narcotics investigator, but what and where is the HT lead?)

Clean, inspect, and tune carb - (how invasive do i have to go here, which method to use?)

Clean fuel tap - (referring to the petcock? or what, and how to clean?)

Lube clutch actuating arm - (is this inside the primary case or where?)

Lube rear brake pedal pivot - (i get how to do it, but do i need to buy a grease gun, of can i apply it by hand?)

Inspect electrolyte level - (i've only looked at it during night time, but I can't see the electrolyte level through the side of the battery... do i have to take it out and open it up?)

That about wraps it up, thank you all very much in advance for helping a hyperactive novice.   

Many thanks,
chuck

[bob bezin]

i'll try to cover a few of these .
the ht is sometimes called a spark plug wire . one way to check these  is to start the bike on a dark night and mist water with a spray bottle on it and see if there i8s any sparks jumping from said wire. if so replace.
if the bike is running well the carb probably dos'nt need any adjustment ... leave well enough alone.
fuel tap.. disconnect rubber fuel line and run some petrol into a container . does it rush out .. then its ok .. if bike is running well this step can be skipped.
break pedal pivot... yep you need a grease gun to do this one .. somebody must have one somewhere. borrow one ,every farmer and mechanic  has one.
electrolite... open those little plugs on the battery and peer in there. its kinda hard to see
clutch act. arm... follow the clutch cable. personally . i've never done this in the hundred thousand or so miles i've biked.
what the heck is an electric spindle??

[olhogrider]

Electric? He said eccentric. Besides the rider the only thing eccentric on my bike is the drive chain "snail" adjusters. I was looking for a grease fitting on the brake pedal. Couldn't find one so I squirted chain lube int it. Better than nothing.

[Superchuck]

Perfect thank you so much- and bezin, that was phenomenally insightful.  Amazing the kind of service you can get for free around here- 

[Superchuck]

So I changed out the filter and engine oil last night.... primary will hopefully happen tonight.  Still need to get some gearbox oil since the auto parts stores near me don't carry the right one (no motorsports stores close by)

In my manual it recommends adjusting the tappets at this 300 mile period.  Is this recommended or unnecessary?  I don't really understand what that adjustment would do, and the bike is running fine, although I don't want to let anything get too far along that it starts to create undue wear/damage on my bike.

Lastly, I read somewhere on here that one user highly recommended also re-torquing the cylinder heads at this point, although the manual does't say to do so til much later.  Any opinions on this?  I want to avoid unnecessary maintenance, as it already seems like a handful to a total beginner, but if it's recommended I have no problem doing so...

Many thanks!

Chuck

[UncleErnie]

The point of break-in is controlled wear.  At this point, wear is good because it lets various parts mate properly.  Keeping the revs low lets this happen with less stress.  Changint eh oil more than normal gets crap and metal bits out of the engine that are a result of wear. 
Torquing the head bolts helpt to check and readjust the wear that has occured so far.  You may not need to- but what if you do?  You can't get an accurate valve adjustment without torquing the head bolts. 

I don't know what the manual says, but I would defintiely torque and check the valves at 3 to 500 miles, and again whever the manual says- or at 1500 miles.

Search for talks on how to find Top Dead Center (TDC) and checking/ajusting valves.  It's scary the first time, and the adjusting nuts at the side take 3 diferent wrench sizes and you need 3 miniature hands instaed of the 2 basball mits nature gave you- but you'll figure it out.  Nothing will break.   
This is the point where I recommended having a spare set of rocker cover gaskets.  Yours migh come aprt OK...?  I just coat mine with a little grease later so they come apart easy the next time.  There not any pressure in there, it's just to keep dirt out motre than anything.
Also, when checking the torque, use a socket to back the bolt out a half tiurn before re-toquing.  this gives you a more accurate setting.  Use an H por star pattern, instead fo just going round.  This helps keep the aluminium heads form warping.

[Superchuck]

Thanks Uncle E,

What size/spec of gaskets are they so I can have a few on hand... and i assume I can get them at any hardware store?.... just a rubber O ring right?

Also, my somewhat budget torque wrench may not be working properly... I set it to 0 ft lb and it still cranked neverendingly like a normal ratchet drive.  Must figure this out before retorquing anything else and risking thread striping.

Did the clutch oil change last night and it was very dirty and very low... hadn't checked the clutch oil level in a while and it was below the seep hole, which may have been adding to any shifting troubles i had.  Drained it, wiped the inside, checked primary chain tension at a few points, sealed it and filled it.  With the whole quart of ATF-F in there my shifting can only be described as 'silky.'

[tanker]

The valve cover gaskets Uncle Ernie referred to are specific to the engine and unless your local hardware store is also a Royal Enfield dealer, not available there.  You will need to get them from a RE dealer or from NField Gear.  You could cut your own from gasket material, but probably not recommended.  You definitely want to have a spare set on hand before you remove the covers for the first time.  Most of the time they will tear when removed and if you don't replace them, you will have oil leaking on the outside of the head, which burns on and hardens rather quickly.  Don't ask me how I know this.  And, as Uncle E said, coat the new ones with grease so that you can remove them easily the next time.  Also, if the old ones stick when removing them, be careful when scraping them off so you don't gouge the mating surfaces.  You need to be able to remove the valve covers to access the head bolts for torquing.

[Superchuck]

thanks tanker, I've got a pending order right now with CMW on the snidal manual (backordered) so I'll get some gaskets (and a fuel filter) added to that order.  Just received my parts cat in the mail yesterday... it looks like Lego's for big boys.