Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet Iron Barrel => Topic started by: young gun on March 19, 2013, 11:12:31 am

Title: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 19, 2013, 11:12:31 am
Hi,

I'm a big marine reefer, I own quite a few Marine tanks and I moderate on a South Africa forum. On that board, we have a section where people create a thread for their tank/s, its a good way to introduce themselves and post any additions, disasters or changes that happen to their tank, any updates happen there. There doesn't seem to be a sub forum for that here so I'll just post here :)

Anyways, I introduced myself awhile back, I am a proud owner of a 2007 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 Iron Barrel. It's a bit of bitter sweet, I wanted a vintage bike and I got it, however the performance could be, and I was expecting, a bit better. SA highways unfortunately are unforgiving on the slow and the back roads are unforgiving on everyone! We have one of the highest road death rates in the world so you definately need to have your wits about you.

That being said, its something i'm happy to live with as the bike is a pretty thing and nothing this pretty is without its drawbacks :) So if I can eek out a few more km/h i'll be a happy camper.

So, I have done a bit research (and thanks Ace for your fantastic contributions! they have been very informative) and I have realised what needs to be done in order to eek out a few more torques from the engine. Basically what we have is an engine that likes low revs and in order to make the bike faster while, keeping reliability, we need to make the bang bigger and more powerful which would move the bike and I forward at a faster pace without putting excessive strain on the crank.

Saying all this, I dont want to dismantle anything just yet so in the next few weeks i'll be looking at placing an order with Hitchcocks and it'll be the basic 1 stage upgrade. A freer flowing pipe, replace the air filter, bigger jet on the carb and a bigger sprocket. I'm hoping that these upgrades should give me another 10 - 15kmh in which case i'll be happy. Hitchcocks suggest I use a 175mm main jet for Silencer I want to purchase, can anybody confirm this? Also as far as I have read, the PAV system on my bike doesnt take away from my performance, is this correct?

Ace I would like to look at the air filter you sell, where would I be able to get pricing on this?



Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 19, 2013, 11:24:50 am
Oh and what does this pipe do? Right now its just floating around, doing as far as I can see, a whole bunch of nothing?
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ERC on March 19, 2013, 12:31:40 pm
I'd go with what Hitchcocks suggests.  ERC
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on March 19, 2013, 12:45:27 pm
Those mods you suggest are fine to do, but I wouldn't count on them increasing your cruising speeds any. You might get just a couple more mph for cruising speed, but it isn't a solution for that.
The problem is not that the Bullet can't reach the higher speeds. It can reach pretty near 80 mph at top speed.
But it is the long term cruising speeds which kill it.

Every Bullet owner faces this issue, and it's been going on for over 50 years.
If there was an easy cure for it, then we would all know about it.
Don't exceed the recommended cruising speeds for any length of time other than short bursts for a few minutes at most. You can pass traffic or do other maneuvers which might require going near top speed at times. But just slow back down to the recommended speeds for cruising.

To get faster cruising speeds, much more modification must be done, and that is costly.

The tube you show in the photo is a vent tube, and you can remove it if you want to, but don't plug that hole in the carb if you take it off.

The PAV system doesn't really harm performance, but it doesn't help it any either. All it really does is add another place in the intake system to get an air leak problem.

Regarding the "175" main jet, that doesn't sound right to me for a Bullet equipped with a Mikarb. You might want to check the listing again. It might be for another different carburetor.

Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 19, 2013, 01:09:22 pm
Apologies ace that should read 117,5 (I think)

Here's a screengrab from hitchcocks..
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on March 19, 2013, 01:19:18 pm
What is your elevation above sea level?
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: Darvin Jahnke on March 19, 2013, 01:30:00 pm
It sounds like you bought the wrong tool for the job you're trying to do. You can't make a racehorse out of a packmule. If you need a bike for sustained high speed,a long stroke single is not the answer. You can throw a lot of money and effort at it and still not be happy with the result.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on March 19, 2013, 01:33:33 pm
It sounds like you bought the wrong tool for the job you're trying to do. You can't make a racehorse out of a packmule. If you need a bike for sustained high speed,a long stroke single is not the answer. You can throw a lot of money and effort at it and still not be happy with the result.


Actually, you can make a race horse out of it, but it might be out of his budget range to do so.
It won't be a race horse without significant modifications. But it can be done, and it can be quite a fast and reliable machine when done right. And that costs quite a bit of money to do.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 19, 2013, 01:52:10 pm
Lol, Darvin Jahnke i'm not looking to do 180km/h but I dont think 95 - 105 kph is a unreasonable request ;)

Right now the bike is willing but I am a bit nervous to push it over 90 until I have taken off some of the restrictions off ie restricted pipe, dodgy air filter etc, its just making the bike work harder when it doesn't need to.

So no, i'm not looking for a racehorse, im pretty happy with what I have.

Ace my elevation is 1741 meters :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on March 19, 2013, 02:07:37 pm
Lol, Darvin Jahnke i'm not looking to do 180km/h but I dont think 95 - 105 kph is a unreasonable request ;)

Right now the bike is willing but I am a bit nervous to push it over 90 until I have taken off some of the restrictions off ie restricted pipe, dodgy air filter etc, its just making the bike work harder when it doesn't need to.

So no, i'm not looking for a racehorse, im pretty happy with what I have.

Ace my elevation is 1741 meters :)

For that elevation, probably the 117.5 would be okay, but I'd also get a 120 just in case.
Your situation is one of the few which don't require much richer jetting, due to your elevation.
You can also add a few degrees of timing advance with your elevation too. And you could benefit from some increased compression, because the thin air at your altitude causes lower working compression than the Bullets at sea level.
Your horsepower is probably at least 10% less than a comparable Bullet at sea level because of altitude.

BTW, I would not include 105kph in your goals to achieve with this bike for cruising.
I would use 100kph as max, and use that only occasionally.
It's not a matter of what anybody might consider a "reasonable request". That is immaterial to the situation. It is all about what the bike can withstand. If the engine blows up, it doesn't matter at all how "reasonable" you thought your "request" was.

Also, check your speedo accuracy with a friend in a car, or use a GPS to verify the speedo. Most of the Enfield speedometers read high, and it can vary from a few kph high, to even10-15kph high.

In the end, we are just making suggestions, and you have to make your own decisions about what you do.
Just remember that we are not arbitrarily making these recommendations, and there is plenty of history with this bike to support our recommendations.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 19, 2013, 02:32:22 pm
For sure, that's why I'm on the forum :)

Right now 90 on the Bullet is 80 on the GPS so yes, 10km/h out.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: barenekd on March 19, 2013, 05:26:52 pm
The thing about cruising speeds up to 105 kmp is that the old iron barrel crankshaft bearing just will not handle it. If you need performance in this range, for the life of the engine, you need a new crankshaft rod and bearing. Htis is hat expensive that Ace is talking about.
The 19 hp shown on the Hitchcock's chart is just about what a new UCE puts out. They have the power to eke out the cruising speed you're looking, but they also have the roller bearing crankshaft, and a far superior oiling system. The top speed on them is still below 85mph, so to go faster then you need more money to do the top end of the engine to muster more horsepower. It requires about 30 rwhp to do the ton, so if you are looking for that kind of speed, that's the minimum power you need!
Bare
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 19, 2013, 06:14:39 pm
Yeah I'm going to need to think about this...I need practical, 80 - 90kph is not practical in my world unfortunately. Guess I need to look at some of the UCE bikes.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 24, 2013, 08:15:39 am
So I'm gonna keep this bike for awhile yet. Ill be doing the standard mods and see where it leaves me :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: cafeman on March 24, 2013, 12:40:20 pm
The biggest issue is probably learning "discipline" when riding one of these bikes. Coming from riding fast sportbikes for the last 10+ years and now riding a Bullet as my only bike means I have some serious reprogramming to go through again. But this is what I wanted to do, and I know full well what my Bullet requires and simply will not put up with. My scenario is not unique. Practicing discipline, or better yet "restraint" applies to anyone riding one of these bikes. When you have roads of all sorts around you where you can pick and choose to ride the "bike in it's element" and not being tempted to push things too much is one thing, but being amidst fast roads and the hustle and bustle as your only real choice sounds like tempting fate at any given moment and a recipe for disaster.  Sounds like your on the right track though with the standard mods, maybe do drive sprocket changes, and then think about the money needed to beef up the internals later....good luck :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 24, 2013, 04:48:40 pm
Thanks cafeman it'll all work out in the end. But cleaning her today definately made me realise how this is the way it needs to be.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on April 09, 2013, 11:54:28 am
Had a polishing session the other day, here's some pics.



Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on April 09, 2013, 12:53:23 pm
Looks very nice!
I had to put on my sunglasses to look at it! 8)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: Chuck D on April 09, 2013, 01:01:36 pm
Hey young gun,
She looks like a real honey but I think you'd benefit starting wise by rotating the kickstart lever up say two notches on its shaft. This will give you better leverage for a good follow through.
Chuck.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on April 09, 2013, 01:16:27 pm
Thanks Chuck, i'll look at that. She is sitting on 3000kms now so its time for a service anyway. I was hoping to do the upgrades, new pipe, air filter etc but my flat nearly burnt down so I decided to take care of that 1st :D i'll post pics once i've done all that.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: jedaks on April 09, 2013, 01:36:35 pm
Young Gun,
mate, I know exactly what you are talking about and I learned my lesson the hard way. Ace knows his business very well and is a fount of knowledge and patience.

I blew up my engine by having too lean a condition and trying to keep up with traffic on a busy road. My Bullet can now do so anything I ask of it easily but this is what it took to get it that way:

Good quality bearings in the cases
An Alpha roller bearing on the crankshaft
A steel con rod
Plugging the OPR valve
An alloy cylinder 535cc
A good quality 535cc piston (thanks Ace)
A 19 tooth sprocket (don't go any bigger than this...18 is likely the best)
A refurbished cylinder head and valve job
Ace's Canister
Goldstar exhaust
Properly jetted Mikcarb
Proper ignition timing
New clutch springs (3 heavy duty, 3 normal)
And about $2000
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on April 09, 2013, 01:51:58 pm
Yeah i'll do it all in baby steps and I dont doubt the members suggestions. The last thing I want or need in my life is a seized engine so for now i'm taking everything slow. Like I said I have other issues on my plate so this all goes on the back burner for awhile. Interestingly when you guys put your bikes away (winter) is when I want to bring mine out :) Johannesburg is dry in winter so its the one time you can guarantee theres no rain. Winter is about a month or 2 away so thats when I want everything sorted out.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: bullethead63 on April 10, 2013, 03:39:51 am
I'm no expert,by any means,and have GREAT respect for the opinions of our forum members...BUT...having three running Bullets,in constant rotation,each one being ridden at least twice a week,rain permitting,has taught me a few things...if you want to help your Bullet "on the cheap",ditch that over-sized factory silencer,replace it with a baffle-free Gold Star type "silencer",get rid of the factory air-box,replace it with a "cone" or "pancake" air filter,and re-jet the Micarb accordingly(I replaced mine with an AMAL carb)...my 1999 Enfield Deluxe has these mods,and she has a lot more "zip"...AND,she sounds GREAT...
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on April 10, 2013, 05:56:55 am
Yeah that's my plans :) spoke to the guys at Hitchcocks and they recommended those changes as well.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on April 10, 2013, 01:33:38 pm
And I just got this in the mail :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: bullethead63 on April 11, 2013, 05:32:54 am
Good choice,mate...many hours of happy reading there!
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on April 11, 2013, 05:49:03 am
Wow! Didn't realise that RE had connections, and strong ones at that, to BSA. Now all the BSA owners on this board start to make sense :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on April 14, 2013, 12:28:07 pm
Oh rapture oh joy! I got a new job. That in itself is fantastic since I move out of the evil sales environment and back into a much friendlier sound engineering environment :) but the best part, no more highways between work and where I live! Only B roads! Yay! No more need to hype up the bike at all. Although I will still do the obligatory pipe and air filter replacement just cos I can :)

On a seperate note, I took the bike on a breakfast run and it was awesome. Nicely centered bike, rides very well :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: Ice on April 14, 2013, 04:58:52 pm
Congratulations !!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on May 02, 2013, 10:49:34 am
Hey young gun,
She looks like a real honey but I think you'd benefit starting wise by rotating the kickstart lever up say two notches on its shaft. This will give you better leverage for a good follow through.
Chuck.

Thanks for the tip Chuck, changed the position and the bike starts 1st time now. Was battling with starts before but this sorted it out :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: single on May 03, 2013, 05:16:30 pm
Glad yer doin good,YG
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 02, 2013, 04:48:55 pm
Well my Ace Air Canister has arrived and been installed and wow, happy with the results. I didn't think I would notice the difference but wow, the bikes a lot more gutsy in the low end and sounds a lot better :) a lot more fun to ride! Can't wait to get the rest now. Ill take a pic once the sun comes up on this side. Oh and the air box has now become my toolbox, bonus!

Thanks Tom! :) great service
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: Chuck D on June 03, 2013, 01:45:34 am
Well my Ace Air Canister has arrived and been installed and wow, happy with the results. I didn't think I would notice the difference but wow, the bikes a lot more gutsy in the low end and sounds a lot better :) a lot more fun to ride! Can't wait to get the rest now. Ill take a pic once the sun comes up on this side. Oh and the air box has now become my toolbox, bonus!

Thanks Tom! :) great service
I had the same exact reaction. Best $90 (or whatever it was) I spent on the bike.
Chuck.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on June 03, 2013, 12:02:09 pm
Glad you liked it!

Free-flow improvement makes a big difference on these bikes, and this canister has a variety of proper design features which are present in it that play big roles in the overall performance and enjoyment.
Not the least of which is that it runs quietly because it baffles the intake noise, but still flows as good or better than the noisy filters.
And because it is supported with a frame bracket, it doesn't stress the rubber manifold connector hose, so that hose is less likely to get holes in it that are so common.
I took a lot of effort to design this so that it dealt with all the concerns that were needed on the application.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 03, 2013, 12:42:24 pm
Great design, really impressed and this morning it was so much fun in the traffic :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 03, 2013, 12:46:34 pm
On another note, the guy that serviced my bike said my sprag clutch was gone which wasnt a suprise :( I have been kick starting the bike up until now so its not a biggy but its something I will need to get fixed sooner or later.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on June 03, 2013, 01:46:33 pm
On another note, the guy that serviced my bike said my sprag clutch was gone which wasnt a suprise :( I have been kick starting the bike up until now so its not a biggy but its something I will need to get fixed sooner or later.

If you can get by with just kick starting, you'll be better off to just ditch that sprag.
It is not a good design, and it will fail over and over again. It's pretty expensive to fix.
Many people just buy the kick start inner primary case and eliminate all the ES parts totally, and revert it to KS. Saves quite a bit of weight, looks more "vintage", and eliminates the recurring headache of failed sprags.
Alternatively, the cheapest way out is to remove the ES inner primary and remove that cover plate behind the "hump", and withdraw the whole intermediate sprag gear cluster and shaft, refit the cover plate, and then put the primary case back together without it.  This eliminates the possibility of having bits fall out of the sprag to do damage in the primary. You can refit the starter motor to cover the hole(but the starter won't start the bike anymore), or you can remove it and make a cover plate for the hole.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 03, 2013, 01:53:19 pm
i'll see what the cost implications are with regards to importing the Kick Start Inner Primary case to South Africa and take it from there :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ERC on June 03, 2013, 02:01:07 pm
Ace, I thought you stopped selling your filter a while ago? Back when the chrome melted some guys seat with reflection from the chrome. Are they back on the market or am I crazy.  ERC
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on June 03, 2013, 02:40:53 pm
Ace, I thought you stopped selling your filter a while ago? Back when the chrome melted some guys seat with reflection from the chrome. Are they back on the market or am I crazy.  ERC

I started making them available again, but I spray the top of the chrome lids with a matte "frost" finish that diffuses the sun reflection. The edges/rim of the chrome lid is still shiny, but the top is matte. It seems that solves the issues that were seen.
I just make them to order for those who ask about them now.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ERC on June 03, 2013, 03:07:06 pm
Thanks Ace, I'll be ordering one for my next project.  ERC
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on July 07, 2013, 06:56:11 am
Well it's been a long time posting :) I've moved jobs which required me building a new studio facility so that's taken up all my time :) but I had some time last weekend to clean and polish my lady so here are some pics :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on July 07, 2013, 12:35:22 pm
The bike looks great!
The Ace Canister looks really good on it too!
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: High On Octane on July 07, 2013, 03:00:58 pm
Lookin' Good!    8)

I never realized just how long the factory exhaust is until I looked at pics 2 and 4.  I can totally see how the tip could scrape the pavement approaching steep inclines.  Sorry, just an observation after reading a post earlier in the week of someone trimming off their exhaust tip.

Scottie
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on July 07, 2013, 03:59:34 pm
Yeah I was hoping to replace the exhaust for the shorter version but my budget has had to be spent on other things :) ill get there and it's definitely on the cards as well as some leather pannier bags :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: jedaks on July 08, 2013, 12:04:58 am
Yeah I was hoping to replace the exhaust for the shorter version but my budget has had to be spent on other things :)

I have heard about drilling out the core of the bazooka muffler and just having it straight through. Maybe others can advise otherwise but it could be a cheap way to get some performance without spending much money.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: High On Octane on July 08, 2013, 01:46:12 am
I have heard about drilling out the core of the bazooka muffler and just having it straight through. Maybe others can advise otherwise but it could be a cheap way to get some performance without spending much money.


That could improve the performance some, but it's still going to weigh 1800 pounds.  Roughly.  ;)

Scottie
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on July 08, 2013, 05:15:25 am
I would rather just wait and do it properly. I've looked up the drilling and modding the original pipe but its messy and in my opinion spoils the looks once its done. To each his own but I'd rather just wait till budget allows ;)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on December 01, 2013, 04:40:21 pm
Been a bit quiet on the board but I've had a rollercoaster of a year. So apologies but it is what it is :)

I've had some fun with the bike lately. The vibrations have managed to break my rear exhaust bracket, front and center mudguard stay and my license disc holder. To be fair I have a feeling I purchased the bike with the center stay on the mudguard already broken because now that I've purchased more substantional center stays from Hitchcocks, the mudguard barely vibrates at all. I've replaced a the parts and at the same time decided to buy some extras, new grommets etc.

Anyways that's not what the post is about. About a week ago I heard a different racket coming from the top of the motor and I assumed that it was the valve pushrods that needed to be adjusted. So I warmed the bike up and set the bike at TDC, took off the inspection cover and found the inlet pushrod adjuster was tight and the exhaust spun freely albeit with a slight bit of play. A bit concerned since I knew that both adjuster should spin freely, I pulled down the kick start down to turn the engine and then I found the opposite to happen? The inlet spun freely and the exhaust was tight? Now I get why this is happening, obviously pushrods are under pressure at certain parts of the 4 stroke cycle. So I set the pushrod adjusters to eliminate play but only when I could get them to spin freely i.e. Not at TDC. Is this ok?! I rode the bike and the clatter is gone so I'm assuming it's fine but I would like to check to be sure as this procedure doesn't match the Snidal manual or some of the vids I've seen on youtube.

Here's a new pic of the bike as well :)

Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ERC on December 01, 2013, 05:14:00 pm
Unless you have a wierd cam or somethings amiss. they should both be loose at TDC.   ERC
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: Blltrdr on December 01, 2013, 05:14:33 pm
Since you have the Snidal manual you can try checking the valves with the motor running as he explains in the valve adjustment chapter. This will give you the answer you are looking for.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: Chuck D on December 01, 2013, 05:21:22 pm
Hey Young Gun,
You need to set the valve lash with the piston at TDC on the compression stroke. That is, with both valves closed. This means that the lifters directly below the push rod adjusters will BOTH be at their lowest points. You can observe this for yourself as you are kicking through. So if you picture this, the lifters below are exerting very little upward pressure on the push rod and the top of the push rod is resting only lightly against the rocker arm up above.
This is, with a cold engine, when you do your checking and or adjusting.
You want there to be no discernable up and down play while still being able to turn the push rod (not necessarily "spin") with your thumb and index finger. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries.
By the way I find it helpful to take out the center cover stud when I do this.
If you did this correctly, the valve train IS SUPPOSED TO CLATTER! That is in its nature. I'd start worrying when things got to quiet!
Hope this helps.
Chuck.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: AgentX on December 01, 2013, 05:38:14 pm
Ace recommends setting the valves with the engine stone-cold.  His reasoning, as I recall, is that setting the valves warm will result in dangerous tightness when the engine is cold.

I know the idea of a warm engine is to set the valves under the same conditions under which the engine will run, but I trust Ace's instructions above all others.  And it makes sense to me that if the bike has to warm up every time you start it, you're abusing the hell out of your valves until they get to operating temp if they're not set to be properly adjusted when cold.  No bueno.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on December 01, 2013, 05:53:06 pm
The correct way to adjust the valve lash is with a cold engine at TDC on the compression stroke.

 The reason is the engine is designed to run with .012" hot lash, and it "grows" to this lash as the engine warms up and the lash clearance expands. If you adjust lash hot, then it's too tight when cold, and it holds the valves off the seats until the engine warms up. This burns the valves.

This is why the manual says to do it cold.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on December 01, 2013, 06:42:41 pm
Ok just checked it cold and it's perfect, well to my untrained eyes at least :)

Thanks Chuck D for  the TDC explanation, it's exactly what I needed to know :) thanks guys!
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 28, 2014, 07:54:47 am
Hiya all, it's been forever since I've posted here. Been moving house and all. The bike is still running well and there have been a few minor cosmetic changes so here's a few new pics. :)

For the sharp eye, I've replaced the mirrors, the bar end mirrors are way more functional as they don't vibrate at all and I've replaced all the indicators for An LED version.

What still needs to be done is replacing the tail stop unit, that should be arriving shortly and I need to replace the indicator light in the speedometer unit with and LED unit with a diode circuit to stop bleed into the system.

Oh and the front mudguard is off :( I've once again broken the center stays (the reinforced Hitchcock version!) so I'm just waiting for replacements to arrive. Oh and the sprag clutch is out, the starter motor is still on the bike, also waiting for the plug to arrive. It's been just over a year since I bought this bike and I've racked up 4000km's! Not bad when you consider I only work 8 km's from home :)

Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: High On Octane on June 28, 2014, 02:18:06 pm
Looking Good!     8)

Question for you Young Gun.......  Do you notice any more instability or speed wobbles with the front fender off of the bike as opposed to when it used to be installed?
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: flyboy on June 28, 2014, 02:24:28 pm
Hey there Young Gun. I haven't read the entire post...but what year is your ride? I notice the 5spd gear box and wondering if that was a mod you did or PO did? Or, are you in the 5spd year range?

Looks good...I like the look of the front mudguard off!

Get rid of that hideous, overweight silencer. Free flow, with the Ace canister will surprise you of the added performance...definately noticable. If its too loud, get one of those $10 bolt-in baffles.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 28, 2014, 03:33:27 pm
@High On Octane. Not at all but then to be fair I'm having an issue with the brakes that I've had for day one, when the front brakes are operated over 80km there's a wobble. I can't figure it out. Problem with no front mudguard is that any puddle is potentially hazardous. Water sprays straight in your face so I really don't recommend it.

@flyboy. I have Ace's canister (which was a great improvement, can only give props to this add on, I would say it's a necessity) but with me living in South Africa, it makes importing pipes VERY expensive, especially if it's from the states. For now I can live with it but it is on my list :) I'm pretty sure the performance will improve greatly!

The bike is a 2006 Sixty5, so it came as is :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: baird4444 on June 28, 2014, 04:24:36 pm
"Oh and the front mudguard is off :( I've once again broken the center stays (the reinforced Hitchcock version!) "

your fender stays breaking is related to the front brake problem. When the shoes do not contact as a pair it causes a slight twist to the forks breaking the stays....   I made my own out of 3/4" flat iron....
        - Mike
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 28, 2014, 06:25:54 pm
Thanks Mike! I had a feeling they may be related. So I guess it's the scooter for the next week then :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ROVERMAN on June 28, 2014, 09:12:02 pm
Young Gun, i also just fitted bar end mirrors which function OK. It's no big deal since i have $20 invested. The thing i most like is the loss of the old mirrors that looked like they were being held up by a Mexican bandit ;D. It also improved the aero over the bike.Yours is looking good.
Roverman.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 29, 2014, 07:47:40 am
@Mike, fixing the front brake issue, does it just require re-adjustment or do I need to take the whole front wheel off and open it up?

Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: High On Octane on June 29, 2014, 02:46:49 pm
......... The thing i most like is the loss of the old mirrors that looked like they were being held up by a Mexican bandit ;D...............

Hey!  You need to say it correctly.   Bandito Mexicano!   ;D
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: ace.cafe on June 29, 2014, 02:54:03 pm
Mirrors!!??
We don't need no steenking mirrors!!!
 ;D
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: baird4444 on June 29, 2014, 03:45:48 pm
@Mike, fixing the front brake issue, does it just require re-adjustment or do I need to take the whole front wheel off and open it up?

sounds like you might be due for cleaning out...
check the file below, you can just use the adjust
procedure if you choose...
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on June 29, 2014, 05:31:28 pm
Thanks bird4444!
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: azcatfan on June 29, 2014, 05:44:01 pm
Getting that front brake right makes all the difference.  Do yourself a favor, get some new shoes and do the 'arcing' procedure.  This made my front brake go from 'vague' to 'yup, that's a genuine front brake now' in a single day.  It is not hard to do, but is a little bit time consuming.
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on July 07, 2014, 07:32:25 am
Reset the front brakes, muuuuuch better now. Before when I depressed the brake lever, the whole front wheel would shiver from left to right in a quick succession. It doest do that anymore. Its a little vague but no more shiver and I feel more confident with them :) Took me awhile though. Thanks for all that contributed!
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: young gun on March 02, 2015, 07:54:26 am
Well I'll be selling this bike soon so I decided to take some final "glamour" shots of it in its final guise. Its been a great bike with loads of admirers, more so that I think i'll get from the next bike (either a 883 or a Bolt) but I need something a little faster :)
Title: Re: My Royal Enfield
Post by: dginfw on March 02, 2015, 10:43:08 pm
Very nice pics.  Bike looks good.