Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => 350 J Platform => Topic started by: johnakay on October 02, 2022, 10:58:23 am
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did 320 miles bike is in for it 1st service and gear 1st-2nd problem sorted.
what I have notice on my last run out but this time on my own.
gears worked perfectly fine (20 miles) till I got to a very steep hill.
it would not go into second gear no matter what.stopped 3 times but still was not having it.
so this made me think that the problem only happens under load.
hopefully the dealers will find out what wrong.
can't carry on like this ,one of these days some car is going to rear ended me if he or she's not paying attention.
if its not cured then the bike will have to go.
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Oh . . oh .. . seems you and Charger 1971 both have this problem now! He hasn't fared so well getting it resolved yet.
Knocking wood that I have not had any such issue in 2,300 km. I did install the vastly improved TEC gear lever kit recently though and it has made shifting much easier on my required foot movements. Could there be an issue with the sloppy linkage that RE put on the Meteor?
I know some here have moved the arm on the splined shaft to bring the toe part higher to allow for toe only shifts, but investigating that avenue last summer, I found the thin rod contacted the frame during gear selection. Any chance you, or Charger have done that?
It seems strange that after a full year of production of the Meteor, with every YouTube reviewer praising the silky smooth transmission, that only 2 cases of this problem have arisen, at least that we have heard of here. Something requiring a recall would have to see far more cases of this.
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Hi Dexter. It would appear we have duplicated our answers with Charger and johnakay. I absolutely agree with everything you say. The one and only time I missed a first to second gear change on my Classic was when I was wearing an old pair of pointy toed cavalry boots, with 2 x heel straps that doesn't allow a much ankle movement.
They are fine on the Interceptor though. This problem does feel Meteor specific; all the 350 variants share the same powerplants, it is possible of course to have an assembly issue, but I bet these engines sitting in dispatch have no idea which model they will end up in. Which as you say leaves only the mechanism to change gear. and the throw from first to second requires more foot movement than the others.
Marvellous opportunity for RE to supply a bit of Meteor specific footwear.
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mines a classic.
few others have had problems with gear change.
some fitted the toe and heel lever and all is fine.
others just getting the 1st service done ..mineral oil to synthetic has improved as with mileage.
once I get my bike back I'll give an update.
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got my bike bike.
they couldn't find anything wrong with the gears.
pleased about that.
ridden it home and it felt super slick.
it must be the oil.
going to invest in a toe and heel shifter.
it seems they can't get the g/lever where I want it.
its either to low or high for my boots.
looking forward to getting out on it.
I'll keep you posted on how things go.
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got my bike bike.
they couldn't find anything wrong with the gears.
pleased about that.
ridden it home and it felt super slick.
it must be the oil.
going to invest in a toe and heel shifter.
it seems they can't get the g/lever where I want it.
its either to low or high for my boots.
looking forward to getting out on it.
I'll keep you posted on how things go.
I wouldn't mind seeing a picture of the Classic lever set up, if you could post one. I find it odd that many Meteor owners would have rather had a toe only shifter, (changed mine recently), yet Classic owners would rather have a heel/toe shift. ??? Neither of which RE seemed to be aware of when designing the bikes.
Have you considered that the style of boot you are wearing may not be suitable for the toe shift? Generally, "work boot" styled footwear is too thick in the toe area for some toe shifters, due to steel toe needs, whereas a proper motorcycle boot generally is more shoe like and flexible.
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I can't wear any old boots due to having a high instep foot or high arch foot.
boots that have laces are the only ones that I can wear.
I'm not alone as far as the gear shift problems many others have the same problems as I have.
going to have another go at moving it.
I have thought about heating the lever(off the bike) and bend it up a little.
don't know if I can get a replacement? should it go pear shape.
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There are definitely some copies of the Meteor that have problems with the gearbox. And it's not because of the shoes or the feet.
I, for example, have been riding two-wheelers of all kinds for 56 years.
And believe me, I know how to change gears. With or without paddle shifters
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put my bike boots on and it appears to be fine.
they've most of moved it up a notch.
went to start the bike up. bleeding battery is flat.
what do these mechanics do on these bikes.
leave the light on while servicing. ??????
what a shore just getting the battery out ,everything is just wedged in.
put some cables in so that I don't have to take the battery out to charge it,
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First thing I did after the first ride on my Classic was to move the gear lever up one spline, now feels just right for my big feet.
Andy.
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put my bike boots on and it appears to be fine.
they've most of moved it up a notch.
went to start the bike up. bleeding battery is flat.
what do these mechanics do on these bikes.
leave the light on while servicing. ??????
what a shore just getting the battery out ,everything is just wedged in.
put some cables in so that I don't have to take the battery out to charge it,
Some jobs on some bikes are just a little bit fiddly to do & you just have to accept that. Some batteries are more fiddly to get out than others. Most of the time, these fiddly jobs get easier after you do them a few times. It just goes with the territory of dealing with motorcycles & if every little job makes you nuts you'll just never be happy with the bike. I've "fiddled" with bikes & cars (including total builds & total disassembly restorations) my whole life & if every little job drove me nuts, I'd have stopped lonnnnng ago.
Did you hard wire for a tender? You need that battery on a tender all the time when you're not riding the bike or sooner or later you'll have a dead battery when you go to press that button.
Some parts of biking are just a little bit of a pain in the butt, but you have to go with it or be forever unhappy. And I recognize your problems with the dealer. Maybe they DID drain the battery, who knows, but that's what you have to deal with if you deal with dealers. Some of them are worse than useless.
Another question is Why did Royal Enfield decide to fool with the simple gear shift lever that's been working for a 100 years? Did the Indian bike riders want this change? Have a billion Indians "grown up with" heel/toe shifters & pushed the idea to the designers?
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.............Another question is Why did Royal Enfield decide to fool with the simple gear shift lever that's been working for a 100 years? Did the Indian bike riders want this change? Have a billion Indians "grown up with" heel/toe shifters & pushed the idea to the designers?
Riding in flip flops is not uncommon in India. :-\ :-\ :-\
Battery location on my last Kawasaki was a cruel joke.
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Riding in flip flops is not uncommon in India. :-\ :-\ :-\
Battery location on my last Kawasaki was a cruel joke.
olord - Duh :-[ :-[ Of course that's it :)(http://)
Huge brain fart & I've watched a thousand Indian YooToobs if I've watched One.
I just wasn't thinking straight -- like THAT's never happened :-[
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olord - Duh :-[ :-[ Of course that's it :)(http://)
Huge brain fart & I've watched a thousand Indian YooToobs if I've watched One.
I just wasn't thinking straight -- like THAT's never happened :-[
Hahaha, brain fart, we've all one. Except me of course, no never, not once. Well maybe once.......or twice. ::) ::) ::) ::)
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Having just had the first service done on my 350 Classic I thought I'd make some comments here which may be of interest to others.
Firstly, I had previously read that some dealers appeared to be doing the (mandatory according to RE) tappet check and adjust at 300 miles whilst others did not.
When I booked in for my service, they said that it would take a couple of hours and that they would do it while I waited. That made me suspect that they did not intend to do the tappets, as firstly the engine would be warm and secondly I don't think they would have had enough time (see below ;D )
Whilst the service was being done I took a sneaky look into the workshop and noted that at no time was the tank removed.
The service cost £135 and I received a stamp in the book but no list of what had been done, just a receipt.
I rode home and left the bike overnight, intending to check the tappets the next day. I re-visited "Ride with Warro" on YouTube to remind myself of the procedure for removing the tank etc. and went ahead.
Removing the various parts went reasonably well, with just a few bruises and scrapes. Interestingly, I found the tappets in a similar condition to that found by Warro when he did his - there was no way that the 0.08mm feeler would fit in the inlet side, where there seemed to be no gap at all, and the outlet was smaller than 0.18mm, although there was at least some discernible gap.
Having adjusted to the correct gaps, I then faced the interesting problem of re-seating the rubber gasket when fitting the rocker cover. All I can say is that RE could surely have made this easier by not "gluing" the gasket in place on the left hand side of the head, so that it can't be removed to be placed into the rocker cover when upside down. ( I didn't have Mrs Warro to help me as he did).
Luckily it eventually went in, and there is no sign of oil leakage so far.
Replacing the tank was slightly tricky as the throttle cable was routed over the top of the left hand rubber mount at the front and the bracket on the tank kept jamming on the cable as I tried to wiggle it back on. I eventually gave up and moved the throttle cable underneath, it seems to be OK there, touch wood.
So my conclusion is that, even for an experienced mechanic, the tappet check and adjustment must be a fairly time consuming process and, if done by the dealer, would lead to disproportionately high first service bills (I say disproportionally high with reference to the cost of the bike)
I'm also very pleased that I took the trouble to check mine as they were clearly not in specification after 300 miles (before that - who knows?).
I'd be interested to know what other UK owners have paid and if they believe that their tappets were checked/adjusted at the first service.
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I wouldn't attempt to check valve clearances myself ,but generally speaking if something hasn't been done or not been done right by a dealer , shouldn't you go back to the dealer and tell them. ?!
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Having adjusted to the correct gaps, I then faced the interesting problem of re-seating the rubber gasket when fitting the rocker cover. All I can say is that RE could surely have made this easier by not "gluing" the gasket in place on the left hand side of the head, so that it can't be removed to be placed into the rocker cover when upside down. ( I didn't have Mrs Warro to help me as he did).
Luckily it eventually went in, and there is no sign of oil leakage so far.
I'd be interested to know what other UK owners have paid and if they believe that their tappets were checked/adjusted at the first service.
I can't give any feedback on cost or completeness of service by dealer as I made the decision, rightly or wrongly to do my own servicing. This was partly because my bike was delivered with greatly over inflated tyres and over filled with oil.
Checking the tappets I found them to be exactly the same as Father of Dragons, no discernable gap on inlet and less than there should have been on exhaust.
I managed to refit the cover gasket without disturbing the "stuck down" bit, a bit fiddly but with care, good lighting and patience was done and no leaks.
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The one area that I disagreed with Warro was the gasket. He's doing it the hard way. He has since changed his method and does it my way. Remove the gasket from the head. Clean all the goo silicone sealant from the head and gasket. Use a light spray adhesive like 3M 45. spray it on the gasket and place the gasket into the cover. Let the glue dry while you adjust the valves. You won't need a third hand or even a Mrs. Warro to help. don't be tempted to use ANY silicone. It just makes a mess and causes problems. The gasket does the sealing, not the silicone.
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I wouldn't attempt to check valve clearances myself ,but generally speaking if something hasn't been done or not been done right by a dealer , shouldn't you go back to the dealer and tell them. ?!
Did do (at least I phoned them and told them what they’d set them to) and they weren’t especially bothered. Saves me a trip XXXX from south Devon ever again anyway. Little victories…..🤐
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Next time I get valve clearances done I am going to ask if I can sit in and watch.Shouldnt be a problem. If they say sorry due to health and safety bullshit I will take the bike elsewhere.
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Perhaps I missed it on your post, but did you go to full synthetic at the 300 mile service?
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Perhaps I missed it on your post, but did you go to full synthetic at the 300 mile service?
Don’t know if we’re asking me, but yes, Castrol power 1 15w-50 for preference and no other reason than it’s easy to get from my favourite supplier, Opie Oils.
Because of the hopeless dealer I now have a manual and will do all my own servicing with Enfield bits and argue the toss under UK law if there’s a warranty issue.
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Don’t know if we’re asking me, but yes, Castrol power 1 15w-50 for preference and no other reason than it’s easy to get from my favourite supplier, Opie Oils.
Because of the hopeless dealer I now have a manual and will do all my own servicing with Enfield bits and argue the toss under UK law if there’s a warranty issue.
I was actually asking the OP but thanks for the response. Good to know that I can go full synthetic at the 300 mile service. I too had a bit of an issue changing from 1st to 2nd the first day I got it. It seemed to stay in neutral and when I finally got it into 2nd, the neutral light would not turn off. It’s happened once more. The neutral light seems to stay in when the bike is hot.
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Next time I get valve clearances done I am going to ask if I can sit in and watch.Shouldnt be a problem. If they say sorry due to health and safety bullshit I will take the bike elsewhere.
I will be very surprised if they allow this, not just on the basis of health and safety, but because if they do it for one, they would have to do it for all that want to "sit in".
Having been in the repair side of the trade myself, I can say with 100% confidence, that no mechanic would want any owner looking over his shoulder while doing his job. Time is money for most guys in this business and explaining his work as he goes, when questions would undoubtedly arise, is going to be a detriment to getting the work done in a timely manner.
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I will be very surprised if they allow this, not just on the basis of health and safety, but because if they do it for one, they would have to do it for all that want to "sit in".
Having been in the repair side of the trade myself, I can say with 100% confidence, that no mechanic would want any owner looking over his shoulder while doing his job. Time is money for most guys in this business and explaining his work as he goes, when questions would undoubtedly arise, is going to be a detriment to getting the work done in a timely manner.
I wouldn't want any explaining or be asking, just observing.In fact come to think about it I have been in a Ducati dealers where a glass partition allowed customers to see into the workshop.
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I wouldn't want any explaining or be asking, just observing.In fact come to think about it I have been in a Ducati dealers where a glass partition allowed customers to see into the workshop.
If they are set up with a glass partition that would be ideal, but I can see Dexter point. I have worked at domestic properties and there is nothing worse than an owner looking over your shoulder.
I suspect the only satisfactory answer is go to someone you trust, or do it yourself.
On a similar note my local car repairs place is run by a guy who is a life long motorcyclist, has some very exotic and expensive bikes, does all his own servicing obviously and I trust and like him. I wonder if RE would honour any warranty claims if your bike was serviced at somewhere like this.
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I don't think anyone can force you to use a dealer for work to maintain a warranty as long as someone qualified does it.
In all my years riding, this has never been an issue, so I would hope that is the same for RE.
I agree with you though, find a local, private mechanic you trust. Get receipts, and you should be OK.
I'm NOT using the dealer here. Their prices are insane and I won't play that game...
Ride Safe 🙏🏼
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I hope my local dealer is better when it comes to servicing than some that are reported on here.
I would expect so considering they won the Royal Enfield UK dealer of the year 2022 , if that includes servicing and customer service !
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...............I would expect so considering they won the Royal Enfield UK dealer of the year 2022 , if that includes servicing and customer service !
Please tell who that is, and where they are.
I expect they will like the publicity.
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There has been some discussion in the 650 section of funky shifting. Clutch cables stretch a bit when new, just like drive chains. Properly adjust your clutch cable and you may find that the shifting issues disappear. I think Dexter and perhaps a few others went with full synthetic oil at the first oil change (300 miles) with no issues. I did an extra oil change at 2400 miles. Went with full synthetic then. Should have done it at first change since the engine runs so much better on the full synthetic.
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There has been some discussion in the 650 section of funky shifting. Clutch cables stretch a bit when new, just like drive chains. Properly adjust your clutch cable and you may find that the shifting issues disappear. I think Dexter and perhaps a few others went with full synthetic oil at the first oil change (300 miles) with no issues. I did an extra oil change at 2400 miles. Went with full synthetic then. Should have done it at first change since the engine runs so much better on the full synthetic.
Yup. I went full synthetic at 300 miles. The RE factory fill oil is semi synth, so that allows for better initial bedding in of the piston, rings and bearings.
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Please tell who that is, and where they are.
I expect they will like the publicity.
Eddysmoto , Tadcaster, that's near York, England.( Owned by Eddy Wright ,former sidecar racer )
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Eddysmoto , Tadcaster, that's near York, England.( Owned by Eddy Wright ,former sidecar racer )
Thanks Leofric, sadly the other end of the country to me.
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Next time I get valve clearances done I am going to ask if I can sit in and watch.Shouldnt be a problem. If they say sorry due to health and safety bullshit I will take the bike elsewhere.
Where are you located? Maybe someone on here could come by and give you a hand. It's really simple.
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Apropos of my previous post, would anyone (in the UK) who knows for sure that the dealer did the valve clearances at the 300 mile service be willing to share how much the service cost? Having done them myself I agree that it's a simple job, but it is quite time consuming (even being careful I still managed to chip the paint on the front edge of the tank when trying to manoeuvre it back on ::) ). OK I accept I'm probably slower than a "professional" but even so.....
My suspicion is that many dealers don't do this at the 300 mile service because the bill would astonish someone expecting it to be reasonable based on the original cost of the bike.
in my view RE should really subsidise the cost of that service since they insist on the valve check and adjust at a meagre 300 miles.
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Apropos of my previous post, would anyone (in the UK) who knows for sure that the dealer did the valve clearances at the 300 mile service be willing to share how much the service cost? Having done them myself I agree that it's a simple job, but it is quite time consuming (even being careful I still managed to chip the paint on the front edge of the tank when trying to manoeuvre it back on ::) ). OK I accept I'm probably slower than a "professional" but even so.....
My suspicion is that many dealers don't do this at the 300 mile service because the bill would astonish someone expecting it to be reasonable based on the original cost of the bike.
in my view RE should really subsidise the cost of that service since they insist on the valve check and adjust at a meagre 300 miles.
I can't answer the question as I did my own 300 mile service. All I can say is that in my experience and that of some others on this forum it needs to be done in spite of being at such a low mileage. There was no discernible gap on my inlet valve which had it not been adjusted for a further few 1000 miles could well have done damage to valve and seat.
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Apropos of my previous post, would anyone (in the UK) who knows for sure that the dealer did the valve clearances at the 300 mile service be willing to share how much the service cost? Having done them myself I agree that it's a simple job, but it is quite time consuming (even being careful I still managed to chip the paint on the front edge of the tank when trying to manoeuvre it back on ::) ). OK I accept I'm probably slower than a "professional" but even so.....
My suspicion is that many dealers don't do this at the 300 mile service because the bill would astonish someone expecting it to be reasonable based on the original cost of the bike.
in my view RE should really subsidise the cost of that service since they insist on the valve check and adjust at a meagre 300 miles.
My 300 miles service cost £288.00
Made up as follows. Service £165.00. Valve adjustment £75. VAT £48
And I maintain the valve adjustment should be included in the service cost, not separately itemised. Maybe it is just badly worded but it looks strange.
Done at a South West England RE dealers.
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Two local dealers I asked:
$500
$630
So, I found a local shop with certified Trumpet/BMW, etc. guys and got it done for $165.
My son did his and his father in law's. Took him the better part of the day to do two.
It's not hard as has been posted, just time consuming...
All of ours needed slight adjustments. Interested to see what they look like at 3000 miles, give or take.
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My 300 miles service cost £288.00
Made up as follows. Service £165.00. Valve adjustment £75. VAT £48
And I maintain the valve adjustment should be included in the service cost, not separately itemised. Maybe it is just badly worded but it looks strange.
Done at a South West England RE dealers.
That's expensive isn't it for a 300 mile service. Didn't Royal Enfield do the first service free on their bikes at one time ?
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I hope my purchase isn't going to turn into a reasonable price new bike but exorbitant service costs !
(p.s. I have never adjusted valve clearances on any engine on any vehicle and don't fancy trying it )
pps I don't think I have ever had valve clearances adjusted on any bike either because I tended to change bikes before it was due as things happened.
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......... I don't think I have ever had valve clearances adjusted on any bike either because I tended to change bikes before it was due as things happened.
I think or at least hope you are thinking of bucket and shim adjustment. Our 350 engines are old skool screw and locknut and should be checked at every service.
£288 expensive? Yes, I thought so too.
I am going to ask our local garage if he thinks the warranty will be jeopardised if he carried out the work.
Also although I know I am more than capable of doing any service or repair work to these fairly basic bikes I don't want to be left with a legal battle and my bike off the road whilst the court decides who is responsible, and then there is the danger of creating bad feeling with the workshop appointed by RE to do any warranty work. It's a difficult decision to home service or not.
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Thanks to those who have replied so far - I should have said that my 300 mile service cost £135 and I know for sure that they didn't do the valves. As above, it's an easy enough job, just a hassle having to remove stuff. At least on my old Nortons I could just whip off the rocker covers without having to dismantle the top of the bike 8)
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I think or at least hope you are thinking of bucket and shim adjustment. Our 350 engines are old skool screw and locknut and should be checked at every service.
£288 expensive? Yes, I thought so too.
I am going to ask our local garage if he thinks the warranty will be jeopardised if he carried out the work.
Also although I know I am more than capable of doing any service or repair work to these fairly basic bikes I don't want to be left with a legal battle and my bike off the road whilst the court decides who is responsible, and then there is the danger of creating bad feeling with the workshop appointed by RE to do any warranty work. It's a difficult decision to home service or not.
The bikes would have been bucket and shim, anyway they were checked if necessary but I tended to swap bikes below about 20,000 miles before valve adjustment would have been necessary. My Honda dealer used to say that Hondas never seemed to need adjustment at the first recommended valve clearance check.
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I had my Interceptors 3rd annual dealer service last year at £180.This included oil change,bybre brake upgraded,valve clearances.Took about an hour.mmm.
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I had my Interceptors 3rd annual dealer service last year at £180.This included oil change,bybre brake upgraded,valve clearances.Took about an hour.mmm.
Is the "mmm" because you think that's suspiciously short? I'm not familiar with the Interceptor - perhaps it's not necessary to remove the seat and then the tank, shift electrical items out of the way etc. in order to get at the valves? Even so, does that give the engine time to cool down?
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Is the "mmm" because you think that's suspiciously short? I'm not familiar with the Interceptor - perhaps it's not necessary to remove the seat and then the tank, shift electrical items out of the way etc. in order to get at the valves? Even so, does that give the engine time to cool down?
mmm .yes it means suspiciously short.Its the same procedure seat off,tank off. etc.
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....and twice the number of valves to do as well :o
It does rather seem as though many dealers are not doing the valve check/adjust. We can but hope that with RE themselves taking over the reins from MotoGB that they will exert a firmer grip on things..... ::)
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....and twice the number of valves to do as well :o
Actually, the 650 has FOUR times the number of valves - 8.
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Is the "mmm" because you think that's suspiciously short? I'm not familiar with the Interceptor - perhaps it's not necessary to remove the seat and then the tank, shift electrical items out of the way etc. in order to get at the valves? Even so, does that give the engine time to cool down?
They would let the engine cool down before they started checking the valve clearance wouldn't they ?
Presume they don't charge for waiting for it to cool down !
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I get valve clearances done I am going to ask if I can sit in and watch.Shouldnt be a problem. If they say sorry due to health and safety bullshit I will take the bike elsewhere.
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I get valve clearances done I am going to ask if I can sit in and watch.Shouldnt be a problem. If they say sorry due to health and safety bullshit I will take the bike elsewhere.
Another member here recently had the same idea. Good luck with that!
Forgetting health and safety concerns, which will immediately squash this idea anyway, if YOU were the mechanic, would you want some guy looking over your shoulder watching you work? I can tell you the answer to that is a resounding NO, having worked in the auto trade many years ago.
If you NEED to sit in to monitor the job, then you'd best learn to do the job yourself.
Welcome to the forum.
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If you suspect that the dealer isn't doing the valve adjustment simply put a dab of paint or nail polish (varnish) on one of the valve cover bolts. If it is unbroken when you pick up the bike they didn't remove the cover.
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Or they saw the paint and just undid the one bolt
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Apparently my RE dealer has some equipment that cools the engine down quickly so they can do the first service including valve clearance in a couple of hours.
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A large fan maybe ?
I’ve no intention of taking my Hunter 350 to a dealer for servicing.
Although I’ve less than 300 miles on the clock, I’ve already bought an oil filter kit and spare rocker box cover gasket from Hitchcocks and the correct spec synthetic oil from Smith and Allan ( <£30 for 5 ltr ).
I’ve got all the correct tools including torque wrenches and I’m sure maintaining my bike will give me the satisfaction of knowing the job is done properly.
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Just as long as you consider the consequences of invalidating your warranty. Servicing is one thing but carrying out repairs - possibly expensive ones - is another.
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A large fan maybe ?
I’ve no intention of taking my Hunter 350 to a dealer for servicing.
Although I’ve less than 300 miles on the clock, I’ve already bought an oil filter kit and spare rocker box cover gasket from Hitchcocks and the correct spec synthetic oil from Smith and Allan ( <£30 for 5 ltr ).
I’ve got all the correct tools including torque wrenches and I’m sure maintaining my bike will give me the satisfaction of knowing the job is done properly.
Just a heads up for you, in case you haven't seen threads about this, mostly on the 650 forum. The valve cover bolts are a shoulder bolt, which can only seat so far into the head until the shoulder contacts the head. There is a compressible washer beneath each bolt head which makes the seal and there are numerous reports of those bolts being sheared off in the head by the use of a torque wrench on them, or over zealous gorilla hands.
Once the bolt seats and is just snugged up, by hand tightening, that is all that is required.
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Just as long as you consider the consequences of invalidating your warranty. Servicing is one thing but carrying out repairs - possibly expensive ones - is another.
This is exactly what concerns me.
Imagine if you had a catastrophic engine failure and no warranty. ECU software updates? Tripper update? Brake caliper recalls have happened in the past at RE I believe.
Servicing really is the easy bit, most repairs on these bikes are within the capability of an average mechanic or a half decent amateur enthusiast. But none service parts may be hard to source and very expensive.
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I guess it all depends on how much faith you have in the brand!
On both my Hondas they had their first (discounted) service and that gave me the first year or 7,500 miles worth of warranty/peace of mind. If something expensive was going to fail it would in all likelihood have done so before they’d covered their first 8,000miles.
Unfortunately having the first service on the RE will only get you a further 6 months of riding or 3,000 miles on the clock before you either opt to take it back or service it yourself.
I never took my B5 back after the first service and the money saved over not having the bike serviced 7 or 8 times within that first two years of warranty period more than covered the few things that failed. The most expensive of which was the left hand switch block, it’s replacement cost me £8 + £3 postage off £bay.
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I guess it all depends on how much faith you have in the brand!
On both my Hondas they had their first (discounted) service and that gave me the first year or 7,500 miles worth of warranty/peace of mind. If something expensive was going to fail it would in all likelihood have done so before they’d covered their first 8,000miles.
Unfortunately having the first service on the RE will only get you a further 6 months of riding or 3,000 miles on the clock before you either opt to take it back or service it yourself.
I never took my B5 back after the first service and the money saved over not having the bike serviced 7 or 8 times within that first two years of warranty period more than covered the few things that failed. The most expensive of which was the left hand switch block, it’s replacement cost me £8 + £3 postage off £bay.
Just hope no one else ends in this position. Copied from ADVrider.
"Whelp, finally got the official word today. According to Royal Enfield USA, I apparently can't sufficiently prove that I put in the correct amount of oil in the engine after my 500km service, and because there is no sign of consumption or oil leaks, they do not consider the blown engine to be a warrantable defect. They are willing to offer a "goodwill" of covering the labor to replace the engine, but that means I will still be looking at $3,500 for a new engine, about half of what I paid for this bike out the door.
I'm pretty frustrated with this as I have receipts of what I bought, and I'm sorry but it's not hard to pour in almost 2 liters of oil into an engine, and this decision and lack of support has really soured me on the company of royal enfield. I get that they have to protect their bottom line, but to deny a warranty because I can't prove that I "properly" filed the engine with almost 2 liters of the 3 I bought is absolutely bullshit.
Sorry for the rant. I said I'd update you all when I had more to update, I really wish it was better news."
The whole thing can be found here.
https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/royal-enfield-himalayan-owners-thread.1253460/page-1633#post-43708569
About a third down the page. Posted by h4Z_M47
It is long and drawn out, if you are interested you will have to pick your way through it.
I know I have posted this before but people should be aware of what they are doing.
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All this sounds to me like the only way you are going to need your warranty is if you let a very expensive RE "dodgy dealer" get his hands on your bike!
My first service is due and I'll take the chance and either do it myself; or get my very trustworthy independent workshop mechanic, who has reliably serviced and repaired many of my bikes in the past, to do it properly.
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That's total bullsh*t. If this is the way RE is going to handle customers, they're in for a backlash here in the States...
I reckon at least 25% or more people do their own servicing, so I imagine we'll see more posts like this.
Ride Safe 🙏🏼
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All this sounds to me like the only way you are going to need your warranty is if you let a very expensive RE "dodgy dealer" get his hands on your bike!
My first service is due and I'll take the chance and either do it myself; or get my very trustworthy independent workshop mechanic, who has reliably serviced and repaired many of my bikes in the past, to do it properly.
Yeah, I found a good local shop to do mine, but it shouldn't matter. If a shop services your bike all they have to do is say they did it. If you do your own, you have to prove it - however that's supposed to be done? Are we supposed to film our servicing to uphold the warranty?
Not happy reading this today...
Ride Safe 🙏🏼
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Just hope no one else ends in this position. Copied from ADVrider.
"Whelp, finally got the official word today. According to Royal Enfield USA, I apparently can't sufficiently prove that I put in the correct amount of oil in the engine after my 500km service, and because there is no sign of consumption or oil leaks, they do not consider the blown engine to be a warrantable defect. They are willing to offer a "goodwill" of covering the labor to replace the engine, but that means I will still be looking at $3,500 for a new engine, about half of what I paid for this bike out the door.
I'm pretty frustrated with this as I have receipts of what I bought, and I'm sorry but it's not hard to pour in almost 2 liters of oil into an engine, and this decision and lack of support has really soured me on the company of royal enfield. I get that they have to protect their bottom line, but to deny a warranty because I can't prove that I "properly" filed the engine with almost 2 liters of the 3 I bought is absolutely bullshit.
Sorry for the rant. I said I'd update you all when I had more to update, I really wish it was better news."
Here's my takeaway on this. A large and extensive network of dealers is the only way a manufacturer can get its product out into the hands of people wanting to buy them, but those dealers do not make sufficient profits to survive from just selling bikes. In order for them to survive, they need to sell parts and, more importantly, service to the machines, as that's where the real money lies.
So how does the manufacturer help the dealers to keep afloat, thus insuring they can still sell more of what the manufacturer wants to move? Well, they send out a not so subtle message, as we see here, to all owners that if you value your warranty, you will bring your bike back to the dealer to maintain it, at least for 3 years, in RE's case.
I'm sure they see this as a win-win idea from their perspective, because they know damn well that the m/c community forums will be ablaze with this story, spreading it far and wide, as we see has happened here from forum to forum and it most certainly WILL discourage many an owner to heed the warning and at least carry out their servicing for 3 years at a dealership.
RE is trying to get themselves established as a new player worldwide now, not just in India anymore and they won't be able to do that without an extensive dealer network in major countries of the world. Certainly this action is a bold stand on their part, but it does serve their long term goal well.
The only recourse an owner may have is if their country has passed "right to repair" laws, that make a warranty binding on the company involved despite the fact that an owner has done the work themselves, as long as that owner can prove, with receipts for parts and a documented service record, what they did.
If such a law is in place, and the manufacturer balks at a claim, then the only recourse would be the courts, but that would have to be weighed against the costs of a lawyer, as opposed to the costs of the repair too, for both sides in the dispute.
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Don't all manufacturers specify the warranty doesn't apply if servicing is carried out by the owner ?
It is up to the owner how they want to play it of course.
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I've just had my first service (Classic 350) done. It cost a hell of a lot at £238. I know it can be for cheaper but this was my nearest dealer (25 miles away) and the weather was icy cold so I didn't fancy riding too much further. They asked me to drop the bike off the day before the service so that the engine could cool properly for the tappets to be adjusted. The bike definitely feels "better" since the service; smoother and a tad livelier. I'll be doing all the servicing myself from now on and documenting it but wanted to get the warranty off to a good start with no chance of a refusal.
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I've just had my first service (Classic 350) done. It cost a hell of a lot at £238. I know it can be for cheaper but this was my nearest dealer (25 miles away) and the weather was icy cold so I didn't fancy riding too much further. They asked me to drop the bike off the day before the service so that the engine could cool properly for the tappets to be adjusted. The bike definitely feels "better" since the service; smoother and a tad livelier. I'll be doing all the servicing myself from now on and documenting it but wanted to get the warranty off to a good start with no chance of a refusal.
Where are you located roughly, That £238 is 50 quid less than it cost me.
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Where are you located roughly, That £238 is 50 quid less than it cost me.
I live in East Suffolk so bought mine in Norwich. Happy with the service.
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I've just had my first service (Classic 350) done. It cost a hell of a lot at £238. I know it can be for cheaper but this was my nearest dealer (25 miles away) and the weather was icy cold so I didn't fancy riding too much further. They asked me to drop the bike off the day before the service so that the engine could cool properly for the tappets to be adjusted. The bike definitely feels "better" since the service; smoother and a tad livelier. I'll be doing all the servicing myself from now on and documenting it but wanted to get the warranty off to a good start with no chance of a refusal.
I have posted somewhere previously that my dealer has some equipment that cools the engine down quickly so the first service including valve clearances can be done in a couple of hours apparently.
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My first service was done by the dealer I bought the bike from. They did a poor job and I had to redo it myself. The dealer is now out of business and I will be doing all my own services from now on. With my first RE, an Electra, the then importer sold me the parts and I did my own work but the new importer is not cooperative so my parts come from India.
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You don't have to use an official dealer to have anything serviced. (In the UK). The EU Block Exemption Regulations allow you to take your vehicle anywhere for warranty work and servicing - you can even do the work yourself although the onus will be on you to prove it has been serviced as per the manufacturer's instruction. How you do that is up to you - you may have a good relationship with your dealer, you may take photos or video, whatever. I haven't heard that these EU regulation have been rescinded since Brexit but I doubt it (although someone else may know). https://www.service4service.co.uk/news/industry/what-is-eu-block-exemption-regulation/
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The regulations above only mention cars so motorcycles may be an issue, however, my local bike shop has a written reply from Honda saying that as long as genuine Honda approved parts and oils are used he can service their motorcycles without negating the warranty.
Andy.
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............... my local bike shop has a written reply from Honda saying that as long as genuine Honda approved parts and oils are used he can service their motorcycles without negating the warranty.
Andy.
That is very interesting, thanks for posting that.
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Thought I'd give some info on this subject.
I bought my Meteor350 with 900km (rolled out of the dealer at 28.10.2022), the first owner did the first service on 500km, and I have the detailed report from that. Says which oil they used - Castrol Power Racing 10w50.
I noticed that the oil was contaminated and had very small metallic shiny parts, its basically still in the breaking in period, so this is normal right. ( Picture 1 )
Since the next service is at 5000km What I did was, I basically changed the oil filter (with an original ofc) and same oil on my own, without dealer knowledge.
Especially now that that its winter season I didn't want that contaminated oil to sit there for 3 months.
Total cost to do DIY it is ~ 40€ ( filter is 10 and 2 liters of oil is around 30).
I did this yesterday and I just took the picture of the new oil level and I see it is just over the maximum now, so I may overdone it but its gonna sit there anyway waiting the riding season.
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Did those small metal pieces come out during the oil change?
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Did those small metal pieces come out during the oil change?
Yes, you could see the oil "shine", and on the filter a bit too. I think this is completely normal, and it may sound like "omg metallic parts" but its so small particles.
All part of the break-in or run-in as some say. It does not have 1000km yet.
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Yes, you could see the oil "shine", and on the filter a bit too. I think this is completely normal, and it may sound like "omg metallic parts" but its so small particles.
All part of the break-in or run-in as some say. It does not have 1000km yet.
NOT completely normal to me! In that first photo, the "bits" almost look like air bubbles, which will entrain into the oil and be noticeable just after running, until they move out of the oil. What did you find in the oil strainer? Bits that size should have been caught in the strainer, again making me think they are air bubbles in the sight glass. If it was metal, it would sink to the bottom of the sump, not float on the surface.
Too bad you didn't take a photo of any bits from the strainer on a dark shop rag, or some surface that makes them more visible.
My first oil change and the two since then have revealed absolutely no bits of metal, even in the strainer. If those are, in fact, bits of metal, I'd be concerned.
EDIT: Your new oil level is fine. Mine came from the factory overfilled more than that - no problems. It is tough to get the level right on the line, unless you want to add it in drips and drabs and wait for it to drain down from the clutch basket that you are pouring it on top of. Even running the engine, thus heating the oil up, will show a different level, as it expands.
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Hey thanks for the reply!
Ye you are right that there were bubbles, the shiny bits were so so small that I could only "see" them on the black rubber gloves while washing the strainer. Thats how tiny they were, but enough to make the oil "shine".
I have no information if the first owner followed the breaking in rules, so it could be that he pushed it a bit more than he should (he bought a "much stronger bike" as he said) I don't know.... I don't want to worry myself. There are only 2 official dealers/service partners in our country. It was bought/serviced at one, and I'm going to keep it maintained in the other since its in my city, makes sense.
I just wanted to point out that a oil change is super easy to do, and I think I can slip past between the 2 service periods without being "noticed" or having negative effects on warranty.
Nice new clean oil, bike surely loves it.
It's the simplest and most essential thing you can do, right?!
Thanks for pointing out on the oil level, I didnt drive it after really, its -4'C here so will stay like this for some time on the center stand (god I love it).
Best regards
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If that first service was done by the dealer, then there should be no worry about any problem, as the warranty is transferable to any new owner within the 3 years. If you were to do another oil change yourself and still see the bits, there are labs that can analyze the oil and determine exactly where they might have originated from.
Definitely, frequent oil changes are the best thing one can do to ensure a long engine life.
It is possible too, of course, that what you found is just the minute remnants of swarf inside the engine - bits of metal left over and not thoroughly cleaned out during the manufacturing process of the engine.
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I changed the oil according to the factory instructions. To the line exactly 1.8l, a little more by my mistake. I don't see any reason to overfill the motorcycle with oil above the max. recommended quantities
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My local dealer said as long as I take photos of the bike all round and mileage and number plate, and as long a the shop doing the service is VAT registered and they use recommended oils and RE parts the warranty will be fine. I did this on second service and emailed everything to the dealer and he emailed me back saying it had all been uploaded to RE. Third service is being done at the dealers and I do trust them. I'm in UK
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I am going to ask if I can sit in and watch. Shouldnt be a problem. If they say sorry due to health and safety bullshit I will take the bike elsewhere.
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