[johno]

Bit of an adventure today, a nice ride, covering 75 miles of my hundred mile trip when at 50mph there was a judder and loss of drive.
Pulled over on a really dangerous and busy set of S bends to find the drive chain had disappeared!
Seeing other vehicles behind slowing and avoiding something on the road, I walked back the 300 yards or so to find my less than 500 mile old chain (Renolds) lying in the middle of the lane.
I managed to recover the chain and dodging the traffic got back to the bike.
 I started pushing the bike to a point of safety with trucks and cars wizzing past inches from the bike. After about 15mins of pushing the bike up hill with all my winter biking gear on I was running out of energy fast, luckily a passing police vehicle stopped and one officer got out to help me push the bike while the other stopped all traffic on this main and busy route while we managed to get the bike to a safe place. I was so out of breath I couldn't even thank the officers! They also offered to take me to the next place where there is a bike shop but I declined gratefully and called  the recovery firm I use.
Inspecting the chain while I waited the 90 mins for the recovery truck, I could see that one of the side plates had broken at the rivet hole the other side had snapped at the midway point in sympathy under the extra stress.....the joining link was still in place and complete. The chain guard took most of the force of the wayward chain saving a locked up rear wheel and potential disaster. It may just need bashing back into shape but may go with a new replacement.
I'm guessing this was caused by a manufacturing defect, Hitchcocks will be getting a warranty call on Monday, wonder if they would send out a chain guard as well as a replacement chain.........

[Ducati Scotty]

Ouch!  I've never seen the side plates on a chain fail like that.  Glad you're ok.

Scott

[High On Octane]

Wow, glad you're safe.  With only 500 miles and that dangerous of a situation I think I'd be calling Reynolds and explaining your story and ask for "rectification of the situation".  I'm sure they'll give you a new one.

[motomataya]

You might check the routing of your battery vent hose, assuming you have that type battery. battery acid can cause this failure.

[High On Octane]

Finished up the exhaust changes and rewrapped the new 2" pipe.  Then after work I went for a short ride and took this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSfpy0anocQ&list=UUOuxT3uDOINbn5OmZ0BwRVA

[ace.cafe]

Finished up the exhaust changes and rewrapped the new 2" pipe.  Then after work I went for a short ride and took this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSfpy0anocQ&list=UUOuxT3uDOINbn5OmZ0BwRVA

Sounding real good!

[johno]

You might check the routing of your battery vent hose, assuming you have that type battery. battery acid can cause this failure.

A good tip thanks,
However on the B5 the chain is on the right side so shouldn't be an issue, I have also recently installed an AGM battery after my original acid type blew the acid all over the left side causing some minor damage to the engine case finish, swing arm blank cap etc.
in the fresh light of day a closer examination shows that the one pin where the failure occurred is in tighter than the others, although it could have been damaged during the failure, the chances are that the link had partially seized on the pin, not through lack of lubrication but through poor assembly, in the words of a TV show, 'you are the weakest link...goodbye'!.........Not good, but during mass manufacture a small percentage will be incorrect in some way or another, I just happen to be the unlucky one!
This is a first for me as all my bikes over the years bigger than 250cc have been shaft drive. Now I need space to carry a spare chain in case it ever happens again...

[i.candide]

First ride - The Galaxy - new, 2015, military Green, C5.

On the evening of 1/29/15, the new Royal Enfield C5 was unloaded in front of my driveway. I started her up. Nice thump. Idle was about 800-900 rpm. The valve clatter was just noticable. I felt like Toad of Toad Hall.

It was getting dark and I have no garage, so there was not all that could be done. The neighbor came out. We talked about motorcycles again.

4;45 Friday morning, I pushed the new Enfield out to the street and started her up. Easier start than my previous Enfield - Rocinante. 10 miles on the odometer, a full tank of gas, a light,gentle rain and 18.2 mile commute through suburban Orange County to work. I'm in heaven.

The ride - vibration is way less than the 2012 C5. Shifts are positive (not one mis- shift the entire time). Idle is lower - can definitely feel the pulsing of the engine. The valve noise is distinctive with a pleasing sound. Throttle response is crisper and satisfying.

The seat - others have said that it is more comfortable. It does feel more supportive. Only time will tell if the comfort is there for me. Gotta break it in.

Asthetics - the above is subjective the remainder is very subjective. There seems to have been more care in manufacture and assembly. The mud guards are centered. Nothing seems to be jammed in or 'made to fit'. There seems to be more room to work on the bike. There is even direct access to the idle screw. The paint is pleasing and the decals look good. It looks like quality has drastically improved over the past 3 years (2012-2015).

42.5 miles on the Galaxy, and I am very impressed.

A special THANK YOU - to the GREAT people At Southern California Motorcycles and Kevin Mahoney.

[High On Octane]

Nice!  Congrats on the new bike!     

[Ducati Scotty]

Congratulations!  Good to hear that quality seems to be getting better.

[Scotty Brown]

Nice day for a ride -- Wound up on top of Palamar Mountain at the observatory.  Found some beautiful freshly paved roads on the way home arriving after dark and 240 miles later.  C5 never missed a beat. A delightful machine. Now to change the oil again and lube the chain and check the nuts and bolts.  This maintenance stuff is so tough.

[strat71]

tonight, i worked on my C5 front brake caliper...
i started to bleed it... what came off is a disgusting greenish un-liquid thing...
yackkkk!!!!
then totally dismantle the brake, the two pistons were stuck... pain in the ass to remove them... used a lot of WD40...
finally off, cleaned everything, lubbed, and get all the parts back in...
i even changed the brake line for a new stainless steel from hitchcock...
now i still need to put some new brake fluid... and try on the road...
Ben

[i.candide]

138.6 miles on the Galaxy (C5). First gas-up this morning (the light was flickering, but not yet steady), 2.404 gal, 57.65 mpg (US). Not bad for the aggressive style of riding I do. Don't get me wrong. I go no more than half throttle, gradual speed buildup, and lower speeds.

No vibration to speak of. Deffinite pulse, but very light to no harmonic vibration - very unlike my previous C5 (Rocinante). She is also more ready to turn sharply (but she does not seem twitchy) and the butt is adjusting well to the firmer seat.

The K70s are gripping well, the brakes are performing as they should, and no loose bolts or nuts - yet. A chain check and adjustment will be performed tomorrow (Saturday).

I did notice that the fuel line is kinked. It has no adverse effect as yet, but I am concerned that over time, the heat-cool cycles and pulsing engine could make the kink worse. I watched Singh5g's video. Maybe this weekend the line will be replaced.

This weekend should also give me time to photograph the Galaxy. I like the new speedometer face, but am not overly enthused about the status lights. The gas tank seems wider and shallower, but it could be an illusion caused by the matt paint.

Enjoy the day...

[caricabasso]

Bit of an adventure today, a nice ride, covering 75 miles of my hundred mile trip when at 50mph there was a judder and loss of drive.
Pulled over on a really dangerous and busy set of S bends to find the drive chain had disappeared!
Seeing other vehicles behind slowing and avoiding something on the road, I walked back the 300 yards or so to find my less than 500 mile old chain (Renolds) lying in the middle of the lane.
I managed to recover the chain and dodging the traffic got back to the bike.
 I started pushing the bike to a point of safety with trucks and cars wizzing past inches from the bike. After about 15mins of pushing the bike up hill with all my winter biking gear on I was running out of energy fast, luckily a passing police vehicle stopped and one officer got out to help me push the bike while the other stopped all traffic on this main and busy route while we managed to get the bike to a safe place. I was so out of breath I couldn't even thank the officers! They also offered to take me to the next place where there is a bike shop but I declined gratefully and called  the recovery firm I use.
Inspecting the chain while I waited the 90 mins for the recovery truck, I could see that one of the side plates had broken at the rivet hole the other side had snapped at the midway point in sympathy under the extra stress.....the joining link was still in place and complete. The chain guard took most of the force of the wayward chain saving a locked up rear wheel and potential disaster. It may just need bashing back into shape but may go with a new replacement.
I'm guessing this was caused by a manufacturing defect, Hitchcocks will be getting a warranty call on Monday, wonder if they would send out a chain guard as well as a replacement chain.........

It would be very interesting to see the photos of the chain and the breaking point.
Can you say how many miles he had traveled and how often you had greased the chain?

[Ducati Scotty]

I did notice that the fuel line is kinked. It has no adverse effect as yet, but I am concerned that over time, the heat-cool cycles and pulsing engine could make the kink worse. I watched Singh5g's video. Maybe this weekend the line will be replaced.

I've seen this on many bikes and they ran just fine.  More important, the fuel line on many bikes starts to crack pretty early in the bike's life and /or is right next to the edge of the batter box on the C5s. 

To get rid of the kink, you usually just need to shorten the line.  If you're going to do that, just get a foot or so of 5/64" high pressure fuel line at the store and replace the whole thing.  Be careful taking it off the plastic spout of the fuel pump.  It's better to gently cut it off than to wrestle with it and snap the spigot off.  It's often easier to unbolt the whole throttle body to get the line off and on than to fight in the tight confines where it lives.  Just two bolts on the manifold and the air clean hose and it's free.  And get the nice clamps that go all the way around with no threads cutting into the line. 

If you have a C5, get some door edge guard for the battery box edge while you're picking up the new hose and clamps.

Scott