Right, let's get the potential bad news out of the way first, none of what follows is actually terminal, more of an annoyance if it happens to you, so hang in there.
The sprag clutch in the electric start mechanism is well known for those bang-crunch moments. If the carb isn't set up right the engine can back fire, which is what happened to mine, although I had had the bike for 9 years before one backfire too many happened. You also need a really healthy AGM battery, it transforms the electric start experience. Learning to use the valve lifter - if it works - will help.
Early models had problems with the big end pins' hardening failing prematurely, later versions by and large held together and ran up some quite respectable mileages. If the worst happens, new crank pins and con-rods for the EFI Bullets are a direct replacement and can be had quite cheaply.
Mine also snapped the foot off its exhaust tappet (it obviously wanted to be a BSA B50!) With a little bit of engineering work you can fit the tappets and guides from the older-style Bullet which have thicker stems.
Also for some reason the Electra-X is higher geared than the normal Bullet with an 18T sprocket on the gearbox in place of the normal 17T. For those of us who have probably enjoyed too many pies, ahem
, 17T is better.
NOW the good bit.
The engine is a partial re-design of the old Bullet to turn it into an emissions regs dodger. OK, there's a great big stuffed-up silencer full of catalytic converter, AND the exhaust pipe is also fitted with various chicanery to get the lean-burn running condition. To achieve this they also needed a higher compression than the old Bullet was running, and of course the thing running lean would also be much hotter. So while an all-new alloy top end was needed (with a modern combustion chamber design) to prevent melt down or piston seizure it also got a steel con-rod and needle roller big end, which,
if the quality of the metallurgy matches the design (see above) gives you a much tougher and therefore safely tunable bottom end as standard. The former UK importer for Indian Royal Enfields, Watsonian-Squire, claimed the engine could cope with being tuned up to 44BHP, although they never did.
So if you do get to know the bike and enjoy it as it is, but want more, what can be done to liberate the beast within? Azcal has covered the basics, so forgive any repetition from a UK viewpoint.
A freer-flowing exhaust pipe and silencer in conjunction with a sportier carb will make good use of the (former) lean-burn's 8.5:1 compression ratio. There are plenty of 32mm carb options, the the inlet port on these is much larger than the factory fitted 29mm CV carb ever needed. It's very little work to take these out to 36 or even 38mm for total headbangers. Watsonian-Squire brought out their own go-slightly-faster kit featuring a Dell'Orto PFH32 carb which was quite sporty by Bullet standards, though they never really developed it.
The exhaust port on the cylinder head is very poorly finished, probably the factory thought there was no need to open it out properly as they would be fitting the restrictive exhaust pipe. nothing a few minutes with a die grinder can't fix.
So that will add some nice poke to the engine, but there are limitations to the lean-burn cams, they hit valve bounce at 5,800 RPM. A cheap upgrade is a good set of ordinary Indian Bullet cams, but if you really want the engine to fly, a set of the old late 50's Reddich Bullet touring "S" cams, if you can get some that aren't too worn, will let the it rev.
Get that lot right and you won't need a 535 kit, unless you want the 87mm piston to reclaim a badly scored cylinder barrel (standard is 84mm)
A.
Topic: Newby needing some guidance. (Read 11410 times)