Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: Joel-in-dallas on May 08, 2013, 05:05:56 am
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I rode my C5 to work today. On the way home it died several times and ran rough, check engine light came on. Took it to the dealer. It looks like at a minimum the side stand kill switch is being evil. So strokers is looking at the bike. I'm pretty certain its all warranty work, but I am still bummed out.
I know you guys say, oh its just a twitchy, this or that.
But frankly if RE has global ambitions..... This isn't good enough.
I was at least able to get the bike back to the dealer and I didn't have a wreck. But there were a couple of moments that were genuinely scary.
Anyway. I will await a call to see what is really wrong with the Motorcycle.
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There's a reason many of us disconnected the side stand switch. I'm betting that's it and they're just being thorough and going through it all. It sucks for sure but I bet it's back before you know it :)
Scott
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+1
MANY people here have suffered from the Plague of The Side Stand Switch. Do like everyone else and just by-pass the damn thing before it haunts you again.
Scottie
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My bet is spark plug fowled
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whatever it is - its not much to worry about. once your back on the bike all is forgiven. ;)
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I know you guys say, oh its just a twitchy, this or that.
But frankly if RE has global ambitions..... This isn't good enough.
Lol, that's a bit rough, I get that you're bummed but stuff happens and it happens to all brands. Don't go hating :)
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These new bikes are a cake-walk in the park.
You should have seen what the iron barrel Bullet buyers had to go thru.
The ads said, "Makes mechanics out of ordinary men!". And they meant it!
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I was pissed off. But people expect their machines to work.
I suspect its more than just the side stand switch. But I am sure they will figure it out. Its just frustrating.
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Duh. I was so grumpy when I composed the first message I got the model number wrong. I have a 2011 G5. Doh!
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Too often customers will do this. I sell the bike-ANY BIKE, not just Enfields. We go over break-in , maintenance, and WARRANTY. Then the customer comes back FURIOUS because there is a warranty issue. You are holding the company up to an impossible standard of perfection. If this standard of perfection was attainable in real life there would be no need to offer a warranty. Did the dealer blow you off? Did he rudely blame you? Was the bike pushed into storage to await their "convenience" sometime next October? Probably not. That would be something to legitimately be angry about. I understand a certain amount of frustration, but this is truly a minor issue. If you were in that much fear of loss of control or a wreck I would recommend taking a couple of riding courses. These bikes ARE good enough for the global market. I would put them up against any of the Japanese brands. They also offer warranties because they also have warranty issues.
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I am more calm now. However, I have owned several cars and none of them have had this kind of a problem where the engine died etc. Like I said the shop has been very good and I expect the problem to be resolved. But it does seem to me to be reasonable to expect the bike to work.
Folks now expect their vehicles to run, especially new. I am being very careful to follow the run in procedure exactly and not overtax the machine.
I was able to control the bike when it failed on me and I attribute that to the Motorcycle safety class I took. But loosing power in the middle of a busy intersection in traffic is scary. Its scary period.
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Vince, you gotta remember that no one likes their new toy to be broken even if it will be fixed shortly. It applies to my three year old and even more to me and all my fellow motorcyclists.
Scott
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My buddy bought a brand new Triumph Street Triple. Aesthetic opinions aside, the Street and Speed Triple have been extremely successful machines with stellar reviews.
His new bike had a faulty thermometer and when it would heat up to normal levels, it would get the signal that it was overheating and cut out on him. Took a few tries for the dealer to figure it out, but they did and were able to get it running tip-top.
No doubt extremely and justifiably frustrating, and probably not too uncommon for vehicles that aren't produced by the hundreds of thousands.
Warranties are great.
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Last year the check engine light came on my 2011 C5 and it started running rough, I took it to my dealer Doug Douglas Motorcycles, Art the owner had it fixed in five seconds, it was a connector that ran along the fuel injector, he just snapped it back together, apparently he has seen that happen before, I rode that Bullet for 4000 miles and never had a issue with the side stand switch.
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A friend of mine bought a brand new Audi A3, its a german vehicle with a very good pedigree and it gave her endless trouble until she sold it at 130000kms. I've owned german, korean and japanese cars and they all have their idiosyncrasies, oddly enough though, the ones that gave the most issues were the german vehicles which a.) costed a lot more and b.) were a lot more to repair. So dont for a second think that "international" brands means you wont have issues, it just means it'll cost more to repair :D
I understand your frustration but to go so far as implying that the indian manufacturers aren't up to international standards is a bit far fetched. This brand has been going longer than any other motorcycle manufacturer in the world, thats no easy feat and although the final finish may not be as good as say a Harley (although tbh I have no issue with my Bullet), if it was as bad as your'e implying it wouldn't have lasted 10 years.
Have some faith ;) the brand has been around longer than you have more than likely been alive.
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I know you guys say, oh its just a twitchy, this or that.
What does twitchy mean? The way it handles, or something else? The G5s are certainly not twitchy handling. C5s maybe, I never rode one.
Bare
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When I was referring to twitchy, I was talking about the side stand switch.
I have a G5. I messed up the subject of the thread. The bike has been very stable and until yesterday hadn't had any real problems. I am pretty sure this will be more than just the side stand sensor/switch. But I am really looking forward to getting my G5 back and getting on the road.
My motorcycle is secondary transportation for me. I have a Scion XB which is how I do my shopping and carrying stuff. I have to say I still like the bike. I look forward to riding again soon.
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I think this guy posted on here a while back about if this would make a good bike for a new rider. Most if not all comments were yeah go for it. I am a fairly new owner of a 2010 C5 with just under 2000 miles. I bought it from a kid who didnt have a lot of mechanical knowledge. There were quite a few things Ive had to sort out, and more to come yet. I own a 68 BSA which was good practice for "sparky" I also purchased a used 2007 Triumph America used with about as many miles, a few years back. The handle bars were bend wrong from the factory but that is the only issue, sorted that out with Ebay.
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please don't get pissed at the dealer. he did not design or manufacture your bike. he is responsible for the factory warranty(a damn good one for motorcycles) and will do his best to get you back on the road. if you have perused this forum, you would see many problems discussed and solved by the fellas here. i feel your pain, my horn just stopped functioning and i have to find my multimeter. it's still under warranty, but fremont is 85 miles away. i'm pretty sure i can noodle this one out. good luck, and give it another chance.
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Cut Joel some slack. Take off your rose colored glasses and let's be honest with each other. The reason RE offers a 2-year unlimited mileage warranty is because they need it to boost consumer confidence in their machines. While most issues typically are the result of loose connections, other more serious issues have been noticed and documented on this forum as well.
For those of you that don't have the thrill of major metropolitan area driving on a regular basis, near death experiences are a reality when your equipment fails regardless of experience level.
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i did say please, didn't i? i can only speak for myself, so i wish joel a happy outcome.
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I think its posts like these, and my own bike experiences, that have made me really appreciate how good my 240 Volvo wagon has been to me. In fact, I think future tinkering money is going into the car, not any other vehicles, and certainly not any more toys for my Royal enfield. The fact is, you can and do get incredibly good service from a number of vehicle brands, and as silly as bikes like the Honda rebel might seem, they are bullet proof.
I bought fuel injjected to avoid carburrated snort and buck, but I get it in spades on this 2012 C5, and taking it for long rides doesn't seem to cure it. It's running very rich and gas mileage aint all that hot. The plug gets fouled fast. Of course, I took a chance on ised and naturally get no warranty with it. I am not sure that would have made me any happier.
With any luck I will be able to lean the bike out, but I don't have any hopes for it as a commuter anymore, because most of the ride it snorts and bucks, and its just plain too risky in heavy commuter traffic.
Lots of bikes of problems, but at least my Vespa always ran perfectly. That matters in today's world.
I hope Joel finds he gets his bike back quickly. Don't give him so much flack.
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I really believe that most problems happen within the first 3000 miles. I'd be willing to bet that polling this forum for problems and miles would show that 90% of the issues happen within the break in period. All the weak links or anything out if tolerance will rear it's head early. Two years is plenty of time to be covered by the warranty and then it's smooth sailing after that. Regardless, it's still frustrating to give up your bike while it gets fixed.
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+1.What can I say.... had many off the troubles you're currently experiencing , short circuits,blown fuses,side stand troubles cracked muffler... all of which have served to endear this bike to me...I love it...call it character. They aint perfect but they gots soul.
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P.S I don't wanna live in a perfect world.....
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I owned 3 Hinckley Triumphs in a row. They all had more problems than my Enfield did. Most of the problems I had with the Enfield were self induced. That's me self, not it self! Ya know, keep modifying until it's unreliable!
Bare
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I'm sorry for your disappointment. You have nice motorcycle. Too bad you don't realize that.
If you want a heartless "plug and play" or "gas and go" ...."the world is your oyster" in a pleathera of other motorcycles.
May I suggest a possible alternative for you:
http://www.twincitiesrider.com/symwolf012.htm
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I like it so far. I was just disappointed that I had to take it into the shop. I suspect a few more good rides under my belt and all will be ok.
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soon it will be home, just like dorothy!
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I am somewhat surprised it's taking so long to fix.
Has there been any feedback about what exactly the problem is? Inquiring minds want to know. :)
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...............
I know you guys say, oh its just a twitchy, this or that.
But frankly if RE has global ambitions..... This isn't good enough.
I was at least able to get the bike back to the dealer and I didn't have a wreck. But there were a couple of moments that were genuinely scary........
agreed. *IF* a majority of their production has these problems.
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I am expecting to hear from the dealer on Friday. If not I will drop by and ask.
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Joel, in 2001 I bought a brand new Kawasaki KLR250 dual sport bike. I broke it in right and has the dealer do the first service on it. Later, a friend and I were riding back to his cabin after a great day of off road riding and exploring. Suddenly my KLR started a terrible engine knock. My friend rode to his cabin and came back with a trailer. I took the bike to a dealer for repair. Turns out that, a little piece of silicone sealer used during engine assembly, broke loose and plugged the oil supply to the top end. Took out the cylinder head, camshaft (SOHC engine), rockers, cam chain and tensioner, etc, etc. All fixed under warranty. Later the water pump seal started a bad oil leak and was also fixed under warranty. The bike was fixed right and went on with no further problems till I finally traded it in on a KLR650.
Now, I think Kawasaki has a very good reputation for reliability. Other than an old BSA 500 twin that blew up destroying the engine, that KLR250 is the only bike, of about 25 I've owned over 50+ years of riding, that had a major problem. It can happen to any brand. It took them forever to fix my Kawasaki due to the way that brand set up the warranty rules for their dealers to follow.
Give your dealer time to get your bike fixed right, and don't get all sour on RE about it. Stuff happens.
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And what was the verdict?
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So the side stand switch was the main culprit. That has been disconnected. Also they put in a new spark plug and tightened up another electrical connection.
The weather here is stunning and I took the G5 out and it was back to normal. Very fun to ride. By this time next week I will have the bike in for its 300 mile service. I am glad to have the motorcycle back and there not be anything wrong with the engine.
You guys called it.
Cheers,
Joel.
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Glad to hear it's running again. :)
I don't know why it took them so long to determine the problem unless it was finding the other electrical connection that needed to be plugged back in.
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I think it was just that the shop was busy.
But at least I got my RE back for the weekend.
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+1 Joel! Glad you got your bike back in time for some weekend riding! :)
Scottie
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:) Glad you got your bike in back for the weekend and the issues were common...have fun and be safe
Cheers
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Good one. Now ride that thing.!
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MANY people here have suffered from the Plague of The Side Stand Switch. Do like everyone else and just by-pass the damn thing before it haunts you again.
For my own edification: Do you just unhook the wire(s) going to the switch, or do you ground it out? I was looking on the schematic for my bike, but couldn't quite sort out how the switch worked...
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All you need to do is simply unplug it at the connecter. Piece of cake.
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For my own edification: Do you just unhook the wire(s) going to the switch, or do you ground it out? I was looking on the schematic for my bike, but couldn't quite sort out how the switch worked...
Just as Jack said.
Here is a picture of my G5 side stand wire disconnected and then wrapped in shrink wrap to protect from dust/water.
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Very fancy!
In the Royal Enfield tradition I just placed the connecter from the switch along side the harness connector and then wrapped it with black plastic electrical tape.
It seemed to blend in nicely with the rest of the black plastic electrical tape that wraps the harnesses. ;D ;D
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Thanks! I couldn't quite make out if it was a normally-open or normally-closed grounding switch, or what.
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I rode the G5 for several little trips around Dallas this weekend. Its been running great and I had a good time. I did have one occasion when I had to swerve out of the way of an SUV, but then I have to do that in my car sometimes too.
I suspect I will take the bike in for its 300 mile maintenance very soon because its up to 220 miles already.
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I rode the G5 for several little trips around Dallas this weekend. Its been running great and I had a good time.
Good Times are back :) !
It is amazing that once you are on a RE that runs well, it brings back grin on the face and you forgive its quirks ! Enjoy.
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Every truly good motorcycle is forgiven all its failings the moment it runs well again. Glad you're back in the saddle.
Scott
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there's no place like home!
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I'm surprised the dealer at Strokers didn't tell you about the side-stand kill switch? My sales rep there (Allen) told me about it when I bought mine, so the first time it acted up I pulled it off my bike. :)
PS - The only other trouble I think you might run into is apparently RE's have a long 3rd - 4th shift. Since it's a different travel distance than the other gears you might find yourself slipping it into neutral often at these gears. Don't stomp the shifter, stay calm, and apply a firm shift with your foot before letting off the lever.