[.577 Snider]

Hello all, I am new to this forum and need some more experienced owners opinions and advise please.
 I bought a new 2011 B5 three weeks ago from a local dealer and am really enjoying it.
I think it is a real winning combination of classic style and hopefully great usefulness.  I plan to ride this as a daily commuter to work and general purpose every day transporter to supplement my jeep.
So, I have been gently breaking it in and and got to 300 miles. The mechanic at the dealer I purchased the bike from said to wait until 500 mi. before bringing it in for first service. I disagreed.
I went to 350 miles and decided to take it in for servicing.  When I got home after picking it up, looking a copy of the dealer maintenance sheet over(should have looked at it before I left), I found that the oil filter had not been replaced but only cleaned. When I called them, the mechanic could not come to the phone but relayed thru a salesperson that he had cleaned the screen and filter. And that they were out of stock on filters(wish the had told me that before when I went in for service). They all seemed annoyed that I am questioning them. So, I don't want to deal with them anymore. And hopefully won't have any problems that need warranty service. So I parked the bike in the garage with 355 miles and started looking for filters.
 I ordered a 5 pack of filters from Nfield Gear and received a backordeded email 2 days later.  So, my questions are 1. Should I keep the bike parked or ride on the old filter?  2. Will parts availability continue to be a problem?
3. Are there any other mfgs of filters for this engine ?  Any one have the part numbers?
Thanks,

[barenekd]

There isn't any other distributers, but you should be able to get one from another dealer.  I can definitely feel hte pain with you old dealer. Go to the distributor's home page and look under the "Models" tab and look for the dealer list link. You should be able to call some nearby ones and find a filter.
The old forum format made this much easier as all the distributor tabs were at the top of the page. This new forum layout is terrible.
Betcha I don't get any karma points for this!
Bare

[Arizoni]

Personally, I find it inexcusable that a dealer would not have oil filters on hand but, what can I say?

IMO you were not out of line asking for an oil change at 300 miles. 
This is the most critical and important change of any that will happen because we all have found that in this first 300 miles there is a lot  of metal chips and debris that collect on the 2 drain magnets, the inlet screen and, I'm sure, in the filter itself.

As you know, these cartridge oil filters are not meant to be cleaned and whether I would trust one that some shop had "cleaned" would depend on how they did it.

If they had a special fixture that forced a cleaning fluid thru the filter body from the outside (clean oil side) towards the inside (dirty oil side) and all of the flushed fluid from the inside was directed away from the filter and filtered I might be willing to accept it.

If on the other hand they dumped the filter into a tank of solvent or oil and sloshed it around there is an excellent chance the harmful metal particles that were trapped on the inside (dirty side) were washed out to collect on the outside (clean side).
Because the outside of the filter is the downstream side, that would place the particles in a location where they could be easily washed into the critical engine parts.

Without knowing how they did it I would be hesitant to run the engine.

If you ordered your filters using the Nfieldgear site you should know that the computerized site often says parts are backordered when they are readily available.
 I strongly suggest that you call them directly at 1-800-358-0938 and talk to a real person.
They may be able to get you your filters to you in a few days (unless they truly are out of stock).

On the plus side, if you have any mechanical knowledge at all or even if you don't you have found this web site.  We can guide you thru almost any service or repair your bike may need.

That said, you really need to do your own oil filter and oil changes yourself.  It isn't difficult and when you are finished you will know the job was done right.
I suggest you follow this link to a post I made describing exactly how to do this little job:

http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,10782.0.html

[Ayers Garage]

Ill make you a deal assuming you're here in the USA. Send me a private message with your postal address and I'll send you an oil filter. That should get you back on the road until yours get off backorder and delivered out to you.

[GSS]

You can also buy these on eBay from Bulletwala. Their stuff reliably shows up in 10-15 days.

[gremlin]

A dealer did that ?  I'd send a note to Kevin M.  and then go looking for a new dealer.
...
As for the advice you've gotten so far, it is spot-on.
...
Don't ride it until you get a clean filter in it.  I also have an extra on-hand if needed.

Jim

Hello all, I am new to this forum and need some more experienced owners opinions and advise please.
 I bought a new 2011 B5 three weeks ago from a local dealer and am really enjoying it.
I think it is a real winning combination of classic style and hopefully great usefulness.  I plan to ride this as a daily commuter to work and general purpose every day transporter to supplement my jeep.
So, I have been gently breaking it in and and got to 300 miles. The mechanic at the dealer I purchased the bike from said to wait until 500 mi. before bringing it in for first service. I disagreed.
I went to 350 miles and decided to take it in for servicing.  When I got home after picking it up, looking a copy of the dealer maintenance sheet over(should have looked at it before I left), I found that the oil filter had not been replaced but only cleaned. When I called them, the mechanic could not come to the phone but relayed thru a salesperson that he had cleaned the screen and filter. And that they were out of stock on filters(wish the had told me that before when I went in for service). They all seemed annoyed that I am questioning them. So, I don't want to deal with them anymore. And hopefully won't have any problems that need warranty service. So I parked the bike in the garage with 355 miles and started looking for filters.
 I ordered a 5 pack of filters from Nfield Gear and received a backordeded email 2 days later.  So, my questions are 1. Should I keep the bike parked or ride on the old filter?  2. Will parts availability continue to be a problem?
3. Are there any other mfgs of filters for this engine ?  Any one have the part numbers?
Thanks,

[BRADEY]

In an emergency, parts can be supplied from India....please PM me.

[.577 Snider]

Hello again, and thanks for the posts and suggestions. I had to get a daughter married off today , so I have not had much time to look into the filter problem, and it is a weekend so most places are closed. I did find time to drain the oil today and removed the screen and filter for a look. The filter element is grey to black inside (it has been doing its job) and I want to replace it. See attached pictures. There was some metal flake/ flour on the magnets. The oil looks new, but a little dirty. Probably some contamination from old oil left in the engine. Interesting posts from Gremlin on oil analysis. In reply to Arizoni, I agree that this filter cannot be backflushed or pressure washed and I will call Nfieldgear on Monday when I can. Untill I can get a new filter into the engine and change the oil again I will not run it. 40 years ago, my friends and I all ran Jap bikes. Mostly 750 Hondas and some smaller twin cylinder. We'd buy them used and abused as we could never afford a new one from a dealer. But we all wanted a new  british bike like a Norton Commando, a Triumph or Royal Enfield Intercepter. I have the skills and tools to  maintain a full size '80 Jeep Cherokee as a daily driven vehicle and a CJ also. So with the forums help I am sure I can handle what mechanical teething problems a new motorcycle can come up with. I wanted to give the dealership a chance for the first service, but I will do it myself from now on. And I have lost confidence in their service dept. anyway. Which is a shame as I have had great service from the new car dealerships my wife and I have used. Hopefully If something major happens requireing warrenty work I could go to another RE dealer. The next closest one is 65 miles away. If I cannot locate filters soon, I will take up the offer from one of you gentleman who have a spare to sell and PM you, as the weather is getting to nice to miss riding. Thanks .

[Lwt Big Cheese]

Odd that the dealer doesn't have any filters.

They are pennies, so it's pointless not to change the filter.

I trust dealers as much as any other salesman.

Learn to do as much as you can. It may take you a while to do stuff but at least it will be done properly.

[Arizoni]

.577 Snider:
If you can keep those Jeeps running, the Royal Enfield will be a cinch for you.

Oh.  I'm sure you noticed the Purolator number on the filter but I think you will find as many of us have that Purolator doesn't sell it  as a retail part.

[.577 Snider]

Hey Arizoni, you were right. I called Nfieldgear this morning and a very nice young lady( I think her name is Amanda) checked for my order and is having the oil filters shipped today. The colums and rows in the email that was sent to  me last week appear misaligned when I open it. So not everything on the order was backordered. So I should be back on the road in a few days.  And my Cherokee has had enough wrenching on it for any other 2 trucks. From carb to fuel injection , lockers and regeared differentials. And it will haul a lot of gear .
Thanks for the help.

[gremlin]

That thing looks hungry  ( oh, and the Jeep looks nice too)   

[.577 Snider]

Hi gremlin, You know what I mean when I say
"Its a Jeep thing!". And it is hungry...gets about 15 mpg. Thats a good reason to ride a Bullet 500. Still being dissapointed in the oil filter dept.
Called Nfield gear to verify shipment from my call on Monday. And talked to Amanda again, she has such a nice voice on the phone. But the filters have still not shipped yet. I'm sure their shipping dept. is working as efficiantly as they can but the bikes been shut down since the 15th with 350 miles-cobwebs are growing on it and me. The filters are now supposed to be here on Sat.  I need to stop complaining and be patient before I get some bad karma thrown at me! Have a nice day.

[gremlin]

What state are you in ?  (zipcode)

[.577 Snider]

Hi gremlin, CO 80219, guess I need to fill out that member profile.
When I got home from work tonight, I had an email from Nfield Gear waiting. Says filters shipped today with a tracking number that gives a ups delivery day of next tue. But they may get it here sooner,who knows. I'm not going to sweat it. They will get here when they do. I don't think I'm going to get to ride the B5 over to Ft. Logan Nat. Cem. this weekend. My old man is buried over there and I like to go for the Memorial Day ceremonies. 
Have a good one .