Another top-class reply GHG, thanks.
There are no unpleasant sounds from the bike at all - anymore. When it was new it sounded like a rattling box full of nuts and bolts. Oh my, those first oil changes.. But after 2 careful years it started running great. It doesn't like cold mornings however and can be a little stuttery for the first mile or so at low revs.
I just don't have a bad feeling about the engine, to be honest. It runs absolutely great. After all the advice given above, I'm really thinking FLOW of some kind. Fuel, air, exhaust.
One of our board members has offered to sell me his PC-V very reasonably and I'm going to do it. I also like the idea of a whole new free-flow exhaust, silencer and air-filter.
GHG, right back at the beginning of this epic thread you mentioned fitting a "5 " UNI pod filter stuck right onto the Throttle body." Having seen my bike, are you sure there's enough room to get one of those fitted in that way? Do you have any photos of that? Can you point me to an exact model, please? What do you think about the K+N?
BR as always
Well ... I'm thinking if your in Finland , that it is likely cold there a lot of the times ?... Especially in the mornings ? Even in the summer maybe ?
I could be wrong though , because I have no Idea and have never been there. " Finland" to ME now , just sounds cold .
So If I am somewhat right about that ? I think you could use a thinner oil ... like a 10w-40 or a 10w-50 if you have it over there. That should help you with those cold start ups , and get oil into your lifter's and top end quicker on those cold mornings. These bikes take a LONG time to worn up ! They have excellent oiling and cooling features , and they do not run hot generally.
I think a lot of this .." It takes 1500 or 2000 miles for the motor to free up and run smooth stuff".... has to do a lot with the Cam gear lash set at the factory on these bikes. I think they set the gears too tight. It takes forever for them to wear in .. They are HARD steel gear teeth. A lot of power is also lost when they are set too tight.... turn you motor over by hand when they are adjusted a little loose versus too tight, you'll see what I mean . And I think ... I KNOW !... that they make a racket when they are set too tight.
The Uni filter that I and other have had good luck with is a UP-5182 part number . Yes it will fit , because you will remove the stock air box that would be in the way. Your crankcase vent, you can just route back along the frame over the area of the chain and loop it down pointing at the chain, or out and back off the rear fender. No worries I think, about anything getting sucked back into the crank case vent. Pull the crankcase vent hose off of the side cover while that bike is running , and tell me if you think anything is going to to get sucked INTO that motor ? It's a steady blast of air coming out of there. You can also tee in a sediment trap along that length of vent hose ... a six inch section off of the main vent line with a cap on the end , to trap , collect and then drain that watery mayonnaise like oil instead of it getting getting on your chain if you want. Up to you . BUT... you do not want to restrict that vent line with ANYTHING in my opinion , because pressure could build up at higher RPM's and you start leaking out out of your gaskets and seals. I have had NO luck with any kind of PC-V valve on these bikes. And when you are done with all that ... just put the stock right side cover back on and it will all look the same from the outside .
BTW... That Uni filter will lay right on that flat section , behind the oval tool box on the right side of the bike on a C-5.... almost like it was meant for it. On either bike a six inch rubber tube added between the throttle body and that Uni filter will be better in the mid range. Tough to fit in on a C-5 because of space... but perfect on a G-5/ Electra with that stock air box gone.
Good deal on the PC-V ... I personally think it is the best and most versatile tuner out there for these bikes. But remember... because people wont always tell you or they are vague about it... you must have that bike tuned or you tune it for the changes. And no two bikes are the same , even when they have the same modifications. So you should tune or have tuned, your bike , with your modifications and where you are located. Little things like the type of fuel you use locally, your altitude , the TPS reading on your bike vs others and etc. The condition of YOUR motor vs others and etc.
I think K&N filters are good filters ... but pricey. I think the biggest benefit from them is that they are reusable . Inside the stock air box ? I don't see them doing much of anything at all in this case with the Enfield. As you can see By Arizoni comments above ... I have not heard good things about them . That could be because they are more restrictive .. with all that oil on them ... then stock ? OR... it could be because they are less restrictive then stock , and the air fuel ratio is getting leaned out a bit and you actually loose power ? I'm not sure myself as I never had a need for that type of " in the box filter. " It would be easy to tell on the dyno what's going on , or with a wide band sensor in the head pipe. But I think a Similar sized K&N to the Uni might be OK. I like the Uni's because they DO flow a good amount of air and filter well , and a I believe the foam smooths out the air flow past the MAP sensor. I like them...