[Mr_84]

My favourite low cost mod/part is my Emgo Daytona touring handlebars cost $25usd ,far better than stock transformed the bikes handling and comfort and of course some new grips anything has to be better than those stock plastic like ones

[AzCal Retred]

Duro HF308 tyre in 4.00 x 19. 760 pound load rated, wearing like iron. About $60. Not a race part, but that's not how I ride it; working well for me.

[ddavidv]

Pretty much anything could go here. Enfield parts are cheap. 
I'm going with the plastic zip tie that holding my muffler bracket to the frame. The tab snapped off the frame. 5 cent fix.

[Mr_84]

Duro HF308 tyre in 4.00 x 19. 760 pound load rated, wearing like iron. About $60. Not a race part, but that's not how I ride it; working well for me.

AzCal Retred do you use a larger Front tyre as well or just the rear ?

[AzCal Retred]

I have a K70 Dunlop in 3.50 x 19. I had one originally on the rear as well, but it buffed off about 70% in maybe 2K miles. As a front tire it seems to hold up well and has good traction. A 4.00 x 19 on the front requires raising the front fender.
The center stand still works fine with the larger tires.

[wr6133]

Bashplate I found in Hitchcocks used parts section. Someone had taken an ali Watsonian one and added extra bits either side so it properly covers the engine. Cost less than £30 ($40-ish) when they were selling the flimsy steel ones new for a bit more than double that.

[Bullet Whisperer]

Retarding the inlet cam - usually costs nothing except maybe a timing cover gasket and only takes about half an hour 
 B.W.

[Mr_84]

Retarding the inlet cam - usually costs nothing except maybe a timing cover gasket and only takes about half an hour 
 B.W.

Bullet whisperer I am hearing you will try out in the coming weeks, have been viewing your vids and respect your knowledge 👍

[Mr_84]

I have a K70 Dunlop in 3.50 x 19. I had one originally on the rear as well, but it buffed off about 70% in maybe 2K miles. As a front tire it seems to hold up well and has good traction. A 4.00 x 19 on the front requires raising the front fender.
The center stand still works fine with the larger tires.

AzCal Retred I see you do a bit of off roading eg gravel roads do you think the larger tyres are an advantage in these conditions, we got some forestry back road here too

[Nitrowing]

Heated handlebar grips.

I have no idea why these aren't standard fitment on all bikes!

[tooseevee]

   I have an '08 AVL, not an Iron Head, but the AVL section is a barren desert now.

   My best low dollar mods (aside from going through every wire and connection on the bike) are the TM 32, the (free) open bottle, the Pertronix coil and lowering the seat about 3".

[AzCal Retred]

@ #8: The "Trials Universal" tread of the Dunlop K70 & Duro HF308 are suitable for dry "fire road" & jeep trail conditions. They do very well on a  dirt surface with a thin layer of sand or gravel. For street usage around here in the mountain foothills, they lend confidence when encountering the occasional patch of sand, leaves, pine needles, dried cow flop or gravel that make their way onto the macadam mid-corner.

The larger sizes do two primary things: a) allow lower tire pressures so the tread conforms better to the terrain (26-28 psi), b) provide more surface area to support the combined weight of rider & machine on loose surfaces. This equates to better traction on loose or skatey situations.

An additional service they provide is a useful increase in tire strength and load carrying capacity. The 3.50 is rated at about 500 pounds, the 4.00 at 750. A bullet weighs about 400 pounds, the rider and any luggage can easily add another 250 - 400 pounds. With the larger rubber you have more reserve. If you manage to hammer a wheel into an unseen rock, the thicker rubber provides more rim protection and flat resistance as it provides greater volume & thickness to absorb such shocks.

IMHO, the stock rubber 3.25 & 3.50 sizes are "250 rubber", intended more to save money at the factory end, best suited for a machine weighing under 300 pounds. To me, the mass of the Bullet demands more footprint. The larger tires are more suited to the knockabout utilitarianism of the machine.

[Paul W]

My 350 never ceases to amaze me how quickly it gets through its back tyre. I'd say 3,000 miles is as much as I've had out of any of them. The bike's done just under 17,000 miles and I've already fitted five of different types, not including the original that was on the bike when I bought it. It gets ridden hard, but I wonder if it's mainly the fact that it's a "thumper" single that does them in.

[Adrian II]

   I have an '08 AVL, not an Iron Head, but the AVL section is a barren desert now.

Consigned to irrelevance, are we? Maybe, but we can still ride the things even if they're quietly dropping off the forums' radar!

A.

[AzCal Retred]

@ #12: Try an HF308 in 4.00 x 19. This one's wearing like iron. 2K so far and there's maybe 80% or more left. Not for the asphalt scratcher crowd, but a solid everyday performer that won't break the bank.

[Adrian II]

To answer Mr_84's original question, maybe the answer would be a simple one-way or non-return valve in the engine breather hose.

A.

[Paul W]

@ #12: Try an HF308 in 4.00 x 19. This one's wearing like iron. 2K so far and there's maybe 80% or more left. Not for the asphalt scratcher crowd, but a solid everyday performer that won't break the bank.

I know the ones you mean; the bike had Duro tyres fitted when I bought it; a 3.50 HF308 on the rear; possibly factory fitted. It's rock hard and now lives in the back of my shed. Bent the old rim removing it! The Duro front was potentially lethal, I locked the front wheel just coming out of my driveway onto the road.

[AzCal Retred]

Yep - crystallized aged rubber isn't a good thing. I spent a day with a hacksaw & end-nippers getting the OEM tire off of my pal's 1983 CB550 Honda, it was "vulcanized" onto the alloy rim after 35 years. But the new Duro is working fine for me.

[tooseevee]

Consigned to irrelevance, are we? Maybe, but we can still ride the things even if they're quietly dropping off the forums' radar!

A.

     I just wish the weather would straighten out here. Most Days have still been too cool for me to even start waking up the black bitch or there's a cold wind blowing. Also lots of house and yard work and maintenance since I put the snowblower to sleep. The tank is still empty, the carb still drained and the battery still out. I guess it will be June before I test out the tweaks I did over the winter.

[ddavidv]

3000 miles? That seems awfully short for such an under-stressed tire.

Are you sure it's mounted in-line? The snail cams don't necessarily match side to side. I found mine way different and line it up straight-lining the chain and measuring the wheel rim distance front and rear.

[AzCal Retred]

It's the rubber compounds used. The Dunlop K70's in 1970 were used on 40+ HP Triumphs and routinely ran 6K-8K or more. The K70 on my Bullet buffed off significantly in maybe 2K. My front K70 is wearing OK, but it just rolls along 99% of the time. My awesome 22HP managed to eat the rear K70 like a Superbike...  
The K70's are still sticky, but the longevity has been removed by the Marketing folks. The Duro guys are just trying to break in to the market and their compound wears well, so it's obvious that Dunlop has made a marketing calculation; It's not like they don't know how to make tires hold up after 100+ years of manufacturing.

[Paul W]

3000 miles? That seems awfully short for such an under-stressed tire.

Are you sure it's mounted in-line? The snail cams don't necessarily match side to side. I found mine way different and line it up straight-lining the chain and measuring the wheel rim distance front and rear.

Yes, it’s in line; I use a straight edge plank of wood with a cutout to clear the centre stand. I keep it just for this job and check it for straightness every time I refit the wheel. When it touches all four rim edges, it’s set.

You’re right about the snail cam adjusters, they aren’t accurate enough. I bought replacements in stainless and these cleverly have a square hole to fit the extension bar of a quarter inch socket drive handle. My technique is to tighten the chain using only the left side adjuster then use the socket handle to tweak the wheel into line against the plank.

I confirm everything is correct by taking both hands off the handlebars while coasting downhill. If the bike tracks straight, it’s good.

Problem with the tyre wear is caused by soft compound.

[Bilgemaster]

Yeah the Dunlop K70s ain't as gritty and long-lasting as the old predecessor TT100s I used to favor, but I managed to crank out about 8 Grand on the clock with the latest rear, so that works for me, being about one swap a year. Of course the front just keeps hanging in there, as they do. Thinking about trying those Duros though...or even those Mitas ones some folks like.

As for cheap mods, my "Iron Belly Military's" pretty stock, but a rattle-can-blacked Harbor Freight Oo-gah! horn doesn't seem out of place and makes the kids smile and gives the old starter button something to do (see: https://youtu.be/Xcfo30h-0N0). I also screwed on one of those see-through tappet adjustment covers from our hosts, largely as a tip o' the hat to our old compadre 'Brad the Maddman', who'd put one on his UCE. Frankly, the show's WAY better and less "colonoscopic" with an Iron Barrel. You can see those pushrods dancing their pas de deux  about 8:30 into the report on that Galax Gathering Brad coordinated: https://youtu.be/RBqPD3Nhmck.

Speaking of Brad, he's hit some hard rough tarmac, so if you could throw him a couple-few bucks, that would be a menschy thing to do. See here for details: https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php?topic=30787

[axman88]

An Engine Guard is money well spent.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/384097450983

An engine guard can save you many times its purchase price, sacrificing its finish so your tank and engine side covers and other expensive bits can escape minor incidents unscathed.  It can save you thousands of times its cost by protecting your legs and hips from expensive reconstruction.  And it can save you the embarrassment of calling for help, as you lie helpless with a few hundred pounds of machine pinning you down.

If my buddy had had one on his bike, he'd still be riding, or if he chose to quit, could have sold the bike that ended his riding career for quite a bit more than he did.