Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: singhg5 on September 05, 2011, 12:41:35 am
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Keeping an eye on the performance of my G5. Today it crossed 17,000 miles on the odometer.
I think that motorcycles made after mine will do even better because of improvements done by RE.
Clutch and throttle cables are original.
Brake pads (front and rear) are originals.
Speedometer cable is on its way out due to my mistake - It is functional but I will change it soon (may be later :D).
Parts Replaced So Far
Chain............................................ x1
Battery.......................................... x2
Front Tyre.......................................x1
Spark Plugs...................................xMany
Air Filter..........................................x1
Fuel Line to injector........................x1
Front Drive Sprocket..................... OEM was fine but changed from 17 to 18 Tooth
Oil Pump Gear...............................OEM was fine but did 10K service at 15K
Oil Seal Crank Feed.......................OEM was fine but did 10K service at 15K
Speedometer bulbs.........................OEM were fine - switched to LED bulbs
Pilot bulbs........................................burnt out x2 - switched to LED bulbs
Unresolved Issues (Threads are posted in UCE)
Slight leak of fork oil from left fork at the very top.
Slight leak of motor oil on top of engine - changed nut but made no difference for months. This week it seems to have stopped on its own !
Centre stand does not lift rear tyre off ground.
LOTS of TLC
Oil Changes.................................... 2000 miles or less
SeaFoam or / Lucas Fuel Additive Treatment....At regular intervals and as needed
Fork Oil Change...............................x1
Front Brake Cleaning.......................x2
Rear Brake Cleaning........................x1
Lots of cable lubing, chain lubing, washing,
ACF50 Treatment to prevent rust build up on chrome/metal nuts and on electrical connections / switches to protect from water
Silencer Underside Rust Spots ...........My mistake, ran in snow/salt but did not clean immediately. Removed most of rust with elbow grease, WD40 aluminum foil treatment.
Disconnected side stand switch
Activated Headlight / Park switch
Typical ride speed 30 - 60 mph ; No highway riding except for testing purposes
Electrical wires / connectors wrapped in tape/tubes to secure & prevent shorts
Fuel tank cap did not seal well, fuel came out of tank when full & stopped quickly - fixed with O-ring under filler cap rubber gasket
Enhanced rear visibility by adding red LED strips
Front visibility increased by adding white LED light modules on turn signals
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Sounds good Singhg5, all in all I think the EFI's are starting to show that they are reliable machines and good day to day transport, with few of the problems affecting some of the earlier models.
Regards :)
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Congratulations Singhg5.
I think your diligence in caring for you motorcycle is paying off with a good reliable bike that can be trusted to do whatever you need whenever you need it.
While I don't advocate tearing into things just for the hell of it your systematic and careful approach to fixing or adding things says much about your knowledge and skill.
(Now, does that sound like some real brown nosing? ;D)
Actually, I mean it and I think if some of the other members use the same approaches to "fixing" their bikes and they don't push it for all it's worth every time they ride, they will also have a reliable machine.
(Now, after saying all of that watch my bike leave me stranded out in the middle of the desert tomorrow.) :-[
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Congrats! But at nearly 10,000miles behind you I think I must now admit I'll never catch up ;)
Scott
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Congrats! Did I miss something or are you still on your original rear tyre?
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are you still on your original rear tyre?
Yeah, original rear tyre - they are strong, durable and long lasting.
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Congrats Singh Ji, you have a lead this time by 300 miles :)
Geezz you must be a sedate rider to be on the first tyre. Just got the third new 110 on the rear.
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Congratulations on your epic mileage Singh. But 17,000 miles on the same rear tyre? :o
It must be down to the canvas!
Is there any minimum tyre tread legislation in USA? I know a lot of you colonial riders have a penchant for riding on suicidally knackered tyres, then I remember a lot of you poor souls live in places where there just aren't any curves or corners, so I guess it doesn't matter.... ;)
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Congratulations on your epic mileage Singh. But 17,000 miles on the same rear tyre? :o
It must be down to the canvas!
Is there any minimum tyre tread legislation in USA? I know a lot of you colonial riders have a penchant for riding on suicidally knackered tyres, then I remember a lot of you poor souls live in places where there just aren't any curves or corners, so I guess it doesn't matter.... ;)
Maybe it is state law and not federal law. But I think 2/32 inch is the minimum tread depth.
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But 17,000 miles on the same rear tyre? It must be down to the canvas!
Here is a rear/side view, photo taken exactly 2 weeks ago. The rear tyre has tread - what do you think ? It is an Engilsh made ;) !
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I'm astonished Singh! You must be a mighty careful rider - no bad thing.... ;)
We have to have 1mm minimum tread depth over 75% of the tyre width for the entire circumference.
But why would you need telling? There's little enough between a motorcyclist and oblivion or worse without gambling it on a dodgy contact patch.
I get about 3,500 miles from a rear AM26 Roadrider. They're soft, but they stick to the road like sh*t to a blanket, wet or dry and at any angle. I'd rather pay the extra... ;)
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I get about 3,500 miles from a rear AM26 Roadrider. They're soft, but they stick to the road like sh*t to a blanket, wet or dry and at any angle. I'd rather pay the extra..
Holy crap, Singh's tire doesn't look much worse than mine with 3000 miles in it. No wonder those things don't stick! On the other hand, you notice it's not on the bike anymore! I'll take 4000 mile of sticky vs 17,000 of sliding down the road on my butt.
Actually, it was the Avon front tire that as giving me grief. that's the one that kept sliding around.
Bare
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Reminds me of the old guys that used to get 50,000 miles out of their American Firestones. Now they are lucky to get 8,000 out of a Dunlop but they stick better than race tires of old. I'll go for sticky vs miles any day. Those Speedmasters look like they would be right at home on an MG-TD.
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Here is a rear/side view, photo taken exactly 2 weeks ago. The rear tyre has tread - what do you think ? It is an Engilsh made ;) !
Fook me, the old Avon Speedmaster tyre, that will probably outlast the engine!
Safe riding ;D
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It surprises me that your silencer looks like new. I have seen bikes with a lot less miles that have a cooked muffler. Bike looks to be well cared for and I know it is.
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It surprises me that your silencer looks like new. I have seen bikes with a lot less miles that have a cooked muffler. Bike looks to be well cared for and I know it is.
Would a leaner mixture lead to more "cooking"? When I had mine dyno'd it was rich across the spectrum and after 3k miles there is just the slightest hue on the OEM torpedo.
Witness the opposite on Dirk's new B5 that was "broken in" on the programmed dyno for 50 miles. The shop needs to rethink this type of break in, methinks.
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Would a leaner mixture lead to more "cooking"? When I had mine dyno'd it was rich across the spectrum and after 3k miles there is just the slightest hue on the OEM torpedo.
Witness the opposite on Dirk's new B5 that was "broken in" on the programmed dyno for 50 miles. The shop needs to rethink this type of break in, methinks.
Well obviously a leaner mixture means hotter exhaust and more blue.
However the localized blue in that picture suggests to me that whatever cooling system is used by that dyno, it was not getting any airflow over the rear of the exhaust.
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Quite frankly, I think that dyno "break in" ran the piss out of that brand new bike!
The muffler isn't the only thing that tells me the engine was stressed way beyond what a new engine should be put thru.
The exhaust pipe (which we can hopefully assume was in the cooling air?) also is discolored way beyond my bike's pipe with 1400 miles on it, some of that mileage being at speeds of 75+ mph with the outside air temperature in the 105*F range.
That "break in" that Dirk's bike was put thru is one of several reasons I have my fingers crossed for him and his adventure.
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The dyno break-in is a stepped program, but seems too rushed to me. I agree that there was probably not enough cooling air. But they do blow a lot of cooling air into the chamber, however more needs to be directed at the pipe, for sure.
Dirk has been out of cell range the last few days.
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Yup, lean equals hot. My pipe near the head is discolored like the one in the pic but my torpedo only has a purple streak about 1" wide 2/3 of the way back on the bottom side. His is way, way more blued.
I had about 1500 miles on mine when I took it to Cali and back. Four days at 12 hours a day. I took breaks but it was many hours straight at about 50mph. I'm sure that got the whole system hot.
Scott
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For 50 miles, I would've gone out and ridden it for a couple of hours. Wait a minute, that's what I did! It's a 50 mile ride from the dealer to my house! It took me a couple of hours as most of it was on the urban streets. My pipe with 3200 miles has a very light blueing at the head and a little copper tone on the front of the EFI muffler. It's going to stay.
The dyno run showed it just on the rich side up to about 5000 rpm, then drifted over to the lean side, but still in the acceptable range.
Those guys who ran Dirk's had to have flogged the hell out of that engine to have overheated it that much. They should be flogged. I've never seen a pipe that blue. Well, I have, but extremely extenuating circumstances.
Bare
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Even the biggest fans don't compare to a real 40mph wind for cooling an engine and muffler ;)
Scott
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That pipe looks like it has been MIGHTY hot!
So has that bike been "broken in" by some quick fix strap-it-to-a-machine method or something?
Bonkers! Why? It's such a pleasure breaking in a Royal Enfield on the road over a few weeks. They love it. You feel em gradually let go and loosen up.
That poor burnt bike is gonna get you back for that kind of treatment....... :(
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That pipe looks like it has been MIGHTY hot!
So has that bike been "broken in" by some quick fix strap-it-to-a-machine method or something?
Bonkers! Why? It's such a pleasure breaking in a Royal Enfield on the road over a few weeks. They love it. You feel em gradually let go and loosen up.
That poor burnt bike is gonna get you back for that kind of treatment....... :(
I stopped at the shop while pedaling home from work today. Patrick said their dyno break-in has built in cooling cycles and increased time ON to get the motor to break-in properly. They do it all the time for their Duc's for buyers wanting such a thing.
I think the motor is fine, but they need to get a LOT of cold air forcibly sent to the torpedo around the CC.
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Hopefully they are not using a Ducati break in procedure and have created a program designed specifically for the Royal Enfield UCE.
Ducks are high speed engines . Many of them produce their highest horsepower at speeds of 8,000-10,000 rpm.
I'm sure the Ducati's brake in speeds are far higher than the old fashioned single cylinder Royal Enfield UCE.
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I'm not convinced that coolong cycles, however efficient, can equate to all-over outside air flow, but I don't live in a hot climate of course. But breaking in your bike is part of making it your bike isn't it? Probably I've got an old fashioned viewpoint. I sure wouldn't let anyone
f*ck up break in any new bike of mine that way...... ??? ;)
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Isn't a part of the running in, for your benefit?
New bike, getting used to the feel, the handling, the noise etc. Then pulling up by a field, having a break whilst you look her over. See if anything is coming loose, is it all there? Having a roll-up for the smokers.
Then once cooled, continuing the journey, in peace.
This other way sounds too much like letting the squire "run in" your new bride!!
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:D You got it..... ;)