[fernf5]

Hi Gents-Don't see an intro section anywhere so here goes. I'm new to RE's and this site. I've already got a ton of useful info by searching old posts. I really like what I've seen so far. RE owners seem like great folks! I have  rerouted my breather lines and lowered the oil level per posts I read and don't have a puddle under the bike anymore. Those tips were hugely appreciated by a new owner. Old news to you all by now. I plan on drilling the breather lug on the left side of the cylinder out in the future.
Bought a 2007 Bullet Deluxe ES. 1300 miles on the odometer. I'm 3rd owner. Don't know for sure if the speedometer has been replaced. BUT, the bike is in very good shape mechanically and physically. I've been all over it from stem to stern. A couple of ham fisted cross threaded nuts/bolts that were easily repairable. I put 150 miles or so on it. Big smile on my face, love the bike.
PO installed the Hitchcocks starter sprag kit. He also removed the decompressor which I promptly RE-installed. He gave me the parts but I'll be darned if I can figure out the handlebar lever part he gave me. Seems to be missing something, so for now I'm pulling the cable by hand and have ordered a replacement brass one from India.
Went to change the oil. The PO had sent along 4 oil filters with all the parts he had pulled off over the years as well as all the receipts for Hitchcock parts. Like $1000 worth. Anyway after I drained the oil (from all 3 places, filters etc) I went to replace the oil filter. The filters he had sent were the ones for later models. So now what? Started looking for filters and parts suppliers. Ebay had a lot so I ordered some from India and from a guy in the states. Turns out the guy from the states is Tim from Western Cycle Supply whom you all know. Great guy! Actually CALLED me to tell me that I had ordered a oil drain magnet that wouldn't work. Had a nice conversation with him. What a nice change from what I'm used to as an owner of an M72 Russian bike that I bought as a basket case. No phone calls from THOSE vendors!
So, I have four 2.5x1.5 filters if anyone can use them. Just pay me for the postage.
Kind of a rambling intro so I'll sign off before I get too long winded. Too late? More to come;D

[Arizoni]

Great post.    Glad to have you here.

Tim is one of those rare guys who will go out of his way to be helpful and he probably knows more about which parts work and which parts don't work better than anyone else in America.

[Enfield Pro]

Welcome to the Royal Enfield family Fern. 2007 was a great year! Keep up on the maintenance, ride it as intended, and don't  "upgrade"  to an electronic ignition. If you can manage all of that I think you will have a long and mutually beneficial relationship. 

[fernf5]

Thanks guys. Tim, I guess "mind reader" can be added to your resume . The PO had already changed to electronic ignition...but I have the complete points setup that he included in the deal. It was already on the "list" to be changed back. (Really appreciated the call and updating my order!) Doug

[Bilgemaster]

Welcome aboard, Fern! My earlier ahoy somehow got blasted into the aether when I hit "Submit".

I too have a latter-day 2005 "Iron Belly" that had real issues with its cloggy cockamamie crankcase breather and catch can system coming off the timing case. When it intermittently clogged up it would commence sploodging all the motor oil out in a big puddle. Having yanked the catch can rigamarole out, punted it into the hedges, installed one of those KrankVent doodads way up high behind the battery with a hose from it down to near the center stand and capped off both the return line fitting at the timing case and the inlet at the air filter box with wine corks and hose clamps, it's been clear sailing ever since. I might one day do that perhaps more "optimal" restoration of the breather outlet to the left-hand side of the crankcase if I ever pull the engine, but for now and my sedate style of riding, I'm pretty happy as it stands. Same goes for my electronic ignition installed by a previous owner. If it ain't broke, I ain't gonna fix it.

Enjoy! It's a great Forum, and I have it and the swell and knowledgeable folks on it to thank for my getting my own ride squared away so quickly. By the way, after about ten posts the trippy letter challenges and wacky  ornithological quizzes at each login will cease, once the system is satisfied that you're not some Malaysian spambot here to peddle your all-natural 'Viagrunt' male enhancement ointments. You should also be able to attach image and other files to your posts.

[ddavidv]

Welcome aboard. Another 2007 deluxe owner here (mine is blue if you are curious).

[fernf5]

Thanks for the greeting Bilgemaster and ddavidv. Bilgemaster I followed your tribulations through your posts and others recommendations (Ace) and thanks to them I solved my issues. The PO of my bike had the oil level way to high as it turns out as well. Smoked like a vaper    when first started till it burned off all the pooled oil. When I bought the bike I didn't spot this stuff because the bike was warmed up before I rode it. Oil leaks and a smoking motor are two issues that are not tolerable to me so it was a great relief to fix them both so easily! I'm VERY happy with the bike now. No oil escaping anywhere. It's a joy to ride. BTW I bought some Quicksilver gear lube too!
I have also fixed the decompressor lever issue I had. I was missing the little ferrule where it goes into the left switch. Made my own out of an old carb fitting I had.
ddavidv Nice to know there is a twin Deluxe (except for color) here. Hope I may be of service somehow in the future. There's probably a joke here somewhere about which 2007 Deluxes are faster black or blue but I won't go there...
Edit:Hoowee ddavidi, just finished reading about half your saga on your bike. I feel really lucky now that my bike is relatively unmolested. guess time will tell...I DID notice some tiny metal flecks when I changed the oil on mine

[Tarnand]

Welcome Doug.

[...]  I plan on drilling the breather lug on the left side of the cylinder out in the future.  [...]

You mean like this?  I have done just that and now I have some second thoughts if it really is the optimal solution. 

[fernf5]

Wow, Tarnand that looks really nice! Excellent pics. My casting there is very rough. I'll bite, what are your thoughts on the wisdom of drilling out the breather? 

[Adrian II]

Not all the un-drilled breather stubs are anywhere near as good as that one. You can always trim the stub back then drill and tap into the breather cavity for some sort of pipe union, 1/4" BSP or NPT, or even some fancy anodized JIC fitting with a braided stainless hose!  .

A.

[fernf5]

Thanks Adrian II-Any of the various "operations" seem a little daunting to me at the moment. Since my current setup is working so well. I will file your suggestion and keep it in mind for use at a future date. After I put on some miles 

[ace.cafe]

The purpose of that left side breather elbow location is to be behind the baffle of the bore liner, so as to reduce expulsion of oil mist whipped up by the crankshaft.

The breather must be inside the crankcase in order to lower the crankcase pressure during operation.

If there are alternative ideas about better locations for it, I would be happy to hear any.

[Tarnand]

The purpose of that left side breather elbow location is to be behind the baffle of the bore liner, so as to reduce expulsion of oil mist whipped up by the crankshaft.

The breather must be inside the crankcase in order to lower the crankcase pressure during operation.

If there are alternative ideas about better locations for it, I would be happy to hear any.

That precisely what I have in mind.  Perhaps the opening I have drilled is way too large.  To make things worse I have later enlarged its diameter (see photo).  Result was such that after starting the engine i a matter of just a few seconds the side of the engine was dripping with oil.  Maybe installing some restrictor of i.e. 2mm (or less) diameter would help.  I did not try it yet.  As an alternative I am considering adopting a solution similar to one that is used in my Harley Evo engine.

[t120rbullet]

The original hole in that vent is pretty big, I wouldn't worry about making it smaller. Do you have a duckbill on the end of that vent pipe ?
The original breather system was a 11 inch piece of hose with a duckbill on the end.  Exited right over the sprocket and chain.
Piston came down duckbill opened and vapor came out, piston goes up duckbill closes and creates vacuum in case. System worked flawlessly for 40 years before they started exporting them to the sensitive country's.
Very little oil vapor comes out of mine and what does lubes my chain for me.
What I have noticed is if I fill the oil tank up to the max line in the dipstick it will spit oil out until it gets down to about the halfway mark and then it stops and stays pretty much there. So When I add oil I only go up to the halfway mark and leave it at that. That has been a common thing on the 3 iron bbls I have owned and a friends AVL.
CJ

[Adrian II]

That precisely what I have in mind.  Perhaps the opening I have drilled is way too large.  To make things worse I have later enlarged its diameter (see photo).  Result was such that after starting the engine i a matter of just a few seconds the side of the engine was dripping with oil.  Maybe installing some restrictor of i.e. 2mm (or less) diameter would help.  I did not try it yet.  As an alternative I am considering adopting a solution similar to one that is used in my Harley Evo engine.

You can use a Hitchcocks' breather tower to route the oil back to the oil tank, I would suggest via a non-return valve, Krankvent or similar.

[tooseevee]

The original breather system was a 11 inch piece of hose with a duckbill on the end.  Exited right over the sprocket and chain.
Piston came down duckbill opened and vapor came out, piston goes up duckbill closes and creates vacuum in case. System worked flawlessly for 40 years before they started exporting them to the sensitive country's.
Very little oil vapor comes out of mine and what does lubes my chain for me.
What I have noticed is if I fill the oil tank up to the max line in the dipstick it will spit oil out until it gets down to about the halfway mark and then it stops and stays pretty much there. So When I add oil I only go up to the halfway mark and leave it at that. That has been a common thing on the 3 iron bbls I have owned and a friends AVL.
CJ

            That's exactly what I find on the '08 AVL. Many years ago I sealed the timing case opening, ran the other hose up and over and into a used DryGas container (painted black) with the original duck bill on the end of the hose. It fits perfectly down in between the downtube and the rear fender. I keep the oil level no more than half way up the cross hatching on the dipstick. Like you I found out early on that if it's higher, the engine will spit it out to the level it's sposta be.

            Also on an AVL, don't check the oil after the engine has been off overnight. The dipstick will show you have ZERO oil. Not true.

[ace.cafe]

That precisely what I have in mind.  Perhaps the opening I have drilled is way too large.  To make things worse I have later enlarged its diameter (see photo).  Result was such that after starting the engine i a matter of just a few seconds the side of the engine was dripping with oil.  Maybe installing some restrictor of i.e. 2mm (or less) diameter would help.  I did not try it yet.  As an alternative I am considering adopting a solution similar to one that is used in my Harley Evo engine.

7mm - 8mm is about right.
There must be a breather hose attached to it, and it should be routed up high on the frame(as noted by others) to a air/oil separater can with an internal duckbill valve(like the factory catch can system), or to a duckbill or one-way valve like a KrankVent, and then a suitably routed exit vent hose. Or, you could use the old factory duckbill alone, such as T120Bullet describes.

The crankcase breather elbow should not be just left open without a hose and one-way valve. It would blow out a lot of oil if left open like that.

[Bilgemaster]

Just to add my two cents to Ace's advice, for your ready reference the doodad that cured my Bullet's "Oil Sploodges" was this KrankVent knockoff sold on eBay by Panic Cycles in Richardson, Texas for $34.95. The name brand Hayden KrankVents run north of 100 bucks.

I am quite sure there must be many  other, quite possibly cheaper, options out there on the shelves in the way of PCV or duckbill valves that'd work, but that's the one that did the trick for my Bullet, and she's been "Sploodge-Free" for nearly two years now. The part itself is very well made for a knockoff, and is even serviceable, coming with an extra replacement rubber doodad. You just unscrew the vent, and pop in the new rubber.

[tooseevee]

Just to add my two cents to Ace's advice, for your ready reference the doodad that cured my Bullet's "Oil Sploodges" was this KrankVent knockoff sold on eBay by Panic Cycles in Richardson, Texas for $34.95. The name brand Hayden KrankVents run north of 100 bucks.

I am quite sure there must be many  other, quite possibly cheaper, options out there on the shelves in the way of PCV or duckbill valves that'd work, but that's the one that did the trick for my Bullet, and she's been "Sploodge-Free" for nearly two years now. The part itself is very well made for a knockoff, and is even serviceable, coming with an extra replacement rubber doodad. You just unscrew the vent, and pop in the new rubber.

            You're right, of course, that there are many of these little valves out there and some of them are ridiculously expensive. I believe that splooges as you call them are not caused by what's on the end of the hose, but are caused by an over-filled crankcase and not so much what's on the end of the vent hose.

             I still use the original duckbill that came with my '08 AVL, the same one the cavemen used, and run into a repurposed plastic DryGas container painted black and tucked in between the downtube and the rear fender where it is just about unnoticeable and I have no splooges or any other problems with it. The only thing that's ever in the "catchcan" is a few drops of foam condensation from when the oil is still cold after that first cold start of the day.

             These engines will get even with you from being overfilled by blowing the excess all over the place until the oil level is correct.     

[Bilgemaster]

            You're right, of course, that there are many of these little valves out there and some of them are ridiculously expensive. I believe that splooges as you call them are not caused by what's on the end of the hose, but are caused by an over-filled crankcase and not so much what's on the end of the vent hose.

             I still use the original duckbill that came with my '08 AVL, the same one the cavemen used, and run into a repurposed plastic DryGas container painted black and tucked in between the downtube and the rear fender where it is just about unnoticeable and I have no splooges or any other problems with it. The only thing that's ever in the "catchcan" is a few drops of foam condensation from when the oil is still cold after that first cold start of the day.

             These engines will get even with you from being overfilled by blowing the excess all over the place until the oil level is correct.     

Nah, I didn't overfill it with oil. In the post-mortem it turned out that the return line from the canister to the inner side of the timing case was clogged with a thick brownish mayonnaise-like substance. Unable to flow back into the crankcase via the timing case, the oily vapors just kept condensing and gathering in the catch can until they reached the higher level of the port in the can that had previously been connected with the inner side of the air filter box. This had been disconnected by a previous owner, presumably after having fouled the air filter, and a longer hose run instead from the catch can down to near the centerstand. That was the exit point, the urethra, if you will, of the sploodge. It probably didn't help any that the little rubber duckybill check valve within the catch can seemed upon examination to be in a state of perpetual astonishment, locked in an eternal "OOOOO!" Clearly it had given up on "checking" anything. In retrospect, I could have cleaned out that clogged return line and the others with some spray carb cleaner or something, replaced the worn out duckbill valve in the catchcan, and been back on the road "sploodge-free" for a time, but I'm glad I took the simpler longterm KrankVent route.

[ddavidv]

Mine has the duckbill. It works a treat though certainly has no shortage of oil for the chain...and everything around it the chain can fling it onto. A quick wipe with a towel after a ride and all is like new again.

[ace.cafe]

There will always be at least a little bit of oil mist that comes out. There shouldn't be a lot.

[Tarnand]

This is what I have done for now - the oil pipe goes to the oil separator with a duckbill in it.  Until now I was totally not aware about sensitivity of the oil level.  We will see how it goes.

[tooseevee]

This is what I have done for now - the oil pipe goes to the oil separator with a duckbill in it.  Until now I was totally not aware about sensitivity of the oil level.  We will see how it goes.

             Your seat setup is perfect. I have the same seat in black and had it like yours in the beginning (had the Lycette seat before). With the springs it was still too high (I can't do the tip-toe thing, I need the extra control).

              So my seat is flat on the frame now (yes, it's fine. I'm used to hardtails) and brings the ground up to where I can 99% flat-foot it.

              I love the look of the ironhead without that huge lump of starter the AVL has stuck onto it 

[Adrian II]

tooseevee, owners of AVL500s can perform a lumpectomy...

A.

[Bilgemaster]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would be a little concerned how that breather pipe dips just after the crankcase outlet. It just seems to me like a big long welcome mat for "cloggery". Although my bike's breather hose runs from off of the existing later-style outlet on the inboard side of the timing case, I did my best to give it an immediate high curved slope of maybe 45 degrees from there to my new KrankVent, which was simply tucked in high behind the battery, with a long hose from it down to near the center stand.

If yours should still experience oil loss problems or clogging, then in your case, coming off the left-hand side of the crankcase, I might suggest mounting some suitable 90 degree elbow at the crankcase outlet pointing towards yet clearing the cylinder barrel and perhaps slightly upward with a flexible hose attached there and running rearward and over, or perhaps resting on, the housing behind the ignition cap at an upward incline and rearward.

Then again, who am I? Archimedes? One of the Mario Brothers? Like I said, I could be wrong and may well have completely misunderstood the principles behind the whole crankcase breather system. So, if your bike runs fine henceforth, kindly disregard.

[tooseevee]

tooseevee, owners of AVL500s can perform a lumpectomy...

A.

            No, Adrian. I have tweaked this '08 bike enough. When you can't even get your clothes on (or off) (or do ANYthing) without pain you just have to stop somewhere and say "Enough. This is the way it stays".

[tooseevee]

Although my bike's breather hose runs from off of the existing later-style outlet on the inboard side of the timing case,

           

           I'd like a picture of how your engine is hosed. Because if the picture I'm getting in my head is correct, that's not where a breather hose should be.
 

[Bilgemaster]

           

           I'd like a picture of how your engine is hosed. Because if the picture I'm getting in my head is correct, that's not where a breather hose should be.
 

Too dark and too damned cold for photos. But, I think many would agree that "not where a breather hose should be"  is the operative phrase here, since it arguably shouldn't be where it is on mine at all. You see, in the final model variants of the Iron Barrels and later their successor AVL engines, the breather outlet was moved from the left-hand of the crankcase, where both The Lord and Redditch intended, to the inboard side of the timing case, with a second inlet port placed nearby as well. The outlet hose was routed to the bottom of a kind of catch can canister, within which was affixed an upward-pointing duck bill type check valve (kind of like a whoopee cushion valve). Just a bit higher up on the catch can, coming off the side, was an outlet that connected to a hose than ran back down to the aforementioned inlet port. This was to allow any condensate to flow back into the crankcase via the inboard side of the timing case. Still higher up in the catch can canister was yet another outlet on its side connected to a hose that ran into the inboard side of the air filter housing. This was to recirculate the vapors from the breather back through the carburetor and into the combustion chamber. The whole rigamarole was a last ditch slapdash effort intended to reduce emissions in this aged engine design. The problem is that if the return hose clogs or the little duckbill valve goes bad, both of which are likely after a time, then the whole goofy catch can affair overfills and begins spewing oil into the air filter, fouling it. A previous owner, presumably afflicted by this, had removed the hose on mine from the catch can to the air filter housing, and ran a longer one down from the can to near the center stand instead, just dangling there open to the ground. This is where on occasion most of the contents of my oil tank would suddenly sploodge out onto the ground below the bike. Replacing the catch can system with a simple hose sloped upward from the breather outlet to a KrankVent type check valve tucked high up behind the battery, with a hose from it down towards the ground cured mine about 10,000 miles ago. I just capped off the old inlet ports on the timing and air filter cases with wine corks. It's been sploodge-free ever since.

If you really need some pix, lemme know. Maybe tomorrow...

[Tarnand]

[...] Like I said, I could be wrong and may well have completely misunderstood the principles behind the whole crankcase breather system. So, if your bike runs fine henceforth, kindly disregard.

The bike runs fine, however, as I previously mentioned I was completely oblivious to how the oil level in the tank influences working of the breather system.  How actually it is going to work I will not find out until spring. 

My original idea for modification was to vent the crakcase through the cylinder head, just as it happens in my HD.  In order to do that I need to drill a small hole (2mm ?) between crankcase and the tappet chamber.  From the crankcase side the hole would be baffled by the bore liner.  Oil mist while being forced from the crankcase would be hitting the intake pushrod catching some of the oil droplets.   Next it would travel to the intake rocker chamber  and through a rubber hose with a checkvalve on its end then to the outside.  During this route some more oil droplets would settle on internal engine parts.   If it does not work these holes could be plugged with no problem.

[tooseevee]

Too dark and too damned cold for photos. But, I think many would agree that "not where a breather hose should be"  is the operative phrase here, since it arguably shouldn't be where it is on mine at all. You see, in the final model variants of the Iron Barrels and later their successor AVL engines, the breather outlet was moved from the left-hand of the crankcase, where both The Lord and Redditch intended, to the inboard side of the timing case, with a second inlet port placed nearby as well. The outlet hose was routed to the bottom of a kind of catch can canister, within which was affixed an upward-pointing duck bill type check valve (kind of like a whoopee cushion valve). Just a bit higher up on the catch can, coming off the side, was an outlet that connected to a hose than ran back down to the aforementioned inlet port. This was to allow any condensate to flow back into the crankcase via the inboard side of the timing case. Still higher up in the catch can canister was yet another outlet on its side connected to a hose that ran into the inboard side of the air filter housing. This was to recirculate the vapors from the breather back through the carburetor and into the combustion chamber. The whole rigamarole was a last ditch slapdash effort intended to reduce emissions in this aged engine design. The problem is that if the return hose clogs or the little duckbill valve goes bad, both of which are likely after a time, then the whole goofy catch can affair overfills and begins spewing oil into the air filter, fouling it. A previous owner, presumably afflicted by this, had removed the hose on mine from the catch can to the air filter housing, and ran a longer one down from the can to near the center stand instead, just dangling there open to the ground. This is where on occasion most of the contents of my oil tank would suddenly sploodge out onto the ground below the bike. Replacing the catch can system with a simple hose sloped upward from the breather outlet to a KrankVent type check valve tucked high up behind the battery, with a hose from it down towards the ground cured mine about 10,000 miles ago. I just capped off the old inlet ports on the timing and air filter cases with wine corks. It's been sploodge-free ever since.

If you really need some pix, lemme know. Maybe tomorrow...

           Geez, Louise, I'm aware of all that. I got rid of all that stuff long ago when I first got the bike back when Pete Snidal was still on these forums. It had all the hoses and tubing and the friggin' PITA "catch can".

            The sentence that caused me to write (and ask for a picture) is in your Reply #26 where you say you have your breather hose connected to "the existing later style outlet on the inboard side of the timing case". If you indeed have your breather hose connected to the fitting on the inboard side of the timing case, that would be incorrect.

            The breather hose fitting is on the horizontal surface of the cases (oil tank), the other (inlet) fitting is on the vertical inboard surface of the timing case..... well, both of them can be seen in Adrian's picture. 

            My breather hose is connected to the fitting that points straight up out of the oil tank just inboard of the alternator wires and runs in a big loop up and over and then down between the downtube and the rear fender and ends in a duckbill. The inlet fitting on the inboard side of the timing case is sealed off.

             


           

[Enfield Pro]

This is one crazy "introduction thread", one of the mod guys should consider splitting it.

[Adrian II]

But we like off-topic... 

Until this thread gets an administrative beating, my picture was meant to show the non-electric start drive side, but for the record as far a breather mods go, this one had the breather pipes from the primary and the back of the timing chest plugged off at the hose ends, with just the breather union sticking up out of the oil tank still in use.

You can see the short piece of 90 degree bend rubber hose salvaged from the original breather system, the alloy non-return valve (10GBP from Henry Price?) and a longer chunk of 1/2 inch rubber hose which ran to the end of the rear chain guard. It worked just fine, the only issue being where the bike would choose to manifest the odd dribble of grey goo, usually when parked up at the supermarket car park.

Iron Barrel and AVL Bullet owners have tried all sorts of breather mods down the years.

A.

[ace.cafe]

Okay, I am going to explain the Enfield engine breather system one more time, since it has been years since I did it last, and obviously it needs it again.

The breather system is an active type system which is driven by pressure differentials.
The main driver is maintaining a low pressure in the crankcase sump area. The piston is the pump, and the duckbill(or other non-return valve) is the valve.
When the piston comes down, it pushes air out the breather tube and duckbill, so that air pressure is not significantly increased by its downward movement. Air is displaced, leaving a smaller volume of air in the crankcase.
As the piston goes back up, the duckbill tip closes, and prevents air from coming back inside, thus lowering the local air pressure inside the crankcase area.
This system is not perfect, some pumping losses occur, it does not drastically lower the crankcase air pressure, but it does an okay job for its intended purpose.

We see that the breather tube is about 7mm - 8mm, and the little hole between the crankcase and oil tank is about 3mm. These are metering holes, so that the air goes more easily out the breather tube, and not into the oil tank much. The breather tube is the much easier path, so it goes out that way.

With the crankcase pumped down to a lower pressure, it pulls some air and fumes in from the oil tank via the 3mm hole there. This sets up a cascading effect that pulls fumes in from the timing chest, tappet area, and rocker boxes. It all travels in the direction of that lower pressure in the crankcase. This evacuates the fumes from the entire engine in a continuous circuit which is designed that way. It works.

Efforts to change this pathway will circumvent the intended design, and the factory unfortunately did that when they instituted the later breather on the top of the oil tank. It does not work correctly because of reasons that I just explained, and that is why we convert back to the original type breather when possible.

[tooseevee]

But we like off-topic... 

Until this thread gets an administrative beating, my picture was meant to show the non-electric start drive side,

Iron Barrel and AVL Bullet owners have tried all sorts of breather mods down the years.

A.

         We are not off-topic. He asks about breather mods in his very first post.

          And I only referred to your picture because it shows the two fittings we're talking about. My breather is set up the same way and you know that. I have ONE hose out from the breather with a duck bill on the end. The timing case fitting is plugged off.

           Why do I always end up the bad guy here when all I'm trying to do is help and point out details. The way I read Bilgemaster's sentence (which I QUOTE - go read it) it seems like he says his breather hose is connected to the timing case fitting. That would appear to be incorrect to me and all I wanted was clarification for others, not for me. That is ALL I questioned, that ONE sentence, and I get a lecture on breather systems which is OK I guess. I did the mod to mine years ago as you know and got rid of the "sploogy" friggin' catch can and all the hoses and it has worked perfectly since, but I guess I'm wrong again.

            I'm sorry. I've been on these forums quite a while and I really just try to help and I get zero back up and remarks about being off topic when the original poster asked about this very subject.

[Enfield Pro]

           Why do I always end up the bad guy here when all I'm trying to do is help and point out details. The way I read Bilgemaster's sentence (which I QUOTE - go read it) it seems like he says his breather hose is connected to the timing case fitting. That would appear to be incorrect to me and all I wanted was clarification for others, not for me. That is ALL I questioned, that ONE sentence, and I get a lecture on breather systems which is OK I guess. I did the mod to mine years ago as you know and got rid of the "sploogy" friggin' catch can and all the hoses and it has worked perfectly since, but I guess I'm wrong again.

            I'm sorry. I've been on these forums quite a while and I really just try to help and I get zero back up and remarks about being off topic when the original poster asked about this very subject.

I'm not trying to yuck your yum. I mentioned splitting the topic so anyone looking for breather info can find it with ease. They my not consider looking in a thread titled introduction.

[Tarnand]

I'm not trying to yuck your yum. I mentioned splitting the topic so anyone looking for breather info can find it with ease. They my not consider looking in a thread titled introduction.

Well, it is actually may fault - see Reply #7 on: November 08, 2019, 02:07:01 PM.  I started and it began living life of its own.   

[Bilgemaster]

First off, Tooseevee's quite correct in that my later-style breather hose outlet is not coming off the timing case as such, but rather off the nearby oil tank, I suppose. I only described its outlet location as "inboard side of the timing case" in order to contrast its location, generally speaking, with the older traditional location from off of the left-hand side of the crankcase.

As it was a fine cool morning, as requested I got off a few shots of the key elements of my current setup, as attached below.

• In the first pic both the inlet and outlet port locations are shown, below and to the left and right respectively of the cylindrical thing containing the ignition's timing workings. The now-unused inlet is shown capped off with one of those newfangled plasticky type wine corks from the cheap stuff we enjoy at Chez Bilgemaitre that I sort of drilled out a bit to fit over the port, and is held on with a hose clamp. The outlet to stage right (aft, or rearward) is shown fitted with the original equipment black outlet hose with its 90 degree bend at its end mounted to it, also affixed with a hose clamp. The far straight end of this hose was trimmed just a bit, since it was a bit ragged, and fitted to the inlet side of the KrankVent knockoff shown in the next photo. The sloping angle of the hose from the breather outlet up to the KrankVent is about 45 degrees.
• The second photo shows the shiny KrankVent doodad, just sort of tucked in there behind the battery. I found no need to secure it up there. Like the Bilgemaster himself, it seems perfectly content to just lay around and blow hot air
• The third pic is possibly NSFW nor appropriate for mixed company or sensitive persons, displaying as it does the "business end" of my long greasy breathy urethra, running downwards from the outlet end of the KrankVent, dangling manfully, as it does, low below the center stand pivot. Don't worry, it's just the tip!

I'll be in my bunk...

[Adrian II]

Why do I always end up the bad guy here when all I'm trying to do is help and point out details.

Forum Bad Guy?    If we even have one, you don't fit his description, tooseevee!

A.

[fernf5]

Well, this may have drifted a teeny bit sideways Could I share something (change the subject) that just happened to my new to me bike while I was otherwise occupied and you all were "speculating"? I'll bet something like this has happened to a lot of us. I appreciate Tim's point  about someone looking for info at a later date so maybe a new thread on these kind of things/tales?
While out on a test ride the other day after retarding my timing and enriching the  mixture to get rid of some minor ping I have it dawned on me that I was hearing a nasty sound. I slowed down to listen and used the throttle to change the RPM to better hear the noise. Man, it was a nasty noise, somewhat like I imagined a bent push rod or broken rocker arm, something really bad you know? Limped home, listened to it in my driveway convinced that it was catastrophe. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth later and still thinking it was bad I parked it deciding to look at it later. Pretty glum evening and then today I went to look again. I warmed up the bike and got down on the right side with my stethoscope and was gunning the throttle when I thought I saw the exhaust header vibrate and move in and out right where it enters the exhaust port. It has one of those aftermarket heat rings like on the old bikes with an 11mm nut that tightens it. It just so happens that this was the area I heard the noise coming from. The ring was actually vibrating. Not the header. Tightened it a turn or so and went for a ride thinking "No Way" was that it! Well, I never heard the noise again. These bikes REALLY vibrate I'm finding out....like nothing I've ever experienced.

[ace.cafe]

The severity of vibration varies from one bike to another.
It comes down to how well the factory trued the crank that went into your bike. We have seen some that were as much as .007" out of true when we removed them for rebuilding. If trued to about .001" run out, they can run surprisingly smooth.

[Bilgemaster]

The severity of vibration varies from one bike to another.
It comes down to how well the factory trued the crank that went into your bike. We have seen some that were as much as .007" out of true when we removed them for rebuilding. If trued to about .001" run out, they can run surprisingly smooth.

Ace: I've read elsewhere in this Forum that much vibration can sometimes be ameliorated by some pretty straightforward-sounding technique of slackening and then somehow properly "centering" and retorquing certain engine frame mounts and perhaps also the headsteady, with possibly some additional mod thereof mentioned. I seem to recall that some part of this "engine mount tuning" was performed while the engine was running. It might have pertained to UCE-engined Bullets. I honestly don't recall exactly. But could that also be the case with the older models? Could allowing the engine mounts to center or settle themselves into a more balanced relation to the frame possibly help?

My Iron Cylinder vibrates a bit, sure, but only rather pleasantly. Unlike "fernf5", I'd never come close to characterizing it as "like nothing I'd ever experienced". Compared to my old BSA Victor 441, which would rattle the fillings from your teeth, my Bullet's more of a soothing "thrumming".

I seem to also recall mention that simply a loose or broken headsteady can cause excessive vibration, but again I cannot now recall if it was referencing a UCE or an older model Bullet. Still, a wonky headsteady might be just the likely culprit or stressor to shake out an exhaust pipe from the head, as with "fernf5's", yes?

[fernf5]

Guys thanks for your thoughtful and informational replies. My writing and communication skills leave a lot to be desired and of course this medium (email) lends itself to misunderstandings. I wasn't looking to debate how "vibrationy"  an RE is compared to anything. Just interested in hearing general motorcycle tales and solutions. Anyway, the vibration stuff is good info!

[Bilgemaster]

I did a bit of rummaging through the Forum archives, and this might be one of those threads I recall describing that technique of loosening and tightening the engine mounts to possibly reduce vibration:

https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php?topic=7829.msg300199#msg300199

Sure, it was posted in reference to an over-vibey UCE, but the poster, 'Arizoni' is one of those guys here who really seems to know his shit, and he writes that the technique's been used "for years and years". So that might bode well for your over-energetic Iron Barrel.

In the meantime, I'm hoping on "fernf5's" behalf that some other folks from the A-Team, not just bodgers like me, will chime in here.

[ace.cafe]

I did a bit of rummaging through the Forum archives, and this might be one of those threads I recall describing that technique of loosening and tightening the engine mounts to possibly reduce vibration:

https://forum.classicmotorworks.com/index.php?topic=7829.msg300199#msg300199

Sure, it was posted in reference to an over-vibey UCE, but the poster, 'Arizoni' is one of those guys here who really seems to know his shit, and he writes that the technique's been used "for years and years". So that might bode well for your over-energetic Iron Barrel.

In the meantime, I'm hoping on "fernf5's" behalf that some other folks from the A-Team, not just bodgers like me, will chime in here.

Yes, the bolt loosening trick can work, but it only really works if the engine was tightened into a bad way to begin with. It is always worth a try, because the engine vibrations are intended to be resolved into the frame structure. So that is an option which may help.

A loose or broken head steady WILL cause severe vibrational havoc, so be sure that is tight.