Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: Land Surveyor on May 23, 2011, 12:33:41 am
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Glad he gave it a good review. I note that he made a point of showing that the vibes on the bike weren't bad, even at freeway speed. Has that been everybody's experience?
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Leno was being very praise-ful in his "review". Vibrations are relative to your age, your disposition, and your previous rides.
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the vibes on a thumper are really different than those of a multi. being used to the enfield , i got my old 4 cyl suzuki running after a decade of sitting there in the shed . wow buzzy! i cant believe i've been thousands of miles all over the country on this thing.i traded it in on another enfield.
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I too thought the vibes weren't bad even at highway speed, in fact I still do from the riders perspective. However the number of things I've had fall off or break in 9,500 miles just ain't funny and when that includes your entire rear assembly of stoplight, indicators and number plate - held on by one bracket that snapped - it's downright dangerous not to mention illegal. So I have concluded that vibes are a very real problem on this bike even if the riding experience is fine. :(
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Can we watch this online somewhere?
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I note that he made a point of showing that the vibes on the bike weren't bad, even at freeway speed. Has that been everybody's experience?
the vibes on a thumper are really different than those of a multi.
Up until recently, I was also under the impression and belief that single cylinder thumpers have vibrations as part and parcel of the design. BUT something happened that really shook my view that vibrations cannot be cured in singles. When I rode Fireball #10, which was completely rebuilt bolt by bolt, there were no vibrations and the bike was solid like rock though lighter than my G5.
Both are singles with almost same size piston/cylinder 500cc vs 523cc, but the riding experience was very different. My G5 has vibrations at footpegs and at the handlebar that shake the mirrors crazy at all kinds of rpms and speeds. Only at a few select rpms these shakes subside. The bike is stable and all nuts bolts are tight the way they are supposed to be. I know there is nothing 'wrong' with my G5 and I ride it all the time.
So I talked to Chumma who has built this Fireball - what is the secret ? He said it is the crankshaft ! Have you owned another single such as Suzuki 650 or any other brand that is smoother than RE with less vibrations ?
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Can we watch this online somewhere?
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/, scroll down until you come to the video.
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Have you owned another single such as Suzuki 650 or any other brand that is smoother than RE with less vibrations ?
My DR750 was smooth as glass up to 180 km/h, and it had a piston like a coffee can. But, unlike the Bullet, it was all bore and very little stroke.
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So I talked to Chumma who has built this Fireball - what is the secret ? He said it is the crankshaft ! Have you owned another single such as Suzuki 650 or any other brand that is smoother than RE with less vibrations ?
This is a long stroke engine and that probably has something to do with it. Also, there have been many discussions here about the development of the UCE engine. The original Bullet is so woven into the culture of India that the engineers did their best to get both the sound and the feel of the old engine built into the new one so as not to alienate generations of loyal riders.
I'm sure they could have designed a 'better' engine but it might not sell very well as a Bullet in India.
Scott
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I think "better" or "worse" are pretty subjective terms. The UCE like all Bullet singles is a long stroke single. The quick thing would have been to build an overhead cam engine. As was mentioned here RE feels very strongly that the new engine should have a similar feel and sound as the legacy engines had. After all that is the point.
There are all sorts of ways to build smoother engines such as counter balance shafts etc. I think that different Bullets have varying degrees of vibration to them. Some of this has to do with the resonant frequency of a bike and an engine.
If you think yours vibrates more than is normal (what is normal?) you might try something we did once by accident. Loosen all of your engine mounting bolts (just a bit not a lot). Run the bike for a minute, (idle is fine) then tighten up. With the engine out of the frame it is very flexible and sometime it can be stressed. Does't much matter from a structural point of view, but can make a difference with vibration. The frame/engine can find it's own center.
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I think "better" or "worse" are pretty subjective terms.
Absolutely!
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I rode a BMW K75 for 12 years and as you may know those 3 cylinder engines have a counterbalancer built into them. They are glass smooth with absolutely NO vibration at any speed so I got use to riding a machine that vibrates like an electric motor (not at all).
Of course on my RE I've only been up to 50 mph once (and that was by accident) because I am breaking my bike in but quite honestly I was greatly surprised at the lack of vibration on my new G5.
I fully expected buzzed feet and hands but the only thing that seems to vibrate is my rear view mirrors and that is only at certain speeds.
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It does have more low frequency vibes than high, so less buzzy hands and feet after riding. My ZR-7 had a smoother motor but it was all high frequency vibes. AFter 30 minutes I couldn't feel my hands. A few simple mods to the controls solved it but you have to consider both the frequency and the amplitde ;)
Scott
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Yup, low freq vibes they are. That is often harder on thin metal bits. My Buell Blast thumper vibrated off the left mirror stalk (going around a corner, don't you know) and the metal horn bracket. Gotta keep an eye on things with these great bikes.
I am curious how the new Honda CBR250R will vibrate. It has a built in balancer, plus Honda's attention-to-detail.
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was just reading up on the Honda 250 cbr single...i think u can get your hand on one for about 3k...i have a feeling its not quite the stroke that our 500c have but its probably somewhere in the middle and just 250cc....it probably handles fantastic and the gas mileage will be phenomenal...
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Bullets should vibrate, so the engineers made sure the UCE did.
Harley's should vibrate, so the Buell Blast (the Harley entry model) did.
Hondas, well, sewing machine. My Civic is still pretty smooth with 190k on the clock and a used Nighthawk 750 i test rode 10 years ago ran so smooth I could barely tell it was running.
I'm sure that 250 is SUPER smooth and I thought about buying that bike. That and the Ninja 250 are both nice little bikes with awesome motors and great mileage, but not too much soul.
Scott
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Was I the only one who winced when he talked about a scooter and a Bullet in the same breath? Ouch........like comparing a minivan and a Willys!
Great marketing for our favorite bike though :)
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was just reading up on the Honda 250 cbr single....it probably handles fantastic and the gas mileage will be phenomenal...
You would think so but it's not - according to their own website it's about 74mpg, UK gallon. The G5/C5 are excellent in this area though the latest BMW650 may ultimately outdo them returning 85mpg in tests with twice the power.