[Royal Stargazer]

It's winter here in Minnesota, which means I have to wait to ride but I can start planning all the wrenching I want to do now. Obviously, that brings me here with a bunch of dumb questions.

First, I want to ditch the ES. I've got a 2003 with a left side shift 4 speed gearbox, and I haven't had many bites on Google, but it seems I either need right side shift, or a 5 speed to delete the ES but I can't see why I wouldn't be able to do it with the setup I've got. I've gotten the necessary gaskets and seals, the chain case, and engine sprocket, and I know that those few guides I've read instruct one to drill the engine to accommodate the new chain case - but what if I drilled the chain case to accommodate the engine instead? Is that at all feasible?

Second, my clutch is in desperate need of a rebuild and I have no excuse not to do it when I've got the chain case off, and the clutch out. I can't seem to do anything but run around in circles over which plates to buy. I'd originally intended to get the Barnett plates with 2 new dished steel plates and 2 new flat steel plates, but decided to take a look at a 10 plate "improved" kit, and noticed that all the bonded plates were the same - there wasn't that odd one out rubber segmented plate. That made me question what the purpose of that rubber plate was. It's obviously there for a reason, right? If I decide on the Barnett plates, should I get 3 and then 1 new rubber segmented plate, or just 4 of the Barnett plates? This was not my most successful search.

Lastly, if I'm going to be this deep, I might as well drop in an 18t drive sprocket to compliment the 87mm piston I enjoyed last year. Fortunately, the documentation for that process is a little more readily available. I guess my only question here is where there are any pro tips from those who have done it. It looks straightforward enough - I just don't want to be caught with my pants down.

Thanks in advance!

[ace.cafe]

You have to drill the engine, not the inner chaincase.

[Enfield Pro]

The rubber plate is new to me, can you point me in the direction of an example?

What piston did you go with?

[Royal Stargazer]

You have to drill the engine, not the inner chaincase.

I'm glad I asked before I ruined a perfectly good part. Why is that, though?

The rubber plate is new to me, can you point me in the direction of an example?

What piston did you go with?

This is the one I'm talking about: https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/2252?qty=1&continue_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com%2Fpartsbook-pages%2F1775

Though now I'm wondering if mine just looks rubbery because it's worn to hell.

I went with the 535cc piston offering from Hitchcocks. I'm happy with it.

[Adrian II]

By all accounts the factory left-foot shift option for the 4 speed box is something of a dog's breakfast. Going to a right-foot shift gearbox (which is what the Bullet was originally designed to have!) removes a lot of the clunky-ness.

The five speed box is available both in its native left-foot shift form and as a right-foot shift conversion. Bullets intended for the 5 speed box have a cast-in alloy tunnel passing through the oil tank, which is part of the crankcase casting. The gear change shaft for the 5 speed boxes passes through this.

Depending on what year your 4 speed is, it MIGHT have to alloy lump in place in the oil tank which will let you drill through (this is what ace.cafe means when he said you have to drill the engine), I have come across two sets of 2001 Bullet 4 speed crankcases which have this, although not bored out. I will try and get some pictures. Seems the factory started producing all Bullet crankcases so that they could either be 4 speed right-foot shift or 5 speed left foot shift, but I'm not sure EXACTLY when this took effect.

If you don't have this extra lump of alloy inside your oil-tank casting, DO NOT drill through your oil tank. Fit a normal 4 speed box or a five speed with the right-foot conversion.

To tidy up the drive side on you newly right-foot shifting Bullet, replace the primary cases with a pair designed for the kickstart model. This will need 3 new M8 or 5/16" holes drilling and tapping in the crankcase to fit the mounting studs in the correct position (the factory moved them for the E/S models).

A.
 

[Royal Stargazer]

Now we're getting to the meat of it. I haven't been too successful finding out why the mod excludes the 4 speed left shift ES like my 2003.

If you don't have the pictures handy, could you tell me what I'm looking for?

I'm glad I asked. The few guides I've found (with the rest of my hopeful resources being dead links - including from before classicmotorworks was classicmotorworks) didn't explain why the 4 speed left side shift was ill suited to this mod. I only knew of the drilling of the three holes for the KS case at the crankcase.