[grumbern]

Yes, that's the wrong one, but doesn't mean it wasn't desirable. This one was fitted a short period in the late 50s to 350 udn 500 BUllets and also the Pashley (Indian) Three Wheeler. If it was me, I'd take it.
Andreas

[grumbern]

By the way, as you asked about the handlebars on my bike, they might just be similar to these:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/Royal-Enfield-Yamaha-RD-350-Norton-Triumph-Handlebar-7-8-Chrome-Plated/133553202840?hash=item1f18642698:g:mrMAAOSwXcRfj~s6


They look awful at first glance, especially with the Bullet's nacelle, but in this case they look just right.
Regards,
Andreas

[Adrian II]

Most likely explanation is that the original outer chaincase was damaged and a later one fitted as a replacement. As I mentioned the older type is still available, and you should have no problem selling the alternator version if it bothers you.

A.

[AzCal Retred]

@ #12: Alloy 40 hole rim - full width hub  (1/2 width also available)
https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-shop/Alloy-Rims/20964
PART No. RIM319 ; ALLOY RIM, WM3 X 19'', 40 HOLE (RE full width hub) ; £125.00
This is a pre-drilled, non-flanged, European made, alloy rim and is suitable for a number of Royal Enfield models with FULL WIDTH hubs (NOT including disc brake hubs).

[uhu]

Most likely explanation is that the original outer chaincase was damaged and a later one fitted as a replacement. As I mentioned the older type is still available, and you should have no problem selling the alternator version if it bothers you.

A.

seems like the inner case is not original, with the stator fixing bolts? Anyway, I bought the motor, for 350€. I suppose, an alternator cannot be fitted to this older crankshaft?

Ludo

[Adrian II]

You MIGHT be able to do a drive-side main shaft swap for a pre-metric bearing alternator crank. Item 17 on the parts book diagram. Part number 49005. Even after the alternator models first appeared for 1956, RE still made plain-end crankshafts for competition models, which suggests the bore in the flywheels stayed the same.

https://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/partsbook-pages/1239

You'd still want a platform magneto (with manual advance and retard), e.g. Lucas N1, BTH MC1 or MD1. Over the Netherlands border from you is Theodoor Leenes in Ijmuiden who might have something. http://theodole.nl/index2.html

A.

[uhu]

As said I bougt the abovementionned 350 engine and gearbox. Head, cylinder and pistopn are in good condition (std bore), as well as the gearbox etc. But the timingside shaft is worn. This is my third bullet 350 engine (none of them were runners), and they all had the same: TSshaft pitted over approx 180 ° of the circumference  (thx Hitchcocks for the availability of a replacement..., albeit almost 140£ taxes included). But is that a common problem with these engines? The reason why the Indian models converted to a rollerbearing?

Uhu

[Adrian II]

The Redditch models do have a roller bearing on the timing side, the rollers run directly on the shaft  AS WELL AS a bronze bush in the timing side crankcase, parts book page herewith:

https://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/partsbook-pages/1474

If these engines had been sitting with contaminated oil or in damp conditions for years the corrosion is not surprising.

I guess that the reason why the Indian factory changed over to the NU205 bearing for the timing side was that it was probably cheaper to buy off-the-shelf metric bearings in bulk than carry on with a bespoke imperial bearing. The drive side main bearings were changed to their nearest metric equivalents at the same time, late 1970s?

A.

[uhu]

Hi Adrian,

Thx for your reply. My english is not so good, when I said "pitted" it's no rust-pitting I mean, but clearly mechanical wear, like fretted through the hardened surface. I have the impression that the reason is a bad alignment (not square?) of the crankpin, as the wear apears only on one half of the circumference (the attached picture is the worst example, on the two other cranckshafts wear is just beginning). However, the outer races doesn't seem to be damaged...

Ludo

[AzCal Retred]

Looks like fretting by the definition. I would imagine it's from out of tolerance parts or crankshaft misalignment/eccentricity. Check concentricity of all the new bits, including the crank con rod pin alignment. If the crankpin isn't properly aligning the drive & timing side shafts, or if their holes are not aligned on center relative to the crankpin, eccentric loading would occur, explaining the fretting. Time for some careful micrometer and dial gauge work.

https://www.linearmotiontips.com/whats-the-difference-between-brinelling-spalling-fretting/

[uhu]

Time for some careful micrometer and dial gauge work.

Thx for the explanation (and for the new word I learned :-)). Seems indeed fretting... The cranckshaft has been reassembled with a new TSshaft from Hitchcocks and trued on a lathe to 0,02 mm. Hope that will do... Anyway, she runs fine.
I'm glad it's not a system fault in these engines... I just had bad luck, apparently.

Ludo

[Adrian II]

I think Hitchcocks have a needle roller bearing conversion for the Redditch timing side cranks, possibly by special order rather than a catalog item.

The wear/spalling for part of the circumference on the main shaft is similar to what a saw on my first BSA C15 big-end pin.

A.

[uhu]

I think Hitchcocks have a needle roller bearing conversion for the Redditch timing side cranks, possibly by special order rather than a catalog item.

Hi Adrian, they do indeed have a conversion, but only for the 500 (from 53 on) and the 350 from 56 on... They have two rows of rollers, the early 350 a single row... Unfortunately...

[Adrian II]

Could you get a local engineering company to grind the shaft down and fit a hardened steel sleeve the same outside diameter as the original?

A.

[Karl Fenn]

Don't know it might be feasible l have never come across this before, one thing for sure most good engineering shops have gone here 30 years there were plenty in town now not one, an interesting question.