Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet with the UCE engine => Topic started by: sjbiat on February 11, 2011, 12:55:10 pm

Title: models
Post by: sjbiat on February 11, 2011, 12:55:10 pm
One of my colleagues is so enamoured of my new C5 that he has begun looking for a used Enfield.  He is asking me a lot of questions about other models, and I am not sure my understanding is correct.  Could someone spell out for me what is the connection between the various models that are the subjects of the sections in this forum

I went with  him yesterday to look at a local bike for sale.  Pretty interesting.  It was a 1996 bullet with 100 miles on it!  It was bought for a movie, and had been sitting in a warehouse for 15 years.  The seller fixes up old English bike for a living.  He changed the oil, and it starts and shifts fine.  Its missing a muffler.  Its appearance was distressed for the movie - it is repainted, the shinny parts are scuffed up, the muffler is removed.  It looks and sounds like an old rat bike.  $2200.  What do y'all think?

20 degrees today.  Maybe at that temperature I can push the speed limits for break-in.

Stephan
Title: Re: models
Post by: prof_stack on February 11, 2011, 02:43:55 pm
$2,200 is only an entry fee for the privilege of spending a lot of time and money on an old (classic) bike.  I wouldn't touch it, but there are some brave souls who might.

Make sure your friend knows that the C5 and other UCE bikes are a whole 'nother world from the classic iron barrel bikes.
Title: Re: models
Post by: Ice on February 11, 2011, 03:05:08 pm
1996 bikes had the Iron Barrel motor. Quite fun but nowhere near as REliable or durable as the C5 or G5.

  IF the 100 miles was actual  mileage   $2,200 could be a nice price for some of us.

 These older models can be way more fussy and trouble prone that one realizes.
Unless your friend is adept at keeping old British singles running I would steer him towards a UCE powered bike like yours.
Title: Re: models
Post by: ace.cafe on February 11, 2011, 03:09:58 pm
This forum is for the new model bikes with the unit-construction engine(UCE), which have the gearbox integrated inside the engine case.

The Bullet Classic forum is for the older pre-2009 vintage engine-type bikes made in India, which are often called the "Iron Barrel models". They were discontinued in 2008, and have the same basic architecture as the older British vintage models, with some small differences.

The AVL forum is for the recent bikes that have just been discontinued in about 2010. These were made for about 10 years, and were built in India, and the engine design was done by AVL of Austria, as an answer to meeting stricter emission control regulations. It was sort of an "interim engine" that fell in-between the older Iron Barrel engine and the new UCE, and has been replaced now by the UCE engines.
The AVL and Iron Barrel engines were produced side-by-side for a number of years, and thus there production years over-lapped here in the US from about 2006-2008 importation range.

The UCE is the only engine now in current production.

The Vintage Bike section is for any RE bike that was made a long time ago, twins or singles, and British or India manufacture.



Title: Re: models
Post by: Maturin on February 12, 2011, 01:22:01 pm
When you´re running an iron barrel RE, you´re running a bike that made it´s owner a pride King of the road in 1954. This bike is very, very close to the vehicle your grandfather bought to keep this constant grinning on his face. That´s the interesting thing about the iron barrel: you can´t get this feeling anywhere else, for this bike has been the last surviving dinosaur.
Keeping that in mind you mustn´t forget that your grandfather, having bought this bike, was either pretty well off or a capable mechanic (or both). The efford to maintain and repair the iron Bullet will certainly be much more extensive than a "modern" RE.
To avoid some almost certain breakdowns due to faults in the construction it has proven to be helpfull to implement several modifications to the engine from the start on. That´s why it is not too good buying an old bike with vitually no mileage, for these modification are certainly not in place yet.
That shouldn´t scare off anyone - but when you´re knowledge isn´t enough to understand the basic problems of this construction, you should be willing to learn about it.
If your friend, Br. Sjbiat, is on the tinkering side, an iron barrel will be great fun for him. If not I recommend looking for a UCE.
Title: Re: models
Post by: olhogrider on February 12, 2011, 04:50:07 pm
Maturin, a very thoughtful response. I am torn between the expense vs reliability of a new one and the required tinkering of an old one. I enjoy  tinkering when it is my option. One of the reasons I drive a 40 year old Mercedes. The ages of my 5 bikes range from 1979 to 1998. Since they are Japanese, the only things they need are routine maintenance. I think I'll be happier on an old looking but modern running bike like the C5.

Dan
Title: Re: models
Post by: singhg5 on February 12, 2011, 05:02:52 pm
The ages of my 5 bikes range from 1979 to 1998. Since they are Japanese, the only things they need are routine maintenance. I think I'll be happier on an old looking but modern running bike like the C5.

@Dan:

Your 1979-1988 are JAPANESE bikes - No comparison with RE.

If you like 'Japanese level' tinkering, C5 or G5 will give you plenty of opportunity.  Lots of mods can be done on these UCE Efi REs to satisfy your 'let-me-tinker' hobby or desire  ;).