[charte]

Under the category of "this would have been great info  a year ago", Patriot Harley would stage up about 1000 bikes in Fairfax, and then we'd ride with police escort to the Pentagon.  They'd shut down I66 for us!  It was amazing.  Then we'd queue at the Pentagon for the full ride at the Mall.

I am not Military either, but I found it a way to express my gratitude on Memorial Day weekend other than just grilling burgers (and hey, nothing wrong with grilling burgers!!!).  It was a way to show support for the Veterans (of whom I have many in my family) with a hobby I love.  I'm sorry it's over.

Clifton is a classic touch and go destination from here, and my neighbor has been to that event.  I'll maybe try in June and see if anyone is there and maybe meet you!

[charte]

David, I think that's good news because then you just need to conform to motorcycle standards of 1973, of which there we'ren't many! 

I recall studying for my bkes I I think the only thing required was a rear brake and a brake light.  Seriously. Forget about emissions.  It was a very low bar.

[ddavidv]

So that makes it an Indian built model?

Absolutely. Always knew it was though Indian owner thought it was a '72. I didn't want to title it the wrong year even though in the big picture it doesn't matter.

I did a stint with Austin Mini ownership and there was a lot of 'creativity' in titling those to bring them into the US. I prefer to have things 'proper' if possible.

[AgentX]

Sending a PM on registration experiences...

[ddavidv]

Ugh, batteries.
The battery in this thing was complete toast. The size is R12N5-3B. Though I can find a few of that size online they are fairly scarce and only come as 'empty' with no acid.
I looked up what a Bullet 500 like mine should take and found UB5LB and/or XT14L-A2.
By application Batteries Plus shows three options but the least expensive is $65 for a lead acid model! Twice what I see them elsewhere for.
I can't go bigger than the one that's in there but suppose I could go smaller?

[Bilgemaster]

With no electric start to grind over, I'd have thought most any 12v that would fit should do the trick... but I'm no expert. That superb YouTuber Mustie1 often uses old deep cycle batteries in his bike resurrections that were originally used in medical devices and exchanged after a certain period just for safety's sake, though still quite serviceable. Where he sources them I have no clue. I seem to recall he gets them for something like $5 or less a pop.

The thing about Batteries Plus is that they're great if you need something quick, but they're not exactly shy about their markup.

What are the precise dimensions of the old battery? And could we see a photo of it and maybe the battery tray just for ready reference?

[ddavidv]

The battery tray is 'standard Bullet' but since my own glorious machine was customized I don't have one to compare to. I suspect I could still borrow the AGM out of mine to use temporarily but I don't like doing things multiple times if I don't need to.

[Adrian II]

So that makes it an Indian built model?

UK Bullet production ceased in the early 1960s.

A.

[cyrusb]

Ah, it was '66. What throws me off is that Floyd Clymer was marketing them as "Indians" I think until the early 70's. I always thought those rebadged bikes came from Redditch. Anybody have the data?

[Adrian II]

I think the Redditch RE/Brockhouse Indian thing stopped around 1959, after that I think the Indian model names were briefly applied to Matchless bikes, with the Super Meteor based Chief being the last Redditch offering.

http://re-indian.com/60catalogue.html

re-indian.com also has info on the Clymer bikes, a very good site.

The final Redditch bike to bare the Bullet name was a UCE 350 based on the 250 Crusader.

A.

[charte]

David, I've been using this battery and very happy with it, also it's a bit lighter.  I have bought 4 so far (1 for each of my Bullets, one for my Triumph Rocket III, and one for a buddy).

Maybe check long term reviews, but I'm very happy with them, and they fit the Bullet perfectly (I'm assuming your battery tray is like mine.

This is the model:  BikeMaster MG5-3B TruGel Battery

[ddavidv]

Got her running. Starting is a bit chaotic as I haven't figured out the secret sequence but once she's running and warm she sets into a nice idle.

But I still have a problem. The owner told me he had trouble with the clutch. I thought he meant gear trouble because of the bent peg/shifter but that's been fixed. Nope, clutch doesn't disengage enough to put it in gear. Hold the clutch in, push on the shifter and is sounds like my dad's old non-syncro Willys Jeep. The only cable adjustment this one seems to have is in the middle of the cable; nothing at either end. Fiddled with that, all it does is move the position the lever works. Tried setting the adjustment at the trans with the screw and it seemed to be properly adjusted. I moved it a little and it feels a little different but same result.

With the primary cover off I can see the clutch discs move when I pull the lever but to me it doesn't seem like enough (and apparently isn't!). But I'm stymied about what to do next. It all used to work. Then it didn't which is why he quit riding it.

Lastly, I did take the clutch assembly apart and make sure nothing was sticking. The discs all look pretty new and were probably replaced when the bike was rebuilt.

[Paul W]

I’d take the gearbox outer cover off next to check the clutch release mechanism on that side.

Have you checked to see if the ball in between the two release pushrods is actually in place and in good condition?

Also, I’d check the release bearing at the clutch end is OK.

[ddavidv]

I’d take the gearbox outer cover off next to check the clutch release mechanism on that side.

Did that.

Have you checked to see if the ball in between the two release pushrods is actually in place and in good condition?

Didn't check that. Can it just fall out on it's own accord?

Also, I’d check the release bearing at the clutch end is OK.

Visually appears okay.

[charte]

I had a very similar problem. With the warning that this may not be a recommended solution, I was not getting enough throw either. So I popped in another quarter inch ball bearing. That did the trick and I’m off to the races. So now I have two ball bearings in there. It gave me just enough throw that everything works fine.