Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum
Royal Enfield Motorcycles => Bullet Electra & AVL => Topic started by: Adrian II on August 30, 2019, 11:58:36 pm
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Erica slightly stunned me a while back asking, following the completion of ASBO14, if she could have a go at restoring on old bike. Let's see, big spare lumps of Electra-X engine all over the garage, a '94 Bullet 500 frame (with current registration) hanging up on the garage wall, forks and wheels kicking around... Yeah, why not? (Erica did metalwork at school.)
Only thing is, she hasn't ridden a motorbike - ever. OK, she has driven cars for a long time, but to ride a motorcycle in the UK she will need to pass her theory test, get compulsory basic training, and will then have seven day's intensive training with her full license test at the end of this. That's great, and is in hand but while she is building the project, what will she have to ride?
Well, back in March a a friend said he was selling one of his bikes. An Electra-X, no less, I'd always regretted not repairing my old one when it ate its big end, so YES, THAT'll do! Especially as this one was a runner and cheap too.
The bike was not without its problems, though. The very first owner was a bit of a ham-fisted experimenter, it seems, the poor bike had been subjected to the world's ugliest twin rev counter/speedometer conversion, and he had chopped the wiring around to make it all work. Here it is in all its dreadful glory.
(https://i.ibb.co/XxCRz2Y/DSCN8087.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/5c7YQhz/DSCN8089.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/23rj5DG/DSCN8090.jpg)
So in the last few months I have bought a right-foot shift conversion from Henry Price and one of those ludicrously cheap PWK flat slide carbs to fit, but now with the cooler days arriving it's time to crack on.
Now I **could just have got those fitted and sorted out some of the other bits of owner-abuse i have been finding, but the though came to me, why not make her ride into something with some more class than just another old Bullet. Hmmm.
OK, I have a plan. What? Cafe racer? not with our backs, thank you. Street scrambler? Been there, done that. Bobber? No, I have complained about enough of those! ;)
OK, I need another Fury yoke from Hitchcocks' infinite supply and a new set of plain top forks for it (99 GBP delivered from India plus 17GBP tax and customs), and I think I can reveal where this is heading.
(https://i.ibb.co/cQSQ1J2/DSCF8116.jpg)
Early days, but I have harboured a hankering to come up with a street tracker for some time
I think I'll stick with the naked stanchions for now, the fork gaiters and short shrouds could always be fitted if necessary.
(https://i.ibb.co/47cxXXx/DSCF8113.jpg)
The bars are Norton export.
Currently on order are
the Bates-style 5.75" headlamp;
the flat track seat;
the AHRMA-style white racing number plates, which will take the place of that silly bit of cardboard.
I'm after a proper classic number/license plate with a 564 tail lamp for the back to tuck up under the f/t seat, which will admittedly leave a bit too much fender hanging out at the back. Don't want to chop that one, but there is another rusty Electra fender kicking around which came with the small stash of spares, that might clean up OK for a modest trim - nothing too radical. I shall take it off the front and move it round to preserve the rolled edge at the back.
Got a bit of a junk pile building up... :-X
(https://i.ibb.co/QDggYMw/DSCF8117.jpg)
In the longer term it might look better with a Series 1A/Series 2 Interceptor tank (painted orange? :o ) or maybe the same sort of tank that is on Not A Fury with the small chrome panels and badges.
A.
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Never a dull moment!
Watching this one...
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First crack at lining up the seat and side plates. The rusty old spare fender came in useful too, though I will need to tidy up around the rear light.
A.
(https://i.ibb.co/8YqBRgH/DSCF8132.jpg) (https://ibb.co/41zfDRH)
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Some more progress (my projects tend to take their time). Most of the old wiring has been removed, the project is now in the throes of a re-wire.
The Bates clone headlamp seems right, and I have decided against naked forks now, in an effort to preserve some RE classic-ness. Yes that is one of the old speedometer cups being re-used. Sorry for the photo quality, I ought not to start taking pictures when it's getting dark outside.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9M300DJH/DSCF8159.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
The Hella 5.75 inch light unit fits better than the Autopal I had in there to start with.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yYPTf0Wf/DSCF8171.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
I'd always fancied a supertrapp muffler but the cost put me off. However some ebay seller in Germany was selling these stainless steel items at a better price.
(https://i.postimg.cc/28pVvL8y/DSCF8148.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
the 20 degree pipe-bend just kicks it up enough.
(https://i.postimg.cc/j275nBZk/DSCF8168.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
A.
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Looks nice, but wait, ... didn't you open by saying your WIFE asked if she could do a restoration?
This reminds me of when my dad and I would build a model airplane. I became an expert model airplane build watcher.
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Looks nice, but wait, ... didn't you open by saying your WIFE asked if she could do a restoration?
Yes I did. Go back and read the second paragraph of my first post. ;)
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A few more small tasks to report.
One of the problems with the Indian Bullet frame is that where it dips down behind the fuel tank (it was an adaptation of a rigid frame with sprung saddle in 1948, remember) there's not much to support a flatter seat base. Need a sub-base and some brackets bolted to the sub-frame.
Got wood? :o ;D
(https://i.postimg.cc/XJpv83Cz/DSCF8185.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Also sorted out the license plate, nice LED tail lamp all for £5 $6.81 from a local autojumble swap meet.
(https://i.postimg.cc/fWP91qWd/DSCF8187blank.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Muffler bracket sorted.
(https://i.postimg.cc/05htc4xb/DSCF8197.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
And the slimmer gas tank finally arrived from India. We shall have this painted white with the largest Royal Enfield logos in Red that I can find. Currently I'm thinking about fitting one of Hitchcocks' short front fenders (don't want to chop the one one there at the moment), with front and rear fenders white to match. I should probably also finish off the right-foot shift conversion on the gearbox at some stage...
A.
(https://i.postimg.cc/kM1LPBR5/DSCF8203.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
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Wow, it's been a while with this one, but as a morale boost for getting it back in the frame I thought I'd better get the over-sized vinyls on the tank (blasted, etch-primed and professionally sprayed, forget the rattle can here) and see how it's looking. The front fender has gone back to the spares pile and been replaced by the Hitchcocks' shorty as planned. Haven't decided on the racing numbers yet.
Obviously nowhere near the real thing, and it never will be, but it's getting closer to where I want it.
(https://i.postimg.cc/gkFfx6b9/DSCF8429.jpg)
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Actually, that looks pretty damned good now! :)
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Very flattracky!
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Thank you. I think the style is belatedly catching on over here, though I remember Mark Williams in Bike magazine enthusing over flat trackers 45 years ago.
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That is looking pretty sweet! Love the muffler.
Is that guy still selling them? Got a link?
Might need to add a muffler to my bike, the db-killer in a straight pipe is still a bit on the loud side.
Thanks
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I got mine from a German outfit on ebay, although I think you can also ebay them directly from a Very Large Asian Country. They're universal fitting so you'll need the reducer sleeves supplied to fit the 38mm exhaust pipe of the 350. 140,99 Euro plus 6,99 Euro shipping to sunny Belgium.
https://www.befr.ebay.be/itm/Auspuff-Forge-B-fur-Royal-Enfield-Bullet-Edelstahl-Schalldampfer/401857412250?hash=item5d90917c9a:g:aKgAAOSw68NdZY2L
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Oops, 104,99 Euros is the price, not 140,99! :-[
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