In order to test the limits of my machine after the service, I took the daring decision to take my Bullet all the way to college.
BHPian SgtGAWD recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
The thread has been lying inactive for a long time as I was too busy with my semester exams and a host of other stuff. The updates on the Bullet have been plentiful in between and I have kept track of all of it. So here it goes:
28th Oct 2022:
I left my bike with my mechanic to get the cam work done. He told me to get a Cam Kit (part no 141991) and Timing Gear (part no 140115). They ended up costing me Rs. 2270.
I had also gotten hold of a fuel tank as my tank was not straight and got it painted for Rs 400. I opted to go for a plain red colour instead of the erstwhile chrome and red as the rest of my motorcycle was red already.
05 Nov 2022:
My mechanic called me up and told me that my motorcycle was ready. I went to pick it up and upon starting her up, I felt a marginal reduction in sound. There was no clatter at idle however once the motorcycle reached high RPMs while riding or went beyond 30-35 km/h, there was a discernable clatter from the engine. My mechanic told me that the sound was from the big-end and required a full engine overhaul. He advised me to get it done after a year or so of riding as the motorcycle was still usable and only advised me to get the oil changed regularly. Needless to say, I was disappointed and the motorcycle began to spend its days in the garage
19 Dec 2022:
One fine day, I gathered up the courage to ride again on my flawed machine and went to the garage to take her out. I was greeted by a dead battery. I grudgingly took the battery to my usual charging guy and he told me to collect it in the afternoon. When I went to him in the afternoon, he informed me the battery was dead and didn’t charge at all. He pointed out that I had taken the battery to him about a dozen times in the last 8 months and there was probably something wrong with my charging system. He advised me to visit a proper wiring specialist in Calcutta and get it looked at. I proceeded to send my battery off for replacement and got a new unit from Exide soon enough.
Being nearly at the end of my patience with the machine, I decided to get a bigger RR unit instead of the puny one in my Bullet. I went ahead and purchased an RR unit with auto cutoff and it costed me Rs 480. However the ampere meter still barely moved on accelerating and I concluded that there is something wrong with the alternator. So I took my Bullett to Calcutta. My father knew someone called Mr Subal in Bonhooghly, a few kilometres from my place. This gentleman owns a garage but is famous for being the wiring wizard and my dad was confident that he can sort out my charging issue. Upon seeing the bike, he got to work and soon identified the issue- the alternator was okay but it was wired incorrectly by my mechanic while swapping my wiring. All it took was 10 minutes and my battery was charging like new again. He also took my motorcycle for a spin and advised me to get new clutch plates and some gearbox work done. But he refused to work on my bike because he had too much on his plate. So I went from one mechanic to another and ended up with a variety of suggestions. Some refused to touch the bike and advised me to take the motorcycle to Wellington and get it overhauled from there while others blamed the air filter for all the noise. Fed up, I decided to return home.
15 Mar 2023:
I wasn’t riding much and it had been a year since the last oil change. Although it had only been 250 kms, I decided to get the oil changed as it would give me the opportunity to some of the other work done as well. Having had enough of my local mechanics, I went a completely new mechanic a few kilometres away from my place at Dharsa. My dad knew this guy and vouched for his work. I gave my bike to him and informed him about all the issues and he told me that my motorcycle needed a new chain sprocket to solve the issue of the chain rubbing while carrying a pillion. I also had a nasty experience of the rear sliding out on hard braking due to the worn out 20 y/0 Dunlop at the rear so I decided to get a new tyre too. The mechanic had an old C350 rim lying around which I picked up for Rs 600 to replace my front rim. So I went ahead and procured the following parts:
- Motul 20W50 3L: Rs 850
- Rolon Chain Sprocket Set: Rs 1450
- Michelin Sirac Street 3.50/19 Rear tyre + Tube: Rs 1750 (I think I got a sweet deal on this)
- Spoke kit: Rs 700
- MK Clutch Plates: Rs 330
- Air Filter (RE OEM): Rs 75
- Oil Filter (RE OEM): Rs 30
He worked on the bike for a week or so. When I arrived to pick up my motorcycle, I had mixed feelings. I took the bike for a ride and rode it till 60-65 km/h and there was no clatter. The gearbox was considerably smoother and the bike felt livelier. The Michelin felt good and improved the braking. However, the chain issue persisted. My mechanic also informed me that he did not replace the oil filter and the front sprocket both of them were still usable. I also faced an issue with the spark plugs turning black and so he also replaced the spark plug and the plug cap. Moderately satisfied, I took my motorcycle home.
Elofic Filter vs OEM filter. OEM filter is less restrictive.
4th April 2023:
In order to test the limits of my machine after the service, I took the daring decision to take my Bullet all the way to college. The journey was a mere 13 kms however most of it was through the heart of Calcutta in peak rush hour traffic. My motorcycle performed okay and I did make it to my college without stalling. I also spotted 2 or 3 CI Enfields chugging along on their office commutes. The motorcycle delivered a mileage of 20-22 km/l and that was the only disappointing part about the entire day.
The farthest it has gone from home- 13kms.
Present Day:
I have ridden the Bullet for 60kms since the last service. The crank sound has returned whenever I am in second or third gear and have to accelerate even moderately. However the bike chugs along fine till 65km/h which is more than I will ever need on city roads. There is also an oil leak which my mechanic has attributed to the bearing of the front sprocket. It is causing the gearbox to lose oil which is causing stiffer shifts. It is also causing the chain to move side to side causing the chain noise.
Future Plans:
I went down to my garage today, armed with a tube of Autosol metal polish and an old toothbrush and began polishing the forks, timing chest and clutch cover. I mindlessly scrubbed away while thinking about the future of my machine. After much thought, I have made a decision to replace my CI bullet with a newer RE or get a smaller second bike. I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with the Enfield and it has vastly enhanced my knowledge about motorcycles. However, the constant maintenance and lack of practicality for my use case render it as nothing more than a weekend toy. Paperwork has also been an issue and I had approached an agent who quoted 30k for getting the papers up to date. However, the cops in WB are lenient and never have I ever been bothered by them about the papers (probably because of the red colour and the police decals). One of my friends was stopped once but he was let go when he politely explained about the hassles of sorting out paperwork for a vehicle from the 80s. However, not all cops may be so kind and it is better to be safe than sorry. I have two avenues to go on right now.
Keep the Enfield and get a smaller bike: This makes sense as I will get a sensible ride for now and restore the Enfield later when I have the finances to do so. The only problem with this option is that the only bikes that appeal to me other than a Bullet are the Hero Impulse and XPulse. The Impulses are hard to come by in my city and I shall avoid any FI XPulse due to my obvious apprehensions about anything other than a carburettor. That only leaves BS4 Carb XPulses for me which are hard to find too.
Replace the Bullet with another Bullet: I recently had the privilege to ride my friend’s C350 BS6 for 30-35 kms and came to the realization that the UCE engine isn’t half bad for my use-case. It delivers decent FE and once you plonk in an Indori exhaust, it sounds nearly identical to a CI bullet minus the thump and all the clatter from the engine. Moreover, the reliability blew me away. The only issue is the vibration but I realized that my CI vibrates equally but I am oblivious to it, perhaps due to the rose-tinted glasses. However, I still feel that the Classic is not the bike for me due to the 18” wheel at the back. An Electra or the Standard would be the perfect replacement for my Bullet and that brings us to the same problem– availability.
First prolonged exposure to a C350.
I also spotted a CI Electra 5s ES today at a motorcycle dealership and couldn’t stop myself from checking it out. I took a test ride and felt truly the best the CI engine had to offer. The shifts were as smooth as a C350, the thump was better than my CI and there was negligible engine noise. Plus, no CB points thus resulting in better reliability. However, being a CI engined Bullet, there will be engine trouble in the future and the sprag clutch will inevitably give up someday and the FE, though marginally better, will never be as good as a UCE. Also, it will probably be sold off by the time I find a buyer for my RE.
Whichever route I choose, I shall ensure that there remains at least one RE in my garage at all times.
At least the forks look shiny.
Keyword: My 1995 Royal Enfield Machismo 350: Service & other running maintenance