[Jeroen]

So how does this electric starting work on modern RE. If not in neutral can you still use the electrical starter? Which would suggest you can also start it in gear electrically? My bullet has kick start only, so I have no experience with electrcial starting. Other then I see quite a few guys having problems with electrical starting of their REs and often resort to kick starting as well.

I would have thought the electrical starting would be disabled unless the gear is in neutral? Maybe that is to advanced for RE?
Jeroen

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

So how does this electric starting work on modern RE.

Jeroen mate, the electric starter in RE works the same way as it does in all the other modern motorcycles equipped with electric starters.

If not in neutral can you still use the electrical starter? Which would suggest you can also start it in gear electrically?

Yes one can start the motorcycle even when it is in gear provided one presses the clutch fully. The motorcycle comes equipped with a built-in clutch switch which is provided in the system for the safety of both the rider as well as the motorcycle. The clutch switch prevents the motorcycle from starting when the vehicle is in gear.

My bullet has kick start only, so I have no experience with electrcial starting. Other then I see quite a few guys having problems with electrical starting of their REs and often resort to kick starting as well.

The pre UCE models did had their fair share or niggles when it came to electric starting. The new UCE models are relatively reliable when it comes to electric starting. All my older four RE motorcycles are devoid of electric starters. The new Thunderbird 500 is the only one I have which has an electric starter. I am now habituated to use kick starter despite having an electric starter due to my old habits. But I do use the electric starter as well. The feeling of kick starting a big 500cc single cylinder engine is something different and cannot be defined in words. Some of them RE riders are like me who still like to kick start their motorcycles due to the nostalgia.

I would have thought the electrical starting would be disabled unless the gear is in neutral? Maybe that is to advanced for RE?

Nope that safety mechanism is already incorporated by RE. Read above about the clutch switch which prevents the motorcycle from starting while it is in gear.

[Jeroen]

Thanks. So there is a clutch switch, but not a gear switch. Not sure I follow the logic, but I'm sure somebody thought it through.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

So there is a clutch switch, but not a gear switch. Not sure I follow the logic.

The logic is pretty simple wherein the clutch switch is a single pole, double throw (SPDT) switch located on the left-side handlebar at the clutch lever. When the clutch lever is in the released (clutch engaged) position, the safety switch is connected to the gear selector safety switch. When the clutch lever is in the pulled-in (clutch disengaged) position, the safety switch is connected to chassis ground. Almost all of the modern motorcycles employs a clutch switch. Some of them are BMW F650, R1200 GS, Suzuki Gixxer, Honda Fireblade, Kawasaki, Triumph, etc. You can read through these links given below to see how it works. Although manufacturers may have some minor tweaks depending on their models but the basic functioning is the same for all.

Reference:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/Underst...afety_switches

http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...n-gear.376181/

[Jeroen]

Thanks, I read the wiki article and that makes sense. I understood the earlier post that you could electrically start without the gear in neutral by just moving the clutch lever to the pulled-in position. That did not make sense to me. The article shows, including the stand position how the interlocking works.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I understood the earlier post that you could electrically start without the gear in neutral by just moving the clutch lever to the pulled-in position. That did not make sense to me.

In case of an RE:
A bike can be started in any of the following ways:
in neutral with the side stand down/up and the clutch out/in
in neutral, with the side stand down/up and the clutch out/in
in gear, with the side stand down/up and the clutch in

The article shows, including the stand position how the interlocking works.

RE motorcycles have a side stand indicator, but in no way does it affect the starting of a motorcycle. The side stand indicator is just a visual indicator that's it. In simple words the position of the side stand has no affect on RE motorcycles' electric starting. Whereas in a KTM Duke 390 if the bike is on its side stand it won't start at all.

[ArizonaJim]

As a side note, the Export models of the Royal Enfield UCE motorcycles have a side stand switch that not only will prevent the use of the electric starter motor, it will keep the engine from starting if the side stand is down.

If the engine is running and the rider lowers the side stand the engine is instantly killed.

Many riders in the US (including me) have totally disconnected the side stand safety switch.

As I mentioned in another post, pulling in the clutch lever allows the Royal Enfield engine to be started by using the electric starter motor. Just pull in the clutch, hit the starter button and the engine starts, even if the transmission is in gear.

This "starts while the transmission is in gear" system is handy if the motorcycle is sitting at a stop light and the engine dies. The rider does not have to shift into neutral. Just pull in the clutch lever, press the starter button and the engine restarts so he can motor away.

As for pulling in the clutch lever even if the transmission is in neutral, it does help the starter in a small way.
With the clutch lever pulled in, the electric starter doesn't have to turn the gears in the transmission while it is cranking.
That reduces the load on the motor. It also can help to break loose the wet clutch plates that tend to stick together over night.

[rbppt]

Hello.

I don't know what to call it exactly, but if the exhaust system (of any bike - mine's a Bullet) has two parts, the first being the bend pipe that extends till the foot rest and the second being the silencer, I've removed the latter from my custom Bullet. Now my question is, if I wish to keep it this way, are there any ways to reduce the exhaust sound? Without the silencer bit, it's way too loud, but assuming that I gotta keep it this way, how can I lower the noise (by whatever extent I can)?

[Ragavsr]

LONG POST WARNING !
I would be happy if people here give me frank and honest answers. I would like to know how reliable Royal Enfields are or rather how unreliable they are.

I traveled around Ladakh in a Royal Enfield Electra 350 for 7 days visiting remote corners of Ladakh like Turtuk, Hanle, Chushul and Tso Moriri apart from usual places like Pangong,Khardung La and the likes. To cut it short ,I fell in love with both the bike and Ladakh.

I was able to travel from Leh to Hanle , a distance of around 270 KM in a single day out of which 100 KM was on gravel like roads where one can't cross 20 KMPH. Suffice to say, those 100 KM took more than 6 hours as a few stretches the road was wavery due to the movement of earth movers. I was impressed with the comfort and fatigue less journey despite the challenging roads.

Now, I am interested in buying one and I am hearing horror stories. I have a close friend with a Thunderbird 350 with engine oil leakage issues not addressed for the 4 years he has owned the bike. My regular mechanic who services my bikes and scooters wasn't that enthusiastic either. He was telling me problems about the chain brackets and the overall poor reliability.

Do all bikes have some issues or the other or is it a case of few lemons like Fiat/Ford/Skoda. The bike I rented was brand new with only 500 KM on the odo. I used it for 1500 KM without any trouble.

Which is the most reliable of the RE's as I can only tolerate unreliability to a level. I am used to having Yamaha 100cc commuter cars ,Honda bikes and Hyundai cars which were very reliable. The current Ford Figo is not reliable but tolerable. I wouldn't simply be able to tolerate two unreliable vehicles at once.

[prasanna.vps]

Hi Raghav, good to hear about your expeditions with the bullet, plan to do that one day myself.

Coming to your question, I own a TBTS 500 that just completed 5K on the odo. I had bought it considering I will do long hauls across. But guess what due to various circumstances, it has ended up being my daily ride. I have had ZERO issues in the bike till now, it's just like any other bike in terms of reliability.

While the quality of paint jobs and finishing can dramatically improve, I don't see any issues with this gen of the bikes. Happy decision making and riding.

[FuelInjector]

Originally Posted by Ragavsr

Now, I am interested in buying one and I am hearing horror stories.

Unfortunately Enfields do have few uncertainities. However, from what i read in forums, every RE owner loves his machine to the limit and does not care about the niggles.
Personally i had a TBTS 2009 model. I sold it this year to upgrade to Bullet 500. i faced certain issues with TBTS but those were normal mechanical ones due to usage wear & tear. Had taken care of it regularly and hence no unexpected issues at all.
With my Bullet 500, its too early to comment as its done only 1000 kms. There are slight niggles (you can read about that in my PAPS Bullet 500 thread). But i love every meter i ride on it.

Good luck with your selection. let us know what you choose and why.

[Siddy]

Originally Posted by Ragavsr

Which is the most reliable of the RE's as I can only tolerate unreliability to a level

Mine is a similar story, I sold my Jan 2009 Twinspark thunderbird in 2012 and after a small break from riding bought the Bullet 500 in Jan 2015. My T'bird had some issues with the timing cams (made grinding noise) which was rectified after visiting numerous mechanics, but it never bothered me. I rode her a lot and finally sold her after I found no time to ride. I was not doing justice to her, sometimes wont ride for months. My new Bullet 500 has been perfect so far, done 5653 kilometers till date. City traffic, highways, off road no issues at all (touch-wood!). The new generation of RE's are pretty reliable and small niggles are quite OK, they wont do any harm & wont steal the joy of riding. Best wishes for your new purchase!

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Ragavsr

I would be happy if people here give me frank and honest answers. I would like to know how reliable Royal Enfields are or rather how unreliable they are.

Ragavsr mate no motorcycle on this planet is perfect or 100% reliable. I suggest you to read through various forums and interact with RE riders about their opinion on reliability of a RE motorcycle(although you have mentioned below about your friend and your regular mechanic). I as a RE rider and an owner would say it is a mixed bag depending on how you take care of the motorcycle. Remember RE motorcycles still run on pushrod system although the tappets are now hydraulically operated. Having owned 5 RE's I can say that as long as you change the oil and lubes on time it won't give you any problem. There are some typical symptoms that must be diagnosed correctly and repaired at the earliest. I struggled with my CI's during monsoon season for the first couple of years where it refused to start inspite of numerous kicks. After sometime I learnt to clean the CB point to rid it of moisture, clean the spark plug and tune the carb and Voila it starts in the first kick.

I traveled around Ladakh in a Royal Enfield Electra 350 for 7 days visiting remote corners of Ladakh like Turtuk, Hanle, Chushul and Tso Moriri apart from usual places like Pangong,Khardung La and the likes. To cut it short ,I fell in love with both the bike and Ladakh.

The latter part is your heart speaking and rightly so as the motorcycle you rode was brand new and run for just 500 kms. The newer lot of UCE's are reliable compared to the older lot (but it is still not fill it, shut it, forget it bike) case in point my Tbird500 which except for once hasn't ditched me so far.

I was able to travel from Leh to Hanle , a distance of around 270 KM in a single day out of which 100 KM was on gravel like roads where one can't cross 20 KMPH. Suffice to say, those 100 KM took more than 6 hours as a few stretches the road was wavery due to the movement of earth movers. I was impressed with the comfort and fatigue less journey despite the challenging roads.

The Electra which you rode is the most underrated motorcycle from the RE stable. In fact this was the best motorcycle when it was launched way back in early 2000's. Your journey was comfortable as the electra uses a superior offset telescopic front suspension compared to CI's, it uses gas filled shock ups compared to CI's oil filled, last but not the least the legendary step up single seat derived from the Standard is still unbeatable in terms of riding posture and comfort.

Now, I am interested in buying one and I am hearing horror stories. I have a close friend with a Thunderbird 350 with engine oil leakage issues not addressed for the 4 years he has owned the bike. My regular mechanic who services my bikes and scooters wasn't that enthusiastic either. He was telling me problems about the chain brackets and the overall poor reliability.

Try to interact with more RE riders to form an opinion on the reliability part, in case you get influenced by others while making a choice.

Do all bikes have some issues or the other or is it a case of few lemons like Fiat/Ford/Skoda. The bike I rented was brand new with only 500 KM on the odo. I used it for 1500 KM without any trouble.

This is difficult to answer. I am not sure as RE is now rolling out majority of their motorcycles from their new factory.

Which is the most reliable of the RE's as I can only tolerate unreliability to a level. I am used to having Yamaha 100cc commuter cars ,Honda bikes and Hyundai cars which were very reliable. The current Ford Figo is not reliable but tolerable. I wouldn't simply be able to tolerate two unreliable vehicles at once.

Mate benchmarking RE's reliability against the Japanese bikes is a no brainer. If you are used to Japanese bikes then RE might fall short on reliability standards. Based on your requirements I would suggest you to look for some more options while keeping RE as an option. Since you have already owned a Honda why don't you consider the Honda CBR 250 or better the Yamaha R3. If you want thrill and adrenaline rush sprinkled with reliability don't miss the KTM Duke 390 or even the Duke 200 (one thing to consider in KTM is the seat comfort). Happy choosing.

[Siddy]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

tune the carb and Voila it starts in the first kick.

Hey navin_v8, please share some tips on carb tuning. I know a few basics regarding the A/F screw and have tried to tune myself a few times, but I felt no difference.

Another query is regarding this rocker knock I hear from the head area, the RE mechanics said its the rocker bearing and I should ignore it. Having owned a RE since 2009 these sounds don't bother me still wanted your opinion on this one. The knock is heard under hard acceleration and load(climbing ghats), its not the engine pinging for sure (I regularly use Shell V power).

Thanks in advance.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Siddy

Hey navin_v8, please share some tips on carb tuning. I know a few basics regarding the A/F screw and have tried to tune myself a few times, but I felt no difference.

Siddy mate carb tuning I am about to explain is for the Mikcarb VM24 model used on CI 350 Bullet. Firstly when I say carb tuning it is not just the idler screw adjustment that most people get confused with when it comes to carb tuning. Also if you notice I do the carb tuning in unison with spark plug cleaning as mentioned in my previous post. For proper tuning follow these steps: Refer Image below for locating the parts on the carb.(Tharian mate I have used the image of the carb from one of your posts for reference purpose)
1. Warm up the engine by riding for about 5 to 10 minutes before tuning the carb
2. Tighten the airscrew fully(clockwise) and loosen it(anti-clockwise) out by one and a half turn
3. Tighten auxiliary air screw fully followed by starting and warming up the engine
4. Set engine speed to 1300 rpm by screwing in throttle stop screw/idler screw (use your ear to determine the engine speed just above the idling rpm by around 20%)
5. Loosen the air screw to get highest engine speed
6. Loosen the stop screw and set idle speed to about 800 to 900 RPM (again use your ear to determine the engine speed)
7. Loosen the auxiliary air screw by half turn and you can see that the engine RPM increases
8. Loosen the throttle stop screw/idler screw and set idle speed to 800 to 900 RPM
9. Repeat the above steps until turning out auxiliary air screw does not increase engine RPM.

Another query is regarding this rocker knock I hear from the head area, the RE mechanics said its the rocker bearing and I should ignore it. Having owned a RE since 2009 these sounds don't bother me still wanted your opinion on this one. The knock is heard under hard acceleration and load(climbing ghats), its not the engine pinging for sure (I regularly use Shell V power). Thanks in advance.

From what I have heard adjusting the rocker arm and valves followed by tappet adjustment should reduce the sound. I haven't tried it as yet so can't comment on it.