[virage]

I was riding around town the other day, just managed a quick run up to 60kmph before the engine died on me. I put her on the center stand and tried to kick start her to life and nothing happened, there was no resistance in the kicker( the piston was reciprocating smoothly, the exhaust did have air pulses). It felt like there was no compression,vsince this happened at 10pm I rang up my mechanic, he suggested that it might be a stuck valve, and that I should wait for the engine to cool down (he accepted that it seemed highly unlikely considering it has run only 20k km). I towed the bike to a relatives place and 30 mins after the incident I cranked her up and sure enough the engine breathed to life, but it barely managed to idle smoothly. It was getting late so left her there and went home.
The mechanic insisted that it was a one off event so today I went to my relatives place, cranked her up again and She started to run on the first kick, I barely rode a few hundred meters before the engine started to act up and before I could pull over, she died. Since the engine was barely warm she started up once again with a couple of kicks . I did not wanna take any chances, so I slowly rode her back to the same place and left her there.


Any idea on what the problem could be?, even i agree with my mechanic that its a stuck valve, though I am skeptical that it was a one off event.


Background:
Classic 350 23k km run
bullet 500 air filter ( 300 km )
oem upswept shortbottle ( 4000 km)
exhaust wrap on the bend pipe ( 12,000 km)
checked the engine oil level seemed fine
i suspect it to be running lean but not much. no misfires.

[B O V]

Originally Posted by virage

Any idea on what the problem could be?, even i agree with my mechanic that its a stuck valve, though I am skeptical that it was a one off event.

I suggest that you stop riding till you sort the reason for the valve sticking out.

My exhaust valve got stuck coz of an excess of buildup of gunk (deposits) in the valve. Since the there is a minimum clearance between the valve and the valve guide any factor that causes a deviation from this clearance would lead to valve sticking.

Best thing to do is to get the head opened up and inspect it. Replace any parts where needed.

Hope this helps

Regards

BOV

[sairamboko]

Navin and The great - I came to office on Electra. Today there was no pain I believe the pain was caused because of the weight, which i am not used to for the past 3 years.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Navin and The great - I came to office on Electra. Today there was no pain I believe the pain was caused because of the weight, which i am not used to for the past 3 years.

Mate I appreciate your efforts for sharing your feedback with us. You are correct when you say the weight of the motorcycle results in minor pain if you are not used to it. The same thing happened to me when I started riding Standard Bullet. This phenomenon is similar to when one lifts weight in the gymnasium after a long gap, this results in pain in your muscles. It is similar to as if someone has hooked your joints with a hook. But after sometime it goes away and your body gets accustomed to it.

Also RE Electra is near perfect in terms of sitting ergonomics and handlebar geometry for regular city riding. I converted one of my Bullet Standard to Electra for the comfort it provides. Good Luck with your testing.

[ricky_1605]

Hey guys, can anyone provide the contact of a guy who does excellent restoration of motorcycles? I have a 2002 RE TB Blue color and I want to get it repainted and also have to get some mechanical (clutch and chain set) work done.

Thanks

[farhadtarapore]

Hi
What does it signify if there is a tinge of golden color on the bend pipe?

[ricky_1605]

Originally Posted by farhadtarapore

Hi
What does it signify if there is a tinge of golden color on the bend pipe?

It means the bike is running on lean mixture.

[sairamboko]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

Mate I appreciate your efforts for sharing your feedback with us. You are correct when you say the weight of the motorcycle results in minor pain if you are not used to it. The same thing happened to me when I started riding Standard Bullet. This phenomenon is similar to when one lifts weight in the gymnasium after a long gap, this results in pain in your muscles. It is similar to as if someone has hooked your joints with a hook. But after sometime it goes away and your body gets accustomed to it.

Also RE Electra is near perfect in terms of sitting ergonomics and handlebar geometry for regular city riding. I converted one of my Bullet Standard to Electra for the comfort it provides. Good Luck with your testing.

Thanks Navin for your continuous feedback! Will most probably book Electra or bullet 500 next week. I am wondering why I didn't buy Electra 3 years back. Electra seat is very comfortable and I am loving it

[AbelAFC]

Originally Posted by Driving_Nomad

His site says his shop is temporarily shut. Have gotten his number and will contact him.

Is Mr. Gurunandan still working on Enfields or has he shut up shop completely? If so, it is enough to give him a call before landing up at his doorstep?

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by farhadtarapore

Hi
What does it signify if there is a tinge of golden color on the bend pipe?

Mate this is a usual phenomenon on many bikes and is a combination of thermodynamics, environment and tuning of the motorcycle. I am not sure if your Tbird is tuned properly as running rich will result in a yellow colour tinge on the exhaust pipe where it meets the head, if it were blue then it will be running lean. Once one of my Standard 350 CI's had that yellow colour tinge on the exhaust pipe. I opened up the spark plug to see if the tuning is rich and indeed it was.

Our Tbird's are fitted with a stainless steel pipe and the place where it meets the cylinder head is the hottest area of the exhaust so apart from the tuning heat also plays a crucial role in discolouration of the exhaust pipe where it meets the head.

[jacs]

Need advice on servicing my 2014 TB500.

I am totally depressed after my recent regular proactive service with Royal Enfield Authorized center which involved Oil Change and General check-up. Not to let down the service center guys, but they are unable to handle the present volume. Not sure if RE is planning to enhance the service channel to win customer delight or they are just interested in pushing sales.

There are quite some expert bullet mechanics in town who runs their own shops. Can I rely on one of them for servicing my TB500? All free services are over and its only paid service. I understand Electronic Fuel Injection is a sore thump to traditional bullet mechanics.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by jacs

Need advice on servicing my 2014 TB500.

If its just oil change and regular servicing then you can either do it on your own(there are plenty of videos on YouTube to start with, provided you have all the required tools) or else take it to any friendly neighbourhood mechanic who is familiar with RE motorcycles. I am sure folks from Kerala will pitch in to help you find one.

There are quite some expert bullet mechanics in town who runs their own shops. Can I rely on one of them for servicing my TB500? I understand Electronic Fuel Injection is a sore thump to traditional bullet mechanics.

Servicing the Tbird is like any other RE, also most of the mechanics by now will be familiar with EFi equipped bikes as CL500 has been here for close to six years. Having said that the EFi unit need not be touched as it is a relatively maintenance free unit. The tuning, timing, etc. is handled by electronics which do not need any human intervention. Give a big shout to fellow members from your place surely you will find a good mechanic.

[The Great]

Originally Posted by jacs

Need advice on servicing my 2014 TB500.

I am totally depressed after my recent regular proactive service with Royal Enfield Authorized center which involved Oil Change and General check-up. Not to let down the service center guys, but they are unable to handle the present volume. Not sure if RE is planning to enhance the service channel to win customer delight or they are just interested in pushing sales.

There are quite some expert bullet mechanics in town who runs their own shops. Can I rely on one of them for servicing my TB500? All free services are over and its only paid service. I understand Electronic Fuel Injection is a sore thump to traditional bullet mechanics.

That is a similar problem everywhere not just your area sir. The sheer number of RE sales have put enormous load on the service centers. Thankfully the service centers here are a little courteous in talking though.

The TBTS 500 is a fairly problem free bike.

Choose a reputed mechanic firstly. Surely the common mechanics are not adapt yet to the fuel injection tech. The electronic fuel injection is not at all hard to understand. The only homework you will have to do in case of a problem would be browse this knowledge goldmine here in tbhp. Almost all the problems related to the Efi have been addressed here. (also look in randhawa's classic 500 thread).

Hope this helps sir - Cheers !!

[Shubhendra]

Hello,
Can anyone please suggest me a contact or spare part shop to procure spares for 1950 and 1952 bullet. We need some engine parts, new crank etc..

Regards.
Shubhendra Singh

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Shubhendra

Hello,
Can anyone please suggest me a contact or spare part shop to procure spares for 1950 and 1952 bullet. We need some engine parts, new crank etc..

Mate it is really difficult to buy parts for these vintage models off the shelf. If you can salvage them by getting them refurbished then give it a try. Also some parts if possible can be used from a regular CI bullet if need be and can be bought off the shelf or from a donor bike. I am not sure if you should try on Burton bikes website or any other such sites as they seldom build their own stuff and instead buy it from here in India. Especially Delhi workshops from what I have known. Your best bet in this case are the Bullet Mechanics who in some case have a goldmine of these parts salvaged from junked old models. I got one Lucas brand magneto(no need for battery) from one such mechanic I came across. He also had a magneti marelli piece, but I opted for Lucas.

So try with some local Bullet mechanics as they have contacts and network to find these parts. Disclaimer: These will be used parts and will need refurbishment. As far as procuring new spares go there are plenty of options in Delhi. You might want to check some business Ecommerce sites for the same.