[vidyasagar]

For my Electra, I have Gripp from Ceat, 3.50x19 as the rear tyre. The upsize, and perhaps the difference in tread pattern has worked very well for the slip problem, my stock MRF were not confidence inspiring at all.

Please check if you get this tyre in 18" spec. I heard good reviews on Pirelli and now Michelin also entered 2 Wheeler market, have a look at these options. All the best.

[farhadtarapore]

Hello, can someone tell me where to source good quality alloys for my Thunderbird 500 along with tubeless tires? Preferably in Mumbai. Thanks.

[shaikhmimran]

Hi,
I have a TB 500 EFI and have clocked 20k kms a bit shy of two years of ownership. I have noticed that the bike runs nice & tight for 2k kms every time I get it serviced. After that, the vibes become prominent & intensify as progress from 2k to 4k kms where I usually go for service again.

While I don't want to change the oil myself, I am cool with doing other maintenance activities like chain lubing, cables oiling etc.
My question is can someone please help me identify key joints & maintenance check points which I should check/tighten say every 500kms so that the vibes can be controlled as much as possible and the bike runs true ? Thank you.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by shaikhmimran

My question is can someone please help me identify key joints & maintenance check points which I should check/tighten say every 500kms so that the vibes can be controlled as much as possible and the bike runs true ? Thank you.

Always better to tighten all the chassis bolts 'properly' every alternate service. Also, you may switch to semi-synthetic oil for a smoother feel.

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by shaikhmimran

Hi...

My question is can someone please help me identify key joints & maintenance check points which I should check/tighten say every 500kms so that the vibes can be controlled as much as possible and the bike runs true ? Thank you.

Things which can cause vibration that can cause vibration are the main engine mounting bolts/nuts at the front and rear of the engine.

These rarely come loose but checking them anyway could find a loose one.

The cylinder head steady will cause vibration if its bolts/nuts are loose.

This is a short bar located at the rear of the engine that runs from the cylinder head to a boss on the frame. It looks like a piece of 10 mm tubing about 110 mm in length with flattened ends with a bolt at each end.
It is located just to the left (aft looking forward) of the fuel injector.

This item is known to break and if it does, the engine can vibrate badly even though the bolts/nuts are tight. Look for cracks in it at any place between the bolts.

The lower rear engine mount bolt on my 2011, 500cc Royal Enfield broke, loosing the end and nut which was screwed onto it.
This is a hardened bolt which is under a great deal of stress when the engine is running so, if it breaks the engine can vibrate a great deal.

You can see the replacement I used to repair mine in this photo.

While your looking at the photo, notice the crack in the frame tube just to the rear.
This crack happened long after I replaced the bolt but the point is, the frame weld cracked and this also caused a great deal of vibration.
Check out all of the lower areas of your frame for cracks.
Pay particular attention to the welds.

The only way to repair a crack such as this is to have it welded.

Good luck with your inspection.

[virage]

So, I managed to get my hands on a mikuni VM 32 carb from a friend and I am thinking of plonking it in my uce 350 ( yes i am aware of the stupidity ). Im totally lost on the jetting, any advise on jet sizes ?

PS: Its mostly stock except for the OE uplift silencer and a uni filter.

[shaikhmimran]

[quote=ArizonaJim;4070437]Things which can cause vibration that can cause vibration are the main engine mounting bolts/nuts at the front and rear of the engine.

These rarely come loose but checking them anyway could find a loose one.

Thank you Man of Steel & ArizonaJim for your inputs. Essentially, both of you are suggesting to periodically tighten the engine mounting bolts & nuts. I am going to identify those and get to work. This also gives me an idea to see if I can add rubber washers or dampers to these bolts for absorbing the vibrations.
I do not understand why RE would not do it (Like Mahindra Mojo & even the Ninja 650) as it is a cost effective & simple solution to dampen the vibrations.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by shaikhmimran

This also gives me an idea to see if I can add rubber washers or dampers to these bolts for absorbing the vibrations.
I do not understand why RE would not do it (Like Mahindra Mojo & even the Ninja 650) as it is a cost effective & simple solution to dampen the vibrations.

Not sure if that's a good idea. As per my knowledge, rubber damping will not work on a chassis with the engine as stressed member (Like all Enfields except Himalayan) and N650 that you mentioned. Mahindra Mojo too seems to spot a variation of the perimeter frame, but not too sure of that. Now, are you sure there are rubber dampers on the N650 and Mojo? I am not too sure, because the N650 is a parallel twin which is inherantly smooth and the Mojo (and N650 as well) employs a counter balancer which irons out the vibes. This counter balancer is missing on all the Enfields (Except the Himalayan Of Course!).

I feel, adding rubber dampers in your bike may create additional harmonic vibrations and also not sure about the life of those dampers.

[ArizonaJim]

IMO, the reason checking the engine mount bolts is not a normal part of servicing is because they either use a self locking nut or the torque is great enough to keep them from coming loose.

For instance, a few of the engine mount bolts torque requirements are;

FUEL TANK BOLTS (FRONT & REAR) (INCLUDES HEAD STEADY AT REAR BOLT) = 50 NM = 37 LB/FT

LARGE FRONT ENGINE MOUNT BOLT = 70 NM = 52 LB/FT

LARGE LOWER REAR ENGINE MOUNT BOLT = 50 NM = 37 LB/FT

FRONT SMALL ENGINE MOUNT BOLTS (FLANGES TO ENGINE) = 30 NM = 22 LB/FT

As for the idea of putting some rubber washer between the mounts and the engine, don't.

Rubber and similar elastomers crack and fail when put under excessive loads.

That lower rear bolt with its 50 NM or 37 lb/ft torque will develop a compressive load on items clamped between the bolt head and the nut of 3217 kg (7092 pounds).

With a load like that the rubber will fail within days. Once it fails the pieces of it can work its way out of the joint which will totally remove all of the clamping load, allowing the bolt to rattle freely and provide no force at all.

[ricky_1605]

Hi bhpians, I am planning to get new tyres for my 2002 RE TB. Please suggest better alternatives to MRF RIB and MRF NYLOGRIP 3.50-19 (with shop if you know any). Both the rims are 19 inches.

[shaikhmimran]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

IMO, the reason checking the engine mount bolts is not a normal part of servicing is because they either use a self locking nut or the torque is great enough to keep them from coming loose.

Thank you ArizonaJim & Man_of_steel for your advice against using rubber dampers. And about the quote above from ArizonaJim, I am a bit confused. If these bolts indeed have enough tightening then apart from the chain tightening & clutch cable setting, what leads to the bike becoming less vibey after a service?

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by shaikhmimran

Thank you ArizonaJim & Man_of_steel for your advice against using rubber dampers. And about the quote above from ArizonaJim, I am a bit confused. If these bolts indeed have enough tightening then apart from the chain tightening & clutch cable setting, what leads to the bike becoming less vibey after a service?

Adjusting the chain to the correct amount of looseness can reduce vibration that is present when the motorcycle is moving.
Perhaps that is the reason you notice less vibration?

To prevent undue wear, a chain requires lubrication at least every 500 miles (806 km) if it is used in a low dust, dry location.
If it is used in dusty/wet/muddy locations, it should be cleaned and lubricated every 250 miles (403 km).

A loose chain or one that has developed "tight areas" which don't move freely can produce enough vibration to be easily noticed while riding.

I can't speak about the currently made Royal Enfields but, the chain on my new (at the time) Royal Enfield G5 (The export equivalent of a fuel injected 500 cc Electra which is no longer made) was IMO, poor to say the least.

In the first 1,500 miles (2420 km) of riding it required adjustment 4 times.
Its steel parts appearently were not heat treated properly.

I replaced the chain with a properly made chain made in the USA and it has only needed adjustment twice in 18,000 miles (29000 km) of service.

[LazyGunner]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

IMO, the reason checking the engine mount bolts is not a normal part of servicing is because they either use a self locking nut or the torque is great enough to keep them from coming loose.

Originally Posted by shaikhmimran

Thank you ArizonaJim & Man_of_steel for your advice against using rubber dampers. And about the quote above from ArizonaJim, I am a bit confused. If these bolts indeed have enough tightening then apart from the chain tightening & clutch cable setting, what leads to the bike becoming less vibey after a service?

Maybe when ridden on good roads, the engine mount bolts don't loosen up. But when ridden on roads with a lot of potholes, they do. I'm just guessing this because, mechanics in my friend's workshop (I spend my weekends there) find 6-7 Enfields out of 10 which need tightening of these bolts.
As part of general servicing, just before sending the vehicle for wash, they tighten Engine mount bolts, a bolt below the battery box (all of which they call bedding bolts) and sometimes the handle bolts and the bolts found below the seat. I guess this plays a big part in reducing the vibration after servicing.

Please correct me if I'm wrong

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by ricky_1605

Hi bhpians, I am planning to get new tyres for my 2002 RE TB. Please suggest better alternatives to MRF RIB and MRF NYLOGRIP 3.50-19 (with shop if you know any). Both the rims are 19 inches.

ricky mate your Tbird 350 is one of the first batches of AVL Tbird. I am glad you've still retained it. Well for the tyres you can either opt for Michelin Sirac or Ralco Speedblaster or Ceat Gripp for the rear 3.50 19 inch wheel. For the front you can opt for either Michelin Sirac Street or Ceat Gripp 3.25 19 inch wheel.

[shaikhmimran]

Thank you ArizonaJim and LazyGunner for your comments.
Thankfully the new REs come with good quality chains.
I am going to ride my bike upto next service interval & myself check all the items we discussed here. I may not maintain it myself but I want to see the extent of change in settings that happen from service to service.