[vijai]

Originally Posted by SourabH007

It was all good at the time of delivery, but now some yellow colour tinge is forming on the exhaust pipe.

Is it some quality issue or something is wrong in the bike? Kindly suggest.

To me, it just looks like heat stains which is common on stainless steels and happens at high temperatures. Seems like normal metallurgy change to me unless someone more experienced with the bike could point out if its uncommon on the bike in which case it could be engine overheating?

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by vijai

To me, it just looks like heat stains which is common on stainless steels and happens at high temperatures. Seems like normal metallurgy change to me unless someone more experienced with the bike could point out if its uncommon on the bike in which case it could be engine overheating?

You are totally correct.
The discoloration is due to the heat of the exhaust gas. It causes the metal to oxidize and the oxide can take on several different colors ranging from light straw yellow, yellow, red, purple, dark blue, light blue and then gray, all depending on how hot the metal got.
This color change will happen to regular steel, stainless steel and chrome plating.

A number of years ago the Japanese started using a pipe within a pipe on their motorcycle exhaust systems. Up to that time, people just accepted the fact that hot metal changes color.
With the pipe in a pipe system, the smaller internal pipe carries the hot exhaust and the air space between this pipe and the external pipe acts like an insulation, keeping the outer pipe cooler so it doesn't change color.

Some people see the exhaust pipe color change on the Royal Enfield as a bad thing so they scour it off with abrasive materials. Doing this doesn't cause any harm on a solid steel pipe (which is going to rust anyway) or a stainless steel pipe however it can cause a problem with chrome plated steel pipes.
The chrome is the only thing protecting a steel pipe from rust and by removing the discolored chrome plating, there will be nothing left to keep the rust away. Royal Enfield on their older motorcycles and the UCE versions they have been selling since 2009 use chrome plating on their regular steel exhaust pipes.
Because of this I strongly suggest that riders learn to live with the color change and do not try to remove it.

As for my Royal Enfield 500 UCE and it's old school looks, I think the yellow, purple and dark rich blue color on the upper part of its exhaust looks fantastic. It carries on the tradition and tells the world that this is a real, working motorcycle like the ones from my past.

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by Manoj2268

Hello team,

Are the frames of old CI and the UCE bullets identical?

My friend's bullet 350 with the old CI engine has its frame rotted out due to rust. The critical load bearing locations and bolt holes are all rotted due to living close to the sea.

He's thinking of a frame replacement as the rest of the motorcycle is decently holding up.

If the frames are identical, we can simply transfer over the parts from the old to the new.

Bullet experts, please help.

The frames on the UCE Royal Enfields is very different from the frames on the older Iron Barrel models.
The chain drive is on the opposite side and the engine mount holes may be in the wrong place to allow a switch in engines.

Yes, the rear wheel can be swapped but the rear brake will be on the wrong side.
Of course anything is possible and with enough money the needed changes can be made but I think looking for a good Iron Barrel motorcycle with a good frame and a poor engine to serve as the basis for an engine swap with your friends engine would be a better way to go.

[vijai]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

You are totally correct.

Seems the guess is right! It is also that the discoloration is near the PAV inlet into the bend pipe. The rapid discoloration exactly near it could be because of high temps did to excess fuel being burnt. Nevertheless, am I the only one who actually like the heat discoloration? 🙄 It looks subtle yet beautiful go me

[tharian]

Originally Posted by SourabH007

Hello everyone, 20 days back one of my friends just bought a Royal Enfield Classic 350, Chrome Black colour.

Is it some quality issue or something is wrong in the bike? Kindly suggest.

There is an additional cat-con on the BS6 models which is what the bulge on the bend pipe is and the discoloration is just above that due to the heat as the cat-con temperature is much more higher than the rest of the exhaust pipe.

The reason for discoloration is because of the heat and nothing to be bothered about.

Originally Posted by vijai

Seems the guess is right! It is also that the discoloration is near the PAV inlet into the bend pipe. The rapid discoloration exactly near it could be because of high temps did to excess fuel being burnt. Nevertheless, am I the only one who actually like the heat discoloration? 🙄 It looks subtle yet beautiful go me

There is no PAV on the UCE. What looks like the PAV is the O2 sensor.

[LongDrive lover]

Is it true that with the introduction of EFI in the RE 350 Standard/Electra BSVI models, vibrations will further increase? I read it somewhere that switching over from carburetor models to EFI will increase vibrations!
Experienced members, please throw some light.

Thanks

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by LongDrive lover

Is it true that with the introduction of EFI in the RE 350 Standard/Electra BSVI models, vibrations will further increase? I read it somewhere that switching over from carburetor models to EFI will increase vibrations!
Experienced members, please throw some light.

Thanks

In my opinion the answer is no. Why should it?
Vibrations are caused by the rotating parts being out of balance which basically means the center of their mass is not located on the axis the part rotates on.
This gets a bit complicated when we are talking about pistons and connecting rods moving up and down while the crankshaft they are attached to is rotating but, the crankshaft has areas where extra weight is added to offset the weight of the piston and connecting rod.

Anyway, none of this has anything to do with the method of mixing the fuel and air and controlling how much of it goes into the engine.

Now, the air/fuel mixture's smoothness and completeness of combustion does enter into this "vibration" thing in a limited way.
If the engine misfires, the amount of torque it develops will change. This can be felt and it does feel somewhat like vibration. That brings us to the basis of your question.

Typically, the carburetor is a rather crude device that does a rather poor job of atomizing the fuel. It also isn't very good at figuring out how much fuel it needs to mix with the air passing thru it. The only things it knows is the amount of air going thru it, the position of the throttle, the air pressure outside and inside of it and the level of the fuel in the float bowl.
Often, these things are not enough to get the best, most reliable burn of the air/fuel mixture. This is why riding a motorcycle set up with a carburetor calibrated for low elevations works very poorly at high elevations.
A carburetor also knows nothing about the engine speed, amount of advance or retard of the ignition timing, temperature of the outside air or the temperature of the engine.
Lacking all of this information, a carburetor is set up to meet the average needs of the engine in average conditions.

Fuel injection on the other hand knows the air pressure, throttle settings, mass air flow thru the throttle body, engine temperature, advance/retard condition of the ignition timing and how well the air/fuel mixture is burning in the engine. The ECU calculates the amount of fuel needed based on all of this information and the fuel injector injects this amount of fuel in a very fine, easily ignited vapor.

Early fuel injection systems were rather crude mechanical devices, relying on basically the same things that a carburetor relays on. With the advent of computers and multiple sensors and the very reliable fuel pumps available today, modern fuel injection is far superior to the old carburetor.
They even have a "fail safe" system built into them so if one or more of the sensors goes bad, the engine will still run and get you home.

[LongDrive lover]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

In my opinion the answer is no. Why should it?
Vibrations are caused by the rotating parts being out of balance which basically means the center of their mass is not located on the axis the part rotates on.


Anyway, none of this has anything to do with the method of mixing the fuel and air and controlling how much of it goes into the engine.

Thanks a lot for detailed explanation. I knew I would get such technically sound answer on this forum, rather than some hearsay, hence posted . Its clear now.

[theqca]

Originally Posted by SourabH007

Is it some quality issue or something is wrong in the bike? Kindly suggest.

In my old bullets the bend pipe changes colour if your timing is not set correctly. Now I don't know if your UCI engine has a way of adjusting the advance / retard as it's called but you might want to get it checked.

[rajshenoy]

Guys,
Posting this query on behalf of my friend. He came across couple of 2018 RE standard 500 which are in good condition and low mileage below 10k.
He is interested in vintage looks and wants to know what would be a reasonable price in Bangalore? The quotes are around 1.5-1.6L.

If I am not wrong, bs4 came with front disk, EFI and self start. There is no ABS and rear brakes are drum based.

Also suggest if it is not the worth and he can pick up a brand new meteor or other 350cc bs6 instead and have peace of mind with dual channel ABS?

[JoeTheWanderer]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Also suggest if it is not the worth and he can pick up a brand new meteor or other 350cc bs6 instead and have peace of mind with dual channel ABS?

My 2 cents, go in for a newer model with dual channel ABS for peace of mind unless your friend really wants a 500. I am sure you'll be able to find a used RE with dual channel ABS, etc at a decent price point.

I ride an early 2017 "carbed" 500 myself. It neither has ABS nor other fancy electronics - which is a plus when I'm touring remote locations. I also ride like everyone on the road wants to kill me. I have yet to encounter a panic breaking situation so I haven't feelt the lack of ABS till now.

1.5L seems like a decent price for a 500 - but don't blindly trust me I have 0 bargaining skills and generally overpay for stuff.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

Guys,
Posting this query on behalf of my friend. He came across couple of 2018 RE standard 500 which are in good condition and low mileage below 10k.
He is interested in vintage looks and wants to know what would be a reasonable price in Bangalore? The quotes are around 1.5-1.6L.

If I am not wrong, bs4 came with front disk, EFI and self start. There is no ABS and rear brakes are drum based.

Also suggest if it is not the worth and he can pick up a brand new meteor or other 350cc bs6 instead and have peace of mind with dual channel ABS?

I dont know about current pricing for the 500 in the second hand market but the standard 500 came with dual channel ABS from January 2019 onwards. The Classic 500 came with dual channel ABS from September 2018 onwards. I would suggest that he just look for those models instead and pay the slight premium for the dual channel ABS.

[TravelMonk]

I recently noticed this on top of the battery.
Can anybody shed a light on this?
What is it and why exactly is it there?

[JoeTheWanderer]

Originally Posted by TravelMonk

I recently noticed this on top of the battery.
Can anybody shed a light on this?
What is it and why exactly is it there?

It looks like a bit sulfation to me - experts please correct me if I'm mistaken.

I noticed the same white powdery substance around my 4.5 year car old battery (the car hadn't been used much lately so the battery was likely discharged quite a bit) when I replaced it some time ago.

Here's a good explanation about what this may be. Quoting from the article:

Now, if you have white powdery corrosion around the negative terminal, that’s different stuff and is there because of a different cause. The white powder is the result of a process called sulfation, and it’s usually caused by a lead-acid battery not being charged enough.
...
The sulfation primarily happens on the battery’s internal plates, but leaks of sulfuric acid where the terminal (usually made of zinc and lead) exits the plastic battery housing can cause the sulfation to occur outside the battery.

Although in the photo there's no corrosion around the actual negative terminal, the exposed part of the chassis acts like a big negative terminal as well. It was the same in my case, the actual terminals were surprisingly clean. The clamp holding the battery in place had lots of this white stuff.

From the photo it also looks like there may be some leakage from the battery as well. I would recommend cleaning the battery and checking if the electrolyte level is between min and max mark. If it is above max, it may leak out causing lots of (easily avoidable) issues.

[ArizonaJim]

Sulfation happens inside the battery and causes a breakdown of the battery plates. It is usually caused by a low battery charge and ironically, it will prevent the battery from becoming fully charged.

The white stuff is the result of battery acid attacking the steel in the battery hold down. Usually the acid on the surface of the battery indicates a crack in the battery case.

When the battery is replaced, it won't be enough to just wash off the white material. Water alone won't counteract the acid that exists on the metal and under the paint on the hold down.
To do that the paint in the area needs to be scraped off. Then, the hold down must be placed into a bowl or pan which contains water mixed with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Expect to see a lot of bubbling and foaming while the soda reacts with the acid. When the foaming stops give it a half hour to thoroughly complete its job. Then, remove the hold down, give it a good rinsing with clean water and heat it a bit to completely dry it off. Follow this by repainting the hold down.

The battery looks to be a sealed battery so there is no way of checking the electrolyte or adding water to replace any that has been lost due to the crack.
The only fix for the this problem is to replace the battery.

Speaking of replacing the battery, it is wise to buy only the sealed type batterys.
They are far superior to the old batteries that have removable caps on them.
Look for a AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) or Gel battery.
IMO, unless your into racing where you want to remove all of the weight possible from the motorcycle, a Lithium battery is not worth the extra expense.