[DeathPig]

I own a Royal Enfield Electra that has done 26k on the set of tires it came with. I've had two punctures before, once while going to Pondi on the rear, and a slow puncture one morning in the front. And today, while taking it out for an ECR ride, I found that the rear is punctured again, but am unable to find any puncture holes on the rubber.

The tread is still not worn, especially the front, so should I be changing my tires, or can I run them for a bit longer before changing? If I do have to change, are there wider tires for Electra that you could recommend. The bike is strictly for on-road use only, so would softer rubber better my ride quality?

And I saw people talking about engine oil. I've been using Liquid Gun in mine (as a part of the service form ASC)... should I get Motul and have a mechanic change the oil by draining it?

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by DeathPig

I own a Royal Enfield Electra that has done 26k on the set of tires it came with.

If your tires are not more then 5 years old, change the tubes on both. This will bring peace of mind. Insist on a reputed brand or better, get it from the dealer rather then the puncture repair shop.
For Electra, I prefer the best upsize is 3.50 x 19.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by DeathPig

If I do have to change, are there wider tires for Electra that you could recommend?

For rear tyre, definitely upgrade to 3.5 X 19 tyres. I use Michelin Sirac Street and you should see a lot of difference over your stock tyres. The only challenge being it is hard to find any fresh stock nowadays. Most of the distributors have 2018 or 2019 produced batches. See if you can get lucky.

Regarding engine oil, I don’t know how Motul compares with Liquid Gun but every single non-RE workshop I have come across uses Motul. Have been using Motul for years and it does the job well. I doubt you can go wrong with either.

[DeathPig]

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

If your tires are not more then 5 years old, change the tubes on both. This will bring peace of mind. Insist on a reputed brand or better, get it from the dealer rather then the puncture repair shop.
For Electra, I prefer the best upsize is 3.50 x 19.

Originally Posted by warrioraks

For rear tyre, definitely upgrade to 3.5 X 19 tyres. I use Michelin Sirac Street and you should see a lot of difference over your stock tyres. The only challenge being it is hard to find any fresh stock nowadays. Most of the distributors have 2018 or 2019 produced batches. See if you can get lucky.

Thank you. I was unable to find a Michelin anywhere, and had to settle for CEAT Milaze instead, but 3.5 X 19. It already feels much better than the stock tires I had on, with regards to ride and grip. Michelin stocks seem to have vanished in Chennai, tried in many shops from Thiruvanmiyur - Siruseri, as well as a few on the ECR.

I think the bike needs a top-up of oil. I'm getting squealing noises in the low gears, loudest in the 1st gear. And the oil indicator also shows it's sort of less.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

For rear tyre, definitely upgrade to 3.5 X 19 tyres. I use Michelin Sirac Street and you should see a lot of difference over your stock tyres. The only challenge being it is hard to find any fresh stock nowadays. Most of the distributors have 2018 or 2019 produced batches. See if you can get lucky.

Originally Posted by DeathPig

Thank you. I was unable to find a Michelin anywhere, and had to settle for CEAT Milaze instead, but 3.5 X 19. It already feels much better than the stock tires I had on, with regards to ride and grip. Michelin stocks seem to have vanished in Chennai, tried in many shops from Thiruvanmiyur - Siruseri, as well as a few on the ECR.

In anticipation of an upcoming ride, I have been desperately searching for Michelins. After looking everywhere with no result, atlast took the risk of ordering from Amazon (CloudTail). Was disappointed when I got 2018 stock - August for rear and December for front. Never the less the items are non-returnable so got it fixed on my bike today.
My old setup was Michelin in rear and Ceat in the front. This time it is Michelin both ways. Excited to test this out on a long ride.

Here are some pics:
The package that brought a temporary smile to my face today. Vanished after finding the manufacturing week and year.


All four tyres (old and new ones) together


Bike’s new shoes

[DeathPig]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

All four tyres (old and new ones) together

Congratulations on the new rubber.

How does the front feel after putting in the new tires? Does the tire still faithfully follow all undulations on the road, like a loyal dog following its owner?

That is one major issue I've felt with the front laterally striped factory tires, especially in roads that are going through re-taring. The bike decides it'll follow that small ridge and ride it until it ends. Getting out feels like it'll imbalance the bike as well.

That, and quite a lack of grip during braking/wet weather. However, I'm in Chennai where rain has hit quite sparsely this year, and use the back brakes most of the time. I'm going to be on the lookout for new Michelin's for the front, and will be getting them as soon as I can find one in offline stores.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by DeathPig

Congratulations on the new rubber.

How does the front feel after putting in the new tires? Does the tire still faithfully follow all undulations on the road, like a loyal dog following its owner?

Thank you DeathPig. I went for a short ride yesterday (~300 km) and found the grip to be better than the CEAT + Michelin combo I had earlier.

Did not fully understand the ridge thing that you mentioned but my initial feedback is that having Michelin both in front and rear is absolutely worth it.

If I had to nit-pick, then would say that with Michelin in the front, the space between fender and tyre seems to be reduced now. Maybe the 3.25 tyre from Michelin is wider than the Ceat one. But no issues faced till now.

Did you get a 2020 stock of Ceat Milaze? The tyre has great online reviews and I was seriously considering those before going back to Michelins.

[DeathPig]

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Did not fully understand the ridge thing that you mentioned but my initial feedback is that having Michelin both in front and rear is absolutely worth it.

Ah. I though you had the stock tires before switching to Michelins. I misread, apologies. I meant the tendency of the straight-treaded tires to follow any ridges/straight undulations on the road. If the front gets stuck in there, it feels sort of riding in the same, and you get the feel that breaking it out at speed might lead to an imbalance.

Originally Posted by warrioraks

Did you get a 2020 stock of Ceat Milaze? The tyre has great online reviews and I was seriously considering those before going back to Michelins.

Indeed. I made sure it's the 2020 stock of Ceat Milaze.


I seem to have run into a few issues on my RE. If you or anyone else could assist, it would be good.

1. There is a small wailing/squealing noise in the lower gears, as if something that is rotating is dry, and is causing friction. I'm not sure what it is, it occurs only at low gears and speeds, sometimes more when I use the clutch. Could it be a dry clutch plate inside? I've not been able to pinpoint the source/general area of the sound. But it's not the suspension, and the chains are freshly cleaned/lubed after hitting 26k (I'm only at 26.3).

2. On the way to my in-law's place with my wife, I felt the rear brake pedal getting hard. To my alarm, after reaching, I found the actual brake mechanism (middle of the rear wheel) smoking slightly with a burnt/acrid smell. The brake was jammed, and it was an effort to roll it into the parking lot. However, the brake play has since come back, and it worked when I rolled the bike in neutral and used the brake. Could this also be linked to the first problem?

I'm planning to visit the ASC tomorrow and get it looked at, but might have to do it on 1st as we have some visitors at home. Any assistance would be helpful, please let me know if you need more details.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by DeathPig

Ah. I though you had the stock tires before switching to Michelins. I misread, apologies. I meant the tendency of the straight-treaded tires to follow any ridges/straight undulations on the road. If the front gets stuck in there, it feels sort of riding in the same, and you get the feel that breaking it out at speed might lead to an imbalance.

Till last week, I had Michelin only in the rear. That tyre lasted me for 25k km. The front was stock Ceat tyre which lasted around 50k km.
This week, I upgraded both to Michelins. Haven’t experienced any imbalance till now on undulating roads.

Originally Posted by DeathPig

I seem to have run into a few issues on my RE. If you or anyone else could assist, it would be good.

Can’t say for sure till the time you are able to pin point the source of the sound. But if I had to hazard a guess, it seems to be something related to over tightened brakes. Hope your mechanic is able to fix. Do post on what you find out.

[JoeTheWanderer]

Originally Posted by DeathPig

To my alarm, after reaching, I found the actual brake mechanism (middle of the rear wheel) smoking slightly with a burnt/acrid smell. The brake was jammed, and it was an effort to roll it into the parking lot.

I had the same issue a year back. I had tightened the rear drum brake a little more than necessary. After a 10 km ride I could see smoke coming out of the drum brake and it was jammed.

Loosening the 13 number nut by a few turns worked for me.

[Karan_n8]

Guys getting delivery of our Meteor soon, wanted to know of trusted place to get the headlights upgraded in NCR.
TIA

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by Karan_n8

Guys getting delivery of our Meteor soon, wanted to know of trusted place to get the headlights upgraded in NCR.
TIA

For electricals on an absolutely new bike, I would usually trust ASC only.
I got some lights upgrade work done by Fatboy Customs, Gurgaon last year. The owner (Kunal) is really knowledgeable but it’s tough to catch hold of him at the workshop. You can give a try if ASC does not work for you.

[Abhishek3001]

Hello everyone,

My diy classic 350 refresh project has thrown yet another curveball at me that has me stumped.

When riding with the lights on at night, it misfires erratically. The misfire disappears completely when I switch off the lights.

Also, in case it might be relevant, the battery is shot and produces open circuit voltage of only around 11.5 V, but it kick starts within the first couple of kicks and runs just fine without the lights on.

Also, another thing, it has some generic, non-branded aux lights fitted. These didn't work when I got the bike and the switch is always off.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Abhishek

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Abhishek3001

When riding with the lights on at night, it misfires erratically. The misfire disappears completely when I switch off the lights.

The motorcycle comes with DC Ignition and electricals, so without a properly functioning battery/charging system you'd face such issues.

Do hit the search function and you'll come across a thread by me with all the specifics of diagnosing motorcycle electricals.

Regards,
A.P.

[srini1785]

Originally Posted by Abhishek3001

Hello everyone,

My diy classic 350 refresh project has thrown yet another curveball at me that has me stumped.

What type of DIY are you doing?. Ground up restoration?.

Originally Posted by Abhishek3001

When riding with the lights on at night, it misfires erratically. The misfire disappears completely when I switch off the lights.

Looks like this is a case of intermittent shorting.

Originally Posted by Abhishek3001

Also, in case it might be relevant, the battery is shot and produces open circuit voltage of only around 11.5 V, but it kick starts within the first couple of kicks and runs just fine without the lights on.

11.5V is not that bad a open circuit voltage. The problem is with the lights.

Also, another thing, it has some generic, non-branded aux lights fitted. These didn't work when I got the bike and the switch is always off.

Seems to me that they need to be removed. Drive the bike without aux lights for some time and then you can get it sorted by a good mech.

All the best.