[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by Objectiveman

These are all listed for the Classic 350. Does anyone know if they can be used for the 500?

Thanks.

I believe you can. RE used to sell an off-roader and short bottle silencer which could be used in both the 350 and the 500.

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by Objectiveman

These are all listed for the Classic 350. Does anyone know if they can be used for the 500?

Thanks.

They should be a direct fit. Better check with dealer/service center! The BS4 and later models had a smaller diameter header pipe. In the website, it's mentioned that it's compatible with both BS3 and BS4 versions of the Classic 350.

[SgtGAWD]

Hello RE Gurus,
This is my first post as a TeamBHPian. I've been surfing this forum for the past 3 years and I finally was able to join TBHP a year ago. Still it took me a year too gather the courage to write on this forum.

I've been an ardent RE fanatic for quite some time and now I'm all set to enter the world of motorcycling. Being a student, my family is not ready to invest in a brand new RE. So, the pre-owned market is the place where I get to choose my first steed (well actually second, as I've been riding a 15 y/o Bajaj Wave which has recently breathed it's last owing to careless riding and poor spares availability).
After a month of looking around, I'm confronted with the following options:

1. 2016 RE C500 DS
1337 kms
Asking Price: Rs.1,20,000
Condition: Excellent

2. 2012 RE Bullet Electra
22000 kms
Asking Price; Rs. 70,000
Condition: Moderate

3. 2013 RE C350
28000 kms
Asking Price: Rs. 73,000
Condition: Moderate

4. 2012 RE Bullet Electra
12000 kms
Asking Price; Rs. 70,000
Condition: Good

The reason I'm writing this query in this forum is because I've always wanted to own a 500 as C350s are as commonplace as Activas these days (no offence to C350 owners, I'm still nothing compared to you Bulleteers). Also, having ridden a 1984 CI Bull, I feel that the 500cc has the same rumbling feeling in it rather than the 350.

The facets of owning a C500 which worry me are as follows:
1. How much more will it cost to maintain it (general service and spares) over a 350?
2. What kind of resale value will I be looking at? Also is the asking price reasonable?
3. My commute will mainly consist of city riding (four days a week) and maybe daily college commuting once this pandemic ends. Will I be really using all the power the C500 has to offer?
4. The dreaded Fuel Pump- How long before it dies providing I always maintain 3 to 5 litres of Fuel in the tank. Also, will the eventual Carb conversion result in better FE or lower performance?

Looking forward to hearing soon from the superbly knowledgable members out here on this forum.

[SS80]

Originally Posted by SgtGAWD

Hello RE Gurus,
This is my first post as a TeamBHPian. I've been surfing this forum members out here on this forum.

I have an Electra 350 and ride close to 550kms/week, this is a new requirement since last 2 weeks and this will continue for another 4 months. I bought this as a used bike and have clocked about 7000 kms since purchase.

2 of my friends have classic 500 fi (matte black model).
Regarding Classic 500 here are the differences I have observed :-

1. More wear and tear of chain,
2. Mileage will be around 25-28kmpl,
3. Less vibrations if driven sanely,
4. Too much torque, so much that you may never use the full torque available,
5. No real difference in servicing costs,
6. Louder thump - you will never need a after market silencer on a stock 500,
7. My friend has clocked 28000kms in 2yrs and has not faced any Fi issues.

Carb conversion costs about 3000/- approx.

One question about fork oil - Fork oil was last changed about 2yrs back by previous owner, no oil leaks from the fork seals. Since mine is a Electra, changing only oil is easy, but will that bring about any major difference?

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by SS80

One question about fork oil - Fork oil was last changed about 2yrs back by previous owner, no oil leaks from the fork seals. Since mine is a Electra, changing only oil is easy, but will that bring about any major difference?

Never a bad idea to change fluids periodically.

Though do note if draining and refilling a fork without disassembly it is always best to pour new oil with respect to air gap as its hard to get it even with fluid quantity alone.

Having said that my CT100B is close to 60k on the odo and the front end is yet to be overhauled, I'm waiting for something to give before taking things apart. Then again if you go by that notion be sure to rebuild both forks at the same time, some people fix only one fork at a time and that is plain ignorance at play.

Ride Safe,
A.P.

[saurabh89]

Quick update on my RE classic 500 DS...

Hadn't started my bike in 8 months since it was parked in gurgaon due to pandemic. On 17th Nov, it started on first kick and I felt amazing. But my feelings were short-lived for when I tried to put the bike in gear the clutch refused to work. The current ODO read 14.8k KMs and I had changed the clutch plates at 9k reading after my Ladakh ride 2 years ago. The bike had not been driven much in last 1 year. I checked the clutch cables and everything seemed fine.

A quick call to RSA & my mechanic made it clear that the clutch plates had an issue, again!!

I called up Manzil motors and they were kind to send a pick-up vehicle next morning to toe my bike to their workshop in sec 16. The charges were Rs 295 only, quite surprising. The supervisor immediately picked up on the issue and got my bike opened up. Upon opening the LH cover, the plates had rust all over them, were dry and refused to separate. Sharing few photos...







The mechanic suggested to change the complete assembly. I wasn't convinced about it but then gave in to the advice of the mechanic and got the clutch plate assembly changed and it did cost me a bomb

The mechanic did mention that the clutch plates didn't seem to be from RE and I was taken aback. I used to regularly service my bike at Motorrad Werkstett and had changed my plates from their workshop. Unfortunately, the shop is closed now.

New assembly:




Besides this, got few rubber pipes changed along with oil / air filter change. Total bill came upto 8.3k and I am uploading the same for reference here.



Hoping to clock much more miles as the situation eases in in 2021.

[Malhi]

The hydraulic pins of my DS500 are apparently stuck and cannot be pulled out. What could be the reason? And how do I now remove the hydraulics?

[Malhi]

The hydraulic pins of my DS500 are apparently stuck and cannot be pulled out. What could be the reason? And how do I now remove the hydraulics?

The mechanic thinks they got jammed due to overheating of the engine and the only way to pull them out is via gas welding.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Malhi

The hydraulic pins of my DS500 are apparently stuck and cannot be pulled out. What could be the reason? And how do I now remove the hydraulics?

What pins are you referring to?

[Malhi]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

What pins are you referring to?

Hi Ashwin, I am referring to the roller pins which are showing no signs of any movement. They are jammed as if they were moulded into the casing.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by Malhi

Hi Ashwin, I am referring to the roller pins which are showing no signs of any movement. They are jammed as if they were moulded into the casing.

Oh, that's really unfortunate.

They're supposed to slide out once the locking bolt and plate are off.

The concern I have with welding anything near Aluminum is that it tends to easily warp the Aluminum which your crank case is made up of.

I hope you've tried all other means before opting for welding a piece on the pin and pulling it out. Maybe an experienced Lathe Operator can be of help.

Do keep us posted.

Regards,
A.P.

[Malhi]

I recently got a new exhaust valve guide followed by new piston rings fixed into my DS 500. As per the mech white smoke was being emitted due a bad exhaust valve guide and the piston rings, cylinder wall, compression seemed okay. Because the engine was taken apart i was advised to put in new rings too.

The problem now is that i hear loud wooden tapping noise when i pull the bike in 5th gear from 60 kmph to higher speeds, which i suspect is piston slap. It is almost negligible at lower gears at any rmp.

What could be the possible problem? Will it go away with carbon deposit or is it not piston slap at all?

[ArizonaJim]

5th gear @ 60 kmph (37 mph) is OK for riding at a steady speed but I wouldn't try to accelerate rapidly while doing it. That is, I wouldn't open up the throttle very much.
If I did, I would expect the engine to "lug" or suffer from pre-ignition (pinging or pinking). That could be the source of the noise you are hearing. Also, if you are using poor quality fuel, that would increase the possibility of pre-ignition.
If you are riding at 60 kmph and you want to accelerate, shift down to a lower gear first.

If you aren't already using it, you might try using a high octane fuel the next time you refill the tank.

[Malhi]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

5th gear @ 60 kmph (37 mph) is OK for riding at a steady speed but I wouldn't try to accelerate rapidly while doing it. That is, I wouldn't open up the throttle very much.

Thanks @Arizona. The situation is a bit tricky, please bear with me. The engine had started emitting white smoke and so the bike was given to a mechanic. There were no scratch marks on the cylinder wall but the exhaust valve and valve guide seemed worned out to him. One of the hydraulic lock-pin(?) was found detached from the main body hence it was suggested that it be replaced. However, the roller pins of both the hydraulics were jammed in the casing and hence the whole engine was eventually split into two. The mechanic eventually managed to pull out only the faulty hydraulic and replaced it with a new one. He also advised me to replace the piston rings as well because all of the engine was to going be assembled again anyway.

In summary the following changes were done:

-Head work with new valves and exahust valve guide. (Suspected that oil flow was through the bad exhaust valve directly into the exhaust)

- Piston rings

-One hydraulic

-engine oil, oil filter

The smoke problem is now resolved but the engine gives out loud tapping sounds at all gears above the 1st. It is neither pinging, as pinging sound has a certain ring to it, nor is it the regular hydraulic sound which has a metallic harshness to it. This one is clean, similar to what it would sound when a metal spoon is hit on a wooden table. The sound is absent on idle. It is most prominent when the engine is under load ( even at speeds of 70-80 kmph and above). It is very audible and distinct.

My suspicions: (shooting in the dark)

-wrong positioning of piston rings.

-oil pump not working properly.

- gap in piston and cylinder wall. (Possibly overlooked)

Please suggest,

Thanks.

[ArizonaJim]

Malhi:
It is unlikely that the piston rings are positioned incorrectly and if there was no similar noise before the engine was worked on it is also unlikely the piston clearance is excessive.
Low oil pressure would be worst when the engine was idling so if that was the problem, that is when you would be most likely to hear it. Low oil pressure will cause the hydraulic valve lifters to collapse increasing the valve clearance but it shouldn't cause any noise from the other parts in the engine. Collapsed valve lifters cause a terrable clattering at all speeds. The clatter is so great you would think the engine was about to explode.

Because the entire engine needed to be taken apart to do some of the work you described, there are a number of places that could cause the noises you are hearing if something was not reassembled correctly.
If the motorcycle was mine, I would take it back to the mechanic who did the repair and ask him to fix it.