[rahulya007]

Guys,

I have been reading quite a few posts here and realized there are GURU's out here who can help me resolve a query.

I have a Silver Electra UCE which I got in Oct 2010. Have completed 2 services and 3K kms since then. My Bull is running fine but just a few days before, happened to see a Rear Disk Brake Kit with complete set and centre Hub for the Disc on Royal Enfield Zone site. The cost is somewhere around 7K. Want all you guru's to help me to know whether this can be a good alternative to the somewhat poor rear drum on this machine. Will this require any modification to any part of the frame or wheel and the brake lever. Will this have any negative impact on the ride quality or the engine itself.

Also for quite some days, I am facing starting problems. Earlier, it used to start with just a single gentle kick thumping slowly to life. But nowadays, I am required to kick it at least a dozen times and also increase some throttle to bring it to life. This has started happening after I had a fuel at a pump where I guess the petrol was not clean. Also around 2 months back, it had a bad return kick where the Carburettor disloged from the rubber fitting on both the sides, just enough to hold the carburettor in place till I got is fixed. Also nowadays, it just switches off when idling at signals..this happens even when the engine is sufficiently hot. Is this due to poor setting of carburettor or something ?
Request all you GURU's to guide me get my Bullet to original condition. Hearty apologies for the second query under a different heading..



Regards,
Rahul K

[Abhi2902]

I've been hunting for a solution for my TBTS rear brakes as well. i know that here are aftermarket disc brakes available but i think if we manage to get one of this it may lead to balance issues. unless there are two discs in the rear.
Not much of a autohead but,

[rangan]

why balance issues???

[Haroon]

Originally Posted by Abhi2902

unless there are two discs in the rear.
Not much of a autohead but,

Dont ever think of 2 discs at the rear on a bike. The maximum braking power you need is on your front wheel. Because, when you brake, the intertia of momentum transfers all the weight & speed onto your front wheel and thats where you need better stopping power. Thats why you will notice on most big & powerful superbikes there are 2 discs (also larger diameter) in the front and one disc (smaller diameter) at the back. So you have to learn to use both brakes simultaneously with a little more dependence on the front brake.

[BulZire]

For a Bullet, drum brakes for rear wheel are well suited and much effective . Don't go for any aftermarket rear disc brake setup, IMHO.

[BIG SARAN]

I second that. I strongly feel that there is no need for a rear disc brake on the UCE Electra or for that matter any Bull. I too ride a UCE Electra and have completed 10,000 kms in the past 10 months of my ownership. I have been in some tight spots at times and have found the brakes to be sufficient enough. All it takes is to do progressive braking and learn do it in the correct manner without skidding or falling. I feel the disc upfront quite suffices. Use your front disc 60% and the rear 40% and I hope you do not have to be in a tight spot.

Nevertheless if you feel the need for a rear disc you may go for an aftermarket but you will find it unnecessary later on. Its upto you. Treat her well and don't rip it like other 150ccs. Ride sedately.

I also had a similar problem in my initial service periods.I had adulterated fuel filled in my bike which started giving me problems. Turns out not only the petrol was dirty but the inside of my fuel tank was also peeling off which in turn was mixing into my fuel and had entered into my carb and was slowly choking my fuel line. Got the whole mess cleaned by the service center. It started running smoothly again. But after a few days it started stalling again I was facing similar problems as your's. Got the carb tuned appropriately and now she is running like a butter. But if your carburettor is still troubling you its best to replace it under warranty.

Enjoy and keep thumping.

[rangan]

how do you do progressive braking in emergencies?

i have a 350 4S Electra with drums on both the front and rear, i am planning to go for a disk on the front

but, i am still not convinced why disk's on the rear is not required

[Abhi2902]

Originally Posted by rangan

how do you do progressive braking in emergencies?

i have a 350 4S Electra with drums on both the front and rear, i am planning to go for a disk on the front

but, i am still not convinced why disk's on the rear is not required

was about to ask the same . I covered a 2.5K ride alone to celebrate Jan1 2011 most of my drive i felt that even though i use both brakes simultaneously, it is not always adequate. the front seems to take most of the weight and dive down, this is where my problem begins.
Just imagine this "with the front almost bottoming out, and still carrying speed and about to climb a <45 hairpin bend" and this is not at a great speed even a 30Kmps speed will do to make you feel .
i faced this most of the time and find that a bit extra braking on the rear at the right time can solve this.
Anyways, not a great biker but this used to be the problem in my roadking. anytime i felt that i was carrying too much speed into curves, and adjustment / replacement of break shoes would solve the problem.
Gurus, please advise, 'cause

[Rollin' Thunda]

Originally Posted by Abhi2902

anytime i felt that i was carrying too much speed into curves, and adjustment / replacement of break shoes would solve the problem.

Originally Posted by rangan

how do you do progressive braking in emergencies?

i have a 350 4S Electra with drums on both the front and rear, i am planning to go for a disk on the front

but, i am still not convinced why disk's on the rear is not required

Here's my take on braking:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motorb...ml#post1807274

In normal braking, especially on curves (where the rear brake is/should be used more) it seems like a good idea to have a more powerful rear-brake. But this has its down-side, as I explain below.

In emergencies, a strong rear brake is actually a liability than a help. It is very easy to lock the rear-wheel because your thigh muscles are very strong and tend to slam down the brake during a tight situation. If the brake is powerful, the rear-wheel will lock. While rear-wheel locks during normal riding are not uncommon, and easily overcome, during emergencies, when you otherwise too preoccupied to correct them quickly, they can cause you to lose balance (because of the loss of the gyroscopic effect that keeps the bike upright) --- with possibly disastrous consequences. Therefore it is important to learn to moderate the rear-brake, so as to not overbrake in an emergency (see the link above on a way to avoid this).

In an emergency, you have to rely on the front brake, which is giving you most of your stopping power. Learn to apply the front-brake progressively when practicing emergency braking, while applying only steady but a moderate force on your rear-brake. Having a powerful rear-brake will be more a hinderance than a help, during these situations. I myself keep the rear-brake on my TBTS somewhat loose, so as to avoid rear-wheel lock-ups during emergencies.

So, in short, I don't think it is a good idea to put a disc brake on the rear wheel.

My two cents worth. Apply at your own risk.

[rangan]

hmmm makes sense.

i had a CBZ earlier and i absolutely loved the brakes on that and i never had to worry at any speed or road conditions

but, with me moving to the bull i have had to reduce speeds coz i am not very confident about the stopping power i have

i think i will have to convert front to disk and then make a decision on this

[rahulya007]

Thanks Guys for all the replies..

A simple question here..Why are Bajaj Pulsars, TVS Apache's and even the Harleys have a rear disk, although a bit smaller than the front, may be, for obvious reasons, as some of you have pointed out.. ?

Most high end and powerful cars have all disc brakes, which increases their stopping power..I guess, the bikes losing their balance or gyrometry when emergency braking is because of the drum brakes on the rear rather than having both as discs..

Again, expert comments pls..

Regards,
Rahul K

[Abhi2902]

thanks for the openion rolling thunda but, correct me if i am wrong, i think having a smaller sized rear disc would keep the ratio of braking and at the same time give the boost of better braking when needed.

end of the day, i think all bull riders agree when i say rear braking is poor on bulls and it needs to be improved. but how, if not for disc brakes, can this be achieved?

[Rollin' Thunda]

My arguement was not per se against disc brakes; rather it was for not having too powerful rear-brakes.

Disc rear-brakes fitted stock by the manufacturers always obey the rule of keeping the rear-brakes weaker than the front. If you want to fit one as a mod, just be careful to follow the same rule.

I am also cautioning you that having powerful brakes at the back seems like a good idea, but you have to factor in its effect during emergency braking before you go in for it.

[Haroon]

Few years back on a group ride I have seen first hand when the rider in front of me in a panic situation suddenly applied only the rear brake and I saw the bike, a DL650 rapidly fishtailing from side to side and then went down totaling the bike and injuring the rider (when I picked up the bike, he had neither done gear braking as the bike was still in 6th gear). Thank god, my bavarian baby's brembo brakes, ABS and applying both brakes together avoided me running over him and I managed to safely stop my bike away. So locking up the rear wheel could have disasterous results.

Not to frighten you, but this is how that bike looked after the crash.

[Rollin' Thunda]

A picture is truly worth a thousand words!