[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by adrian

... New models for exporting, focusable head lights only for export models ! ...Regards Adrian

The headlights on the Royal Enfields sold in the US are adjustable to control the point of aim. This did not come without its own problems.

The US DOT (Department of Transportation) requires that all vehicles sold must have adjustable headlights and motorcycles must have their headlights on at all times, day or night.

RE did this by designing and installing a 146mm (5.75 in) sealed beam headlight in place of the normal non adjustable 178mm headlight (7.0 in).
To accomplish this they had to install a smaller support which has two spring loaded adjustment screws in it. This is covered by the outside (visable) headlight ring. (You can see the adjustment holes located at the 6 and 9 o'clock position in the photo below.

They also installed a jumper wire in the lighting circuit which disables the light control switch and keeps the light on at all times when the ignition switch is turned on.

Laws vary in the various States here and in those that do not have the DOT ruling that the headlight must be on at all time and people in those stated (like myself) sometimes remove the jumper wire to restore the operation of the headlight switch but the person who wishes to do this must know how to accomplish the task.

Many owners here have found that the smaller headlight does not provide the necessary light for safe nighttime riding and it looks totally incorrect for the design of the motorcycle. For this reason many of the owners here are spending over $150 (6750 Rupee) to convert it back to the headlights that you people in India get with your RE motorcycles.

Below you can see the smaller headlight installed on my 2011 bike.

[adrian]

@ArizonaJim : Hello Sir, glad to have you in Team BHP. The stock head lights (pre focused type) available in your country are export quality (in Indian industrial terms) and will be top quality products that passed stringent quality tests. What we get here in our motorcycles are the next quality. Just take my experience, Paid around 1 lakh rupees to get the bike on the road, took it to a night spin and found that the head light is not lighting up the road, but the heavens. I took it to the service and they expressed their helplessness : "Pre focused, can't be adjusted." Now I have the 'Inspected, OK' sticker on my head lamp and I seriously don't know the standard of the inspection conducted. I believe that it is the responsibility of the Company to make the bike road worthy before it is delivered to the customer. A bike with a head light that is not lighting up the road is dangerous to the rider and to oncomming drivers as well. They should have tested and replaced the reflector if it had any manufacturing defects, and should have recycled the damaged one instead of installing it to a machine to be delivered locally. We in India are getting average service from the company service stations and when enquired about the availability of a service manual, they denied. So that means we won't give you quality service and we also won't allow you to learn anything and service your bike yourself and that also means pay the money and take what ever we are giving you and no questions. I have the Bullet motorcycle in my blood ; but I hate the company for the way it is treating it's customers.
Regards Adrian

[download2live]

I fail to understand this export only versions of Bullet. Are they that expensive that we Indians cannot afford them?
Mr. Lal obviously has got wrong analysts. Harley's are getting sold in India now.

And more than that it is going to create bad image. That might hurt.

[datvichrox2]

Well, it looks like even the NRI versions have unhappy customers (atleast that the headlights being too small)

Ive read that there is a new color introduced called 'Desert Storm' and will be launched in India as well. Its just a color difference.

Also, all the other models that aren't available here seem to have only cosmetic differences right? The electra efi has thunderbird side panels, std 500 has the c5 engine.
Is there any real functionality that will be missed like the adjustable headlights? Hey, on the brighter side the thunderbird is only available here!

[datvichrox2]

The classic chrome model (500cc) is coming to showrooms next week. Just got confirmation from a dealer. They said existing classic 500 customers can switch if they'd like to.

[350biker]

Originally Posted by datvichrox2

The classic chrome model (500cc) is coming to showrooms next week. Just got confirmation from a dealer. They said existing classic 500 customers can switch if they'd like to.

what does that mean? Why only classic 500 customers? and what does switch exactly mean? U mean like exchange?

[datvichrox2]

Originally Posted by 350biker

what does that mean? Why only classic 500 customers? and what does switch exactly mean? U mean like exchange?

Classic chrome color is only available for the 500 efi model. As per the re site.

People who have booked c5 and are in waiting period can change their booking to this option without losing their slot in the queue.

[350biker]

Originally Posted by datvichrox2

Classic chrome color is only available for the 500 efi model. As per the re site.

People who have booked c5 and are in waiting period can change their booking to this option without losing their slot in the queue.

Thanks for the info.

By the way, a new article has just been posted on zigwheels.com today regarding the classic chrome and the Khakhi Matt finish.

I am copy pasting the link for all: please have a look.

Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 2.0 : First Ride Page - 1| Zigwheels.com



A pic from the post

[magneto]

Hi , i recently sent my 1998 , 500 cc bullet to my brother in USA , and they have stopped the entry of the bike on the grounds of non compliance of US standards.
Can someone please help me in understanding what changes i could make to get it passed in their tests .
if i could know in what are the changes made to US export models , i could make similar changes to my machine .

[infotech58]

Buying a Royal Enfield from US would be cheaper than making changes, getting certification, and shipping it again. I am sure given the parts availability in India, making appropriate changes to meet emission norms, and safety norms is going to be one hell of a task.

Check this link for more information:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/roadbike.htm

Originally Posted by magneto

Hi , i recently sent my 1998 , 500 cc bullet to my brother in USA , and they have stopped the entry of the bike on the grounds of non compliance of US standards.
Can someone please help me in understanding what changes i could make to get it passed in their tests .
if i could know in what are the changes made to US export models , i could make similar changes to my machine .

[ArizonaJim]

@ magneto

The only difference I can think of for a 1998 model would be the headlight requirements.

To meet the US standards it must be fully adjustable and it must be illuminated whenever the motorcycle is running.

Making this conversion could be as simple as installing the fully adjustable headlight rim and sealed beam 5 3/4 inch (146mm) that is used on the Royal Enfields that are currently being imported to the US.
It would also require installing the jumper cable that is installed in the US models to bypass the headlight switch or, rewiring the power supply to the high/low beam control switch.

I think the parts needed for this conversion are not available in India from Royal Enfield but the worst that can happen by asking them is to be told they are not available.

There may be more requirements imposed by the US that I'm not aware of dealing with emissions. I know there were some hoses for the crankcase ventilation system that are on the old RE's that are here but I don't know how those compare with the models sold in India.

When all is said and done it would probably be easier to sell the bike in India and then wire your brother the money so he can buy a used American model here.

[swami.n]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

@ magneto

The only difference I can think of for a 1998 model would be the headlight requirements.

To meet the US standards it must be fully adjustable and it must be illuminated whenever the motorcycle is running.

Now thats new info for me. Any particular reason why the headlights have to be always on.

[ArizonaJim]

Back in the 1970's, the Department of Transportation (DOT) here in the U.S. decided that all motorcycles must have their headlights on whenever they are running.

To this end, all motorcycles made after this ruling was made that will be sold or imported into this country must either have no lighting switch or if one exists it must be made inoperative.

To meet this requirement, Royal Enfield added a short multi-wire jumper that can be installed into the wiring harness in the casquette.

It is easily removed and indeed many of us have done just that so we can use the headlight switch.
On a cold morning, being able to turn the headlight off allows a bit more power to operate the starter motor which can help when starting the engine.

[swami.n]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

Back in the 1970's, the Department of Transportation (DOT) here in the U.S. decided that all motorcycles must have their headlights on whenever they are running.

To this end, all motorcycles made after this ruling was made that will be sold or imported into this country must either have no lighting switch or if one exists it must be made inoperative.

To meet this requirement, Royal Enfield added a short multi-wire jumper that can be installed into the wiring harness in the casquette.

It is easily removed and indeed many of us have done just that so we can use the headlight switch.
On a cold morning, being able to turn the headlight off allows a bit more power to operate the starter motor which can help when starting the engine.

But what happens to other bikes without that option, where most new bikes come with full DC where the engine need not be running for the lights to be on. During the daytime, suppose we are talking to someone with the key on, but the engine off, we may forget to switch off and wont the battery be drained? I'm a bit

[ArizonaJim]

Certainly your battery would be drained if you had the ignition switch on but the engine was not running.

I could make a comment about our Bureaucrats but it is best to keep politics out of the discussion.

I guess I could just point out that most people would turn their ignition off to kill the engine so the risk of running down a battery is slight.