[abhishek24x]

I wanted to know whether there is any difference in cranks of standard 350 and the electra as i'm in the midst of buying one. Another concern is the provision of disc brake. Please suggest whether it'll be possible to get a disc brake fitted in the front forks of the standard 350 without any changes in the front forks..fellow bhpians please advice..

[adrian]

Hi abhishek, the standard uce has the same crank weight as that of Classic 500 and that makes it the one with the heaviest crank among the 350 machines. I own a standard and mostly do city commuting. I felt it apt for city rides with less gear changes and good all around torque (It pulls like a train in all the gears). But I have always felt that the Electra packs a more spirited acceleration due to it's final drive ratio and less crank weight. Both machines have their advantages and disadvantages. Pick your machine according to your taste. If you want your machine to beat the pulsars from signal to signal go for the Electra and if you want to chug along with less gear changes go for the Standard. When it comes to gradients, the standard has the advantage. You can climb without a downshift and beat most bikes up hill !
The standard doesn't come with a disk brake but you can get one fitted later on. You will have to change the front wheel hubs but I am not sure about the forks. There is also provision for e-start installation if you are into it.
Regards Adrian

[iron.head]

Bullet 350 UCE and Classic 500 share the same crank which gives a more balanced and composed ride. You can get the front disk brakes easily installed later. Also, the crank bearings are of very high quality in Bullet 350 UCE and Classic 500 while rest of the Enfields have crappy cheap crank bearings. A very nice comparison between different Enfields by bsmotoring is here-
Royal Enfields compared - Bullet proof

IMO Electra's look pathetic and after a few years the condition gets even worse. Go for Bullet 350 UCE and get a front disk later if you feel the need.

[adrian]

^loved the link on bullet comparison. But got really angry with the gun comparison of the T-bird: a water pistol ?? come on.. the thunder bird is a wonderful machine.Oops have to be more specific- I mean the TB 350 not the TB 500 looking like a plastic toy.
Regards Adrian

[tharian]

Originally Posted by iron.head

Bullet 350 UCE and Classic 500 share the same crank which gives a more balanced and composed ride. You can get the front disk brakes easily installed later. Also, the crank bearings are of very high quality in Bullet 350 UCE and Classic 500 while rest of the Enfields have crappy cheap crank bearings. A very nice comparison between different Enfields by bsmotoring is here-
Royal Enfields compared - Bullet proof.

The link above is a well written one.

The Std 350 and the Classic 500 having the same crank is news to me. In fact, recently a friend told me the same and I kept telling him that was on the old Cast Iron versions.
This is good since some of the old feel of the Cast Iron is regained here.

I do have a doubt though, according to the link, the Classic 350 is faster than the Electra and T-Bird. Does the Classic have something the other dont to make it faster or is just the smaller wheels, which will hardly make any difference.

[iron.head]

Originally Posted by tharian

The link above is a well written one.

I do have a doubt though, according to the link, the Classic 350 is faster than the Electra and T-Bird. Does the Classic have something the other dont to make it faster or is just the smaller wheels, which will hardly make any difference.

I wrote a comment on this link after reading the same line. That was the time when I was trying to figure out which Enfield to buy. Bullet 350 has a heavier crank, so the pick-up is a bit lower than other 350's. Other than this, it's just the difference of front sprockets.

Originally Posted by Randhawa

@Achint- Difference of 15T to 16T between the Electra,Std UCE and C3 is because of the tyre size. C3 has 16T sprocket to compensate the decrease in tyre size from 19 to 18 at rear.

There are two ways of playing around with sprockets. Either you change the rear or front.

Different ways to get the results

1.Reduced no of teeth on front sprocket= more power, less top end
Increased no of teeth on rear sprocket= more power, less top end

2. Increase no of teeth on front sprocket= less power, increased top end.
Reduced no of teeth on rear sprocket= less power, increased top end.

[abhishek24x]

Well its a news..After all your valuable comments my fellow BHPIANS, I finally settled in for a Standard 350 UCE. There was only one bike on display & other bikes on display--Electra & Thunderbird looked so pathetic in front of it that I took no other option rather than going in for the Std. 350. Looks so good with its vintage Charm..the inverted front forks, the hand-painted stripes on the fuel tank & the black paint..Awesome!!! Plus the superb power delivery thanks to the Heavier crank!!!

[adrian]

Originally Posted by abhishek24x

Well its a news..After all your valuable comments my fellow BHPIANS, I finally settled in for a Standard 350 UCE. There was only one bike on display & other bikes on display--Electra & Thunderbird looked so pathetic in front of it that I took no other option rather than going in for the Std. 350. Looks so good with its vintage Charm..the inverted front forks, the hand-painted stripes on the fuel tank & the black paint..Awesome!!! Plus the superb power delivery thanks to the Heavier crank!!!

Hi abhishek24x, Congratulations, you have completed one tough task - choosing the right bull, but then there is another one that follows- the waiting period. By the way the forks of Standard UCE are not inverted. It is the fork covers that gives you the illusion.
Regards Adrian

[abhishek24x]

Oh I never knew that it ws only an illusion created by the cover..anyways..I've already bought it as it was readily available at the mahipalpur dealership in delhi..but only two days that i got the bike, i'm facing a lot of troubles with it. Please suggest..there is a fuel leakage from the fuel filler cap, bike pulls to the right upon leaving the handles in spite of my several visits to the dealer. There was a discolouration mark on the front hub, the paint finish on the tank has some protruding grains..and the bike pulls to the right in a more pronounced manner on using the front brakes..i've mailed royal enfield also and awaiting their reply..any suggestions please??

[adrian]

Congratulations on your new machine and happy thumping Don't get pulled back by the minor set backs. My standard also dives to the right when hands off. Visits to the service has not cured it. So I took it to Mr.Murugan in Trivandrum, who is a bullet expert and he identified the problem to tight steering cones. The steering cones should be loose enough for the machine to counter steer by itself when you leave it in hands off mode.You can check for tight/ notchy cones by putting the bike on the center stand, have somebody push down the rear end of the bike and swing the handlebar all the way from lock to lock. If you find it tight or notchy, notify it to the service and get it replaced under warranty if in a bad condition. Another thing would be to check the rear wheel alignment which comes perfectly once in a blue moon in a new bullet.

The bike diving to the right when under hard braking may be due to the difference in oil level in the front forks. The company recommends 195 ml in each forks, but they rarely practices what they preaches.

Almost all bullets leaks through the tank cap if filled to the brim and put in the side stand. Remedy : Don't fill the tank to the brim and if you can't ride around with the tank full, then don't put the machine in the side stand.

Grains in the tank paint is no excusable matter. Get it to the notice of the service ASAP.

Regards Adrian

[abhishek24x]

But i would like to add that it is not the handle that swerves to the right its the weight of the bike that makes it go that way coz if i lean a bit offset to the left to balance the weight, the bike goes straight. So m a bit suspicious whether i got the right bike or not as it may be a defective piece/ transit damaged that might have been refurbished & given to me??

[adrian]

That is the same way my bike behaves- It dives to the right just like the exhaust pipe weighs a ton. Tight / Notchy steering cones is the culprit.
Regards Adrian

[Rennjit]

Originally Posted by tharian

... The Std 350 and the Classic 500 having the same crank is news to me. In fact, recently a friend told me the same and I kept telling him that was on the old Cast Iron versions. ...

Does it mean CI 500 & 350 had one & the same crank?

[Beast_of_Burden]

I have been waiting for mine to be delivered since Oct 11. For someone like me who has been riding a bullet since 1995, the new STD 350 is the most appealing of the lot. I cancelled my booking today.

I ran into the Enfield that I have been looking for some time - a green cast iron 500. My new acquisition does have a few issues mostly related to the engine, but nothing a good mech couldn't fix. However a generation of well known mechanics is passing on, it is getting increasingly hard to find good mechs. The less said about the factory operated service center the better. I would urge you to look up a good mech outside the showroom operated service center atleast to help with the diagnosis. The showroom should fix the issues ofcourse.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by Rennjit

Does it mean CI 500 & 350 had one & the same crank?

I am not sure if it is the exact same crank as the CI500 that was on the CI350 Std.
But I know for a fact it was a heavier one than the one used in the Electra CI350 as it was told to me on a REM Factory tour a couple of years back.