[LazyGunner]

Originally Posted by msrsooraj

Get the Classic.

Did it I booked a Classic 350. I wanted a black classic but my wife wanted maroon because black was becoming common. I was not in for that argument. If you look at it, bullet itself is becoming common nowadays. Lots of them on road. So I was adamant on getting black. Before booking I asked for the waiting period. Showroom guy said 4-5 months for black and 3 months for maroon. I turned to my wife and said "Didn't you always want a maroon one?" Now, I can't wait for 3 months to pass by. Hopefully I'll get it earlier!

And yes, there are many aftermarket seats available for the classic 350. Pick up a nice one and you're good to go. I also happened to see a classic with a Thunderbird seat (the old AVL Thunderbird with a single seat) and those looked comfortable and spacious. Or maybe it was something that looked like a Thunderbird seat. My sister is 160cm tall. She was comfortable with the height of a classic.
Get a crash guard. That will offer great protection to you and your motorcycles in tiny crashes.

Make sure your wife gets a helmet too.

We decided to use it and check if the stock seats are comfortable. If not then will go for a change. For now may be, I can think of getting a back rest in Thunderbird style, I'm not sure.

A crash guard and two solid, affordable helmets are on the top of my list. I'll search for helmet threads on TBHP, I'm sure there will be plenty of them.

[msrsooraj]

Originally Posted by LazyGunner

For now may be, I can think of getting a back rest in Thunderbird style, I'm not sure.

The pillion seat of a classic 350 is not the most comfortable place you can be at. But that backrest will certainly make things a lot better. I have seen many classics with that. So be sure you can get them. They don't fit in with the retro classic looks of the retro classics but will certainly offer a lot comfort. I dont know how comfortable it will be for a person who sits sideways. The stock thing offer a lot of discomfort no matter how you sit.

[Vivek.bk]

I understand that there are three different categories, rather generations of engines used on various Royal Enfield Models. Could anyone help me understand the basic difference between Cast Iron Engine, AVL Engine and Unit Construction Engine. Thank you in advance.

PS: Request answers in layman's terms

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by Vivek.bk

I understand that there are three different categories, rather generations of engines used on various Royal Enfield Models. Could anyone help me understand the basic difference between Cast Iron Engine, AVL Engine and Unit Construction Engine. Thank you in advance.

PS: Request answers in layman's terms

Well there are tons of materials on this mate, but I will try to explain in layman's terms as per your request.

Cast Iron(CI): The name itself depicts about the usage of good old heavy duty cast iron. The CI engines have a cast iron cylinder block/barrel(where the piston moves) and an aluminium head(where the valves and rockers seat). They came with 4 speed gearbox(right side gear lever) and later were offered with 5 speed gearbox(left side gear lever). There are many variants of the CI engine itself but that is a long story. The 350cc engine puts out 18 odd BHP while the 500cc puts out 24 odd BHP and 535cc puts out 26 odd BHP. The engine and the gearbox were two separate units that were bolted together. It runs on Contact Breaker points(Electromechanical) ignition system. They used to come in 350(Bullet Standard, Electra, etc.), 500(Bullet) and 535cc(Lightning) engine variants.

AVL: The name AVL stuck to the second series of RE engines from the company who built them namely AVL(Anstalt für Verbrennungskraftmaschinen List) of Austria. These engines were all aluminium construction and came with a 5 speed gearbox as a separate unit with left side gear lever mated to the engine. These engines used to make some clatter and noise due to usage of aluminium. They initially used to run on CDI(Digital) ignition later changed to TCI(electronic) for better fuel combustion and overall performance. They came in two variants 350cc(Tbird and Machismo) and 500cc(Machismo only). The engines belted out 18 odd BHP for 350cc and 25 odd BHP for 500cc.

UCE: UCE engines again are an all aluminium engine with the gearbox integrated into the crankcase unlike a separate unit found on the AVL and CI. This helps cut down on transmission losses(power loss) as both the units are integrated and not separate. All UCE engine powered RE's come with left side gear lever. They come on 350cc, 500cc and 535cc engine variants. You can see the power figures on their website.

There are many other things like oil circulation, tappets, gear ratios, etc. which are somewhat technical so I have left them out. Hope this helps.

[ArizonaJim]

Just touching on a few of the technical differences if I may:

Because the cast iron cylinder is cast iron it doesn't conduct heat from the burning fuel or the aluminum piston to the fins very well. This can lead to overheating and seizure of the piston if the engine is delivering its maximum output for long periods of time.

The cast iron engine uses two small oil pumps (originally designed back in the 1930's) which are rather inefficient. One pump supplies oil to the bearing in the big end of the connecting rod at a low pressure where it is thrown off into the crankcase, lubricating the piston and crankshaft bearings.
The other pump scavenges the oil from the crankcase and delivers it to the valve rocker arms.

The connecting rod bearing in the big end of the rod is a soft metal sleeve which runs between the crankshafts connecting rod journal and the aluminum connecting rod.
This is a very old design with several design weaknesses.

All of these things work well as long as the engine is run easily.
Running the engine hard where its actually creating some power can cause the engine to self destruct.

The AVL engine greatly improved the Iron Barrels weaknesses by using a thin steel sleeve inside the aluminum cylinder. The aluminum rapidly conducts the heat from the burning fuel and the piston out thru the cylinder fins where it can be cooled.

The AVL engine uses a modern gear pump to supply the oil to the crankshaft and to scavenge the oil from the crankcase.

The AVL replaced the aluminum connecting rod with a steel rod and replaced the sleeve bearing in the connecting rods big end with a roller bearing.

All of these things greatly improved the reliability of the engine, even if it is run fairly hard.

The UCE engine uses the sleeved aluminum cylinder to keep the piston cool, the steel connecting rod and roller bearing of the AVL and replaced the gear type oil pump with a modern oil pump similar to those used in almost every automobile in production.

Where the Iron barrels oil pump is doing good to pump a few quarts of oil per minute, the UCE oil pump pumps gallons of oil per minute. The large amount of oil being pumped cools and lubricates all of the inner workings of the engine and transmission making the engine basically a air and air/oil cooled machine.

Due to this, the engine can be used close to its maximum power for hours on end without the danger of damaging it. (No engine can run at max power for long periods of time without damaging it. Not even a Formula 1 engine.)

[sechebe]

Hi fellow BHPians

I am a happy owner of STD 350 and really love the rides.

From the very beginning I felt that the suspension is stiff, even in its softest setting. Now I can feel every single imperfection on the road (Kerala Roads except NHs are built for a roller coaster ride) and desperately in search for new set of rear shock absorbs for a start. When asked about the CL350/STD500 gas charged shocks, service engineers are suggesting that it will increase the bounciness of the ride. And yes I am planning to downsize the rims to 18 inch for better tyre options, so the ride height doesn't suffer due to suspension change.

So please help me in finding the best alternative gas charged shocks in the market.

[petrolhead_chn]

Originally Posted by sechebe

Hi fellow BHPians

I am a happy owner of STD 350 and really love the rides.

From the very beginning I felt that the suspension is stiff, even in its softest setting. Now I can feel every single imperfection on the road (Kerala Roads except NHs are built for a roller coaster ride) and desperately in search for new set of rear shock absorbs for a start. When asked about the CL350/STD500 gas charged shocks, service engineers are suggesting that it will increase the bounciness of the ride. And yes I am planning to downsize the rims to 18 inch for better tyre options, so the ride height doesn't suffer due to suspension change.

So please help me in finding the best alternative gas charged shocks in the market.

Were you able to find a solution or how did you manage to adjust the rear shocks?

[SS80]

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