[Majumdarda]

Sunday , 26th January, 2014
India's 65th Republic Day

We, the members of Blitzkrieg Riding Club, Pune, decided to do something special, something different, something "worth remembering".

The total count of riders on that particular way was more than 55. The night of 25th was filled with excitement and determination, to make the day worth remembering. In fact, it seemed that couple of our riders did not sleep at night, exchanging ideas, opinions and expectations, even at 2am, through the WhatsApp. Yes, they were being answered as well with equal enthusiasm and determination.

I was wide awake by 4 in the morning, attaching our National Flag to my Amun-Ra, making sure that nothing comes off at the time of the ride, and my flag swirls to the tune in the air. Also to make the day very special, wifey did a very good paint job on my saffron t-shirt, giving it the flavour of the Republic Day, blending it with the theme of the Royal Enfield.

Making sure that everything is in place and properly tied up and secured, I went to meet my mentor and fellow rider buddy at Bremen Chowk at 4:30 AM. Though the early morning was chilling but the expectations from the day and the excitement, gave us the warmth to ride to our meeting place, (NCC Canteen) in good speed, shivering all the way off-course. Fellow members started to join from different parts of the city at the meeting place and within no time, we were declaring our presence, in the color of our national flag.

Before commencing our rides, team lead, unfurled the National Flag on his Bullet followed by our National Anthem. All of us then took our respective positions depicting the color of the nation, the color of our National Flag:- Saffron, White and Green. Yes the entire range was present and if we could capture an aerial view, I am sure it would have looked just AWESOME.

In this tight formation we proceeded to the Paraplegic Centre, Khadkee, where we met our fellow country men, injured while serving our Mother Nation. We stayed there for a couple of hours, encouraging them in the various sports activities that had been organized, in honour of the day. Yes, might be they are physically injured, but definitely, they are far stronger mentally.

After that we proceeded to tour the entire city in the formation of our flag, passing through areas like Aundh, Wakdewadi, Koregaon park, MG Road and finally culminating at Wadia College. The formation was never compromised and everybody stuck to their respective positions, making the day, worth remembering.

Thank you riders, thank you Blitzkrieg-ians.

Below are some of the pictures.

Wifey in full concentration


The unique creation, goes very well with the mood and the notion


All excited to join the ride


Jai Hind




We stand bold, we stand tall


Some moments captured at the Paraplegic Centre





Thank you Malik Khan for capturing this lively moment


We entertained our soldiers with Slow Motorcycling. Below is the line up


Posing with the flag, depicting the flag, Thank you Malik


Amun-Ra in all his glory


Yours Truly


Thank you Ashish, for capturing our never ending enthusiasm, making this a possibility, a reality.


Last, but not the least, special thanks to Kamal and Parichit, for capturing and composing this nice video, depicting and honouring our sentiments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu8neTat-ac

Thank you all for your contribution. Brotherhood is what we believe in, brotherhood is what we stand for.

Best regards,

[sajo]

Always a pleasure to read your updates on this thread Majumdarda. The styling of this motorcycle strikes a cord within me, and if I had the moolah, would probably be my next ride.(Wifey doesnt agree though, she is madly in love with the Teal Green on the Classic).

[Majumdarda]

Originally Posted by sajo

Always a pleasure to read your updates on this thread Majumdarda. The styling of this motorcycle strikes a cord within me, and if I had the moolah, would probably be my next ride.(Wifey doesnt agree though, she is madly in love with the Teal Green on the Classic).

Thank you Sajo. The styling actually resembles the very old design of the Bullet, that defines the Bullet, Made like a Gun.

Today Amun-Ra is 4 months and 2 days old and below is his mid-mid year review.

Amun-Ra has completed 4463 kilometers till date and the average that I am getting in the bumper to bumper traffic is 35kmpl. Not too bad to complain about. On highways and long drives, it is around 40.



This afternoon while I was cleaning him, I noticed some oil strains here and there near the block and below are the images taken from various angles.

Left hand side




At the bottom where the Engine number is printed



Silencer Mount point to Block



Block Right hand side



Block Left hand side



Some strains of oil at the point where the Chain comes out of the engine body to drive the rear wheel







Current Engine Oil level looks good to me



This is probably some rust at the handle joint. Had actually tried to finger it off, but was not successful.




Below are my queries :-

• The oil strains that we see at the block sides (both left and right), are they of any concerns?
• The oil marks that we see at the chain bay, are these of any concern?
• What about the possible rust marks? I have not seen them spreading, but will applying WD40 get rid of these rusts?

Observations till date :-

• Acceptable mileage
• Good brake bite. It helps in case of Urgent brakes. The weight of the motorcycle plays a positive role.
• Rear view mirrors :- Still getting used to the earthquake effect.
• Seats are good for city rides or max 2 hours drive at a stretch. For longer duration, I feel pain at rear back, both shoulders and bottom.
• Rear seat support is of no good use other than the visual aspect. In fact, it might hit their tail bone.
• Indicators and Head light give ample light as expected from them.
• I have got used to the seating position, but like mentioned above, your shoulder will start to sprain during long rides.
• Vibrations :- Yes, I can feel it now, but post 95. This is beyond my current comfort level and therefore I do not drive in those ranges for long duration.
• Pull Power :- You Tube commercials suggest that the gap in acceleration between 500 EFI and 500 CARB is not that much, but practically there is a huge gap. If I compare with 500 DS or 500 TBTS, I see the gap just goes on increasing. Might be that I am not a seasoned speed crazy rider or may be that the carb needs some tinkering. If someone asks me whether I am bothered because of this, my answer will be No. But you never know with a Bullet. The expectation just goes on increasing with the miles

Scopes of Improvement :-

• Good seat for long drives.
• Better thump. Though I did fix the Electra Muffler but they are in no comparison to the age old distinct thump.
• Availability of spare parts :- I have been informed that for the B500, the accelerator cable is different and still not available in the market.
• Good rear view mirrors which do not vibrate like crazy and shows the rider, the road, instead of his hand.
• A back rest like the old TBTS / Avenger would help a lot. RE needs to apply brains to come with suitable options that goes well with the looks of the motorcycle and retaining the intended purpose.
• Parking lights needed for long night rides.
• Vibration less :- I will not complain if it remains post 95, but off-course if it starts intruding into my comfort zone in the long run, it will be of concern. Currently, I am OK.

Thank you for your patience in going through this rather long update. Please be kind to help me out with your observations / suggestions so that I can enjoy riding Amun-Ra more

Best regards,

Bikramjit

[ArizonaJim]

IMO, there is nothing to worry about with the slight oiliness you are seeing.

The oil on both sides of the cylinder head is due to a slight seepage from the rocker arm covers. While an engine as new as yours should not have this happening it will cause no harm to the engine.
I suggest that you take the motorcycle to the dealer and show him the problem and insist that he fix it.

Fixing this is not difficult. All that is needed is to remove the fuel tank and the rocker arm covers. They have 4 bolts each. After removing the covers, applying a very light coating of oil resistant silicone gasket compound and putting everything back together the problem will be gone.

The slightly dirty/oily area around the neutral switch next to the engine number could be due to the switch not being fully tight. Have the dealer check the tightness of the things in that area.

The oil on the engine and swing arm where the drive chain is is normal and shows that you are doing a good job of keeping the chain lubricated as you should.

The chain lube tends to get thrown off of the chain as it passes around the engine drive sprocket.


While your dealer is fixing the niggles, ask him to check the tightness of all of the engine mount bolts. He also needs to verify the tighteness of the engine head steady bolts and the condition of the head steady itself. (This is the steel bar that is connecting the upper rear of the engine cylinder to a bolt on the frame right under the rear of the fuel tank.)
If any of these bolts are loose, or the head steady is cracked the engine can vibrate more than it should.

Happy riding to you.

[Majumdarda]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

IMO, there is nothing to worry about with the slight oiliness you are seeing.

The oil on both sides of the cylinder head is due to a slight seepage from the rocker arm covers. While an engine as new as yours should not have this happening it will cause no harm to the engine.
...

Happy riding to you.

Thank you very much Jim for your response. I was in-fact waiting to hear something like this and who better than you

If this is some thing which will not harm my Amun-Ra, then I will prefer it to remain this way. Moreover I do regular clean up of my motorcycle, a practice I developed from my school days. The main reason why I do not want to approach the guys to check for some loose bolts etc or asking them to tighten something, is you never know what they will do after that. And there is a strong possibility that it might go for a toss. I had such bad experience with my Pulsar.

So over here, I actually prefer to approach them unless it is absolutely required. Saying that I would also like to see if I can tighten some of the bolts, my self over this weekend. Let me see if I can be of any assistance to my Motorcycle.

Thank you very much for your inputs. Please continue sharing them so that I can enjoy my ride

Best regards,

Bikramjit.

[ArizonaJim]

I understand your concern about using unknown mechanics.

That explains why I do all of my own service and repair if needed.

Tightening the engine mount bolts and checking the head steady are tasks that can easily be done by the "home mechanic". I recommend checking ALL of the bolts often on any motorcycle regardless of brand.

The bolts that are in the rocker arm covers have a hex socket drive head.
These are "shoulder bolts", that is, the body of the bolt is larger than the threads and this larger area just above the threads seats directly on the cylinder head when the bolt is tightened.
That makes trying to tighten them more will do nothing to compress the rubber gaskets more to stop any oil leakage that might be happening.
These bolts should be tightened to 1 kg/m (7.2 pound/feet) of torque and no more.
If you don't have a torque wrench, try to imagine the torque that a 1kg load would create if suspended from a 1 meter long bar. It's not very much so don't overdo it on these bolts.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

This afternoon while I was cleaning him, I noticed some oil strains here and there near the block and below are the images taken from various angles.
Bikramjit

Hi friend, You really shouldn't be inquiring about the rocker cover oil leakage after acquiring the UCE BIBLE ! They have a specific section on the leakage problem under the maintenance tab. and one more thing if you are planning to remove the rocker cover allen bolts, be sure to give them a good jolt with a box spanner and hammer before the removal attempt. Otherwise you will strip the allen bolt and will have to use a hammer and punch to remove that. One more thing to remember is that the allen bolts are of various length. From my experience you will have to remove, clean and replace the rubber gaskets to come out of that leak.
regards adrian

[Majumdarda]

My Bible has gone for a toss it seems. I had uninstalled the flash as a newer version was available, but then now it does not work. I have re-installed it twice but same problem. Gives me an error as Flash not installed.
I think I will have to re-install the bible again. Sincerely wish that the earlier provided auth-key works.

Anyways, some breakfast clicks for my enthusiastic bullet fans. Below are the RE approved PDIs and I think they are quite exhaustive as well.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

My Bible has gone for a toss it seems. I had uninstalled the flash as a newer version was available, but then now it does not work. I have re-installed it twice but same problem. Gives me an error as Flash not installed.
I think I will have to re-install the bible again. Sincerely wish that the earlier provided auth-key works.

Hi Majumdarda, the previous authorization key would suffice unless you have massive hardware changes in your computer.
regards adrian

[Majumdarda]

In case any one from Pune is interested to get the Cramster 's address:-

Xlimitz/Adventure World
6/5 Shri Daulat Society, Near McDonalds, Karve Road, Kothrud, Pune 411029
Phone: 020-64000482/25450230

RED PILLAR
Shop No 3, Sr No 1973, Gulmohar Manor, Near IBM, Pune Nagar Road, Pune 411006
020-64000482/25450230

Best regards,

[Majumdarda]

Last-night while going out for a quick evening ride, I observed that front side right side indicator is not working, though the rear one is blinking. I observed that the small green indicator that is there on the console is rather blinking wildly if I give the right side indicator but is normal if I use the left side indicator.

With this constant pinch in mind, I went to sleep and first thing in the morning (even before the morning tea) I was right in front of Amun-Ra.

What has gone wrong with you dear, that you are not flaring your indicators?

First check was obviously the bulbs :- everything OK.
Second was the fuses :- everything OK.

So with the easier options checked, I sat down in front of him trying to locate the cable ends and look what I found



Apparently it seems that the wire was stuck between the protruding metal piece (which stops the handle from moving and hitting the petrol tank) and the little gap there is present between the Chassis and the handle movement bar. Result being that the wire was torn, thus rendering the front indicator useless.

One option was to contact the Service center and get a replacement, but was not sure if that sole wire is available. The other option was the DIY. Opened the headlight assembly to check the free length available which is good. Basically there are two wires in that plastic casing for the indicators, black and black with green stripe. Some careful cutting and liberal use of the black tapes made them working again.





Time taken :- Max 30 minutes as I was looking / checking here and there

Observation :- One should take care while opening the headlight assembly. The front screw support tends to fall off after removing the screw. Also while fixing, the bottom of the assembly needs to be inserted first in the slot and the the top to slide into. But the way the entire assembly is fixed, I really wonder how stable will it be at the time of long rides over pot-holed-riddled-speed-breaker-roads? Specially at nights.

Is there any alternatives available, like some harness etc to give support to the glass and prevent it from accidental fall off?

Please advise.

Best regards,

Bikramjit.

[Majumdarda]

My First love (Pulsar) and Amun-Ra got some washing treatment from Sonax. No polishing at this moment as it is not required. A very good Sunday indeed.







Ultimately, back under covers for the time being.



Best regards,


P.S. :- My Pulsar helped a lot during the month end. Thank you for being there with me whenever I have needed you, whenever you have been called for.

[tharian]

How exactly does the rubber blocks between the fins on the engine help?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by tharian

How exactly does the rubber blocks between the fins on the engine help?

AFAIK and IIRC the rubber blocks that are placed between the fins help by two ways:

1) They dampen the high pitch sound produced by the engine and lesser vibration (resonance).

2) Air moving over the fins will pass straight without much heat carryibg but the rubber blocks can create turbulence hence sone extra heat can be removed along with the air that swirls around.

I am just guessing and can be wrong.

Anurag.

[Majumdarda]

One thing that I have observed is that these rubber blocks tends to fall off quite easily and the fitting is also not tight enough. At least on Amun-Ra, some are missing.

Is this something very serious?

Last night, was my first night ride on the Mumbai Pune old highway, covering a distance of approximate 100 kilometers (Lonavala Up and Down). There was another rider with me too and we had a great time, atop the Tiger Point, at around 9:30 PM.

The star filled sky is something non imaginative staying in Pune, as whenever you look up, you seem to catch a gloomy sky. At least I have not seen a sky filled with so many stars, with every single star shining like a crystal diamond on a black background. Wish I could stay there for some more time and watch them. The experience was simply mind bowing and no words to describe it.

Amun-Ra seemed to be enjoying this night ride as well and the constant speed of 80 helped us enjoy the night beauty too.

Sorry no pictures this time as I did not carry my camera.

Best regards,