[ReventonLover]

Originally Posted by TurboLag200

But you should be able to easily find a good garage that works on bullets and go ahead with their expertise right. I mean its been in the market for so long you'd expect almost everyone to know how to work on one.

It might be applicable for metro and other big cities, but in small time towns it's a bit difficult to come by. I made the mistake of getting my block re-bored from a local mechanic and that's when the heavy oil leakages started. I was losing almost 1 litre of engine oil a month. Got it serviced at an RE service center in Bangalore. Most of the problem got resolved. There are stil some minor leakages here and there. Looking for a good FNG in Hyderabad. The local ASC where I live was not so confidence inspiring.

[Downshifter]

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

Hi,
I am not able to recollect any major issues that cropped up all of a sudden, TouchWood! What I have observed though is that hardly you will get any technician who knows AtoZ of servicing a Royal Enfield, properly. And this is when the issues crop up. Also there is another breed who always suggest to replace anything and everything, needed or not! To top it, this breed usually does not know how to fix the parts properly too.

Hi Majumdara, It’s great knowing your journey on Amun-Ra. I too own a Forest Green Standard 500. Mine was the last one in 2019. An efi and abs model. Ever since I bought it I haven’t been able to do proper justice to the bike. It’s almost 4 years and now and I might have used it for only about a year and a half to the max. Most of it’s time it has spent parked due to various reasons like lockdowns, WFH, and several other personal issues. I love the bike really and wanted to take it on my first trip. I vividly remember my first long trip to Ooty with a rented Bullet 500 which led me to buy my bike. Having said that, off late my bike has been giving me strange issues. The back end is simply moving all over the place and the bike is struggling to maintain to straight line. As a result, it is giving me body pains in my mid riff. I’m unable to drive it steadily. I checked with a nearby RE after sales guy who just said it’s alignment is out and did the wheel throwing. I faced the issue once again after the alignment.

Now, I have decided a few options from my side and need your opinion on the same.

1. Replace front and rear tyres, and change rims to alloys. Change the rear sprocket and chain assembly. Change the handle bar.

2. Do a rear suspension checkup.

3. Only change the rear sprocket and rim.

An important point: I drive on pathetic roads and speedbreakers daily. My neighbourhood roads are cement roads and almost broken completely with giant potholes. During the rainy season, i need to cross a water stream almost for a few months. To set a context there are around “15 speedbreakers” in a 4-5 kms distance which I need to cross to go anywhere from my home. I am heavy throttle driver and I drive with a pillion most often. Both of us weigh in a lot and I mean it.

Do the above parameters also contribute to the damage in the bike? I would kindly need your inputs in how to repair my bike.

[Majumdarda]

Originally Posted by Downshifter

...off late my bike has been giving me strange issues. The back end is simply moving all over the place and the bike is struggling to maintain to straight line...

Hello Sir,
Thank you for dropping by. In terms of the rear wheel alignment, a very simplest of the tests is to park your bullet on the main stand and do a free wheel movement & while the wheel is moving gently touch the rim with your outer finger side to judge undulations. A little bit is okay, but if the undulations are considerable, you may consider going to a street-side wheel alignment guy to fix the fox. A pretty manual process but it's typically the same as is done with bicycles.

Another thing to check is the 4 dampeners inside the rear wheel (typically the 4 black rubbers that one has to take out if getting a tire refixed.) If that becomes too hard, then the wheel wobbles and u will observe longitudinal movements. You can check if the dampeners are gone by putting your bullet on the mains, having the rear brakes applied, try to move the rear wheel slightly, with hand. Ideally, the wheel should not budge a bit, but then a slight delta budging should be okay. If the budging is a considerable amount, please consider replacing those 4 rubber thingies.

But since you have already visited a RE guy, I hope the swing arm is okay. You can test this by putting your bullet on the mains, and try to move the wheel laterally with your hands. If they move, then the culprit is the swing arm, and better to have that replaced. I would recommend company bushes in this process and not the metal ones. The metal ones might be lasting long, but then they also end up passing on the entire vibrations to the chassis.

These are a couple of things I can think of which might be related to the rear wheel play you have been experiencing (Of course there are many more and I am assuming that your steed did not have any impacts which might play a role here)

Originally Posted by Downshifter

2. Do a rear suspension checkup.

It's always better to replace if the need arises as I am personally not much confident about the effectiveness of repairing a rear gas-filled shock absorber.

Originally Posted by Downshifter

I am heavy throttle driver and I drive with a pillion most often. Both of us weigh in a lot and I mean it

Well, by this if you mean that you ride rough, then I am afraid you will be finding it pretty challenging to source any motorcycle to withstand But jokes apart, a stock Bullet 500 cannot pull in excess of a 110/115 on straights (the odometer display I am referring, actual is pretty low), and in that speed, if one chooses to fly over those 15" speed breakers, it might definitely contribute as a back/bike breaker

[Downshifter]

Thanks for the prompt reply. 2 quick questions here. The Service Centre has changed R&R Stem Bearing Kit and a Ball Race Kit. Is it somehow related to the swingarm? Would the above issues be sorted if I change both the tyres and rims. I’m planning to go for tubeless tyres and alloys. Regarding the speedbreakers sorry If I went too overboard with my details. I actually meant driving over those kind of bad roads conditions with a pillion daily. I was just under the impression that maybe roads might play a factor here. And well, I don’t do those speeds in the city atleast. ��

[Majumdarda]

The frequency of group rides though has reduced to a certain extent, but who can ignore the 74th Republic Day ride?

Our Bullet club had organized the TriColor ride but owing to various restrictions etc, the route had to be reduced to a great extent. Nevertheless, it's one of those rides, where irrespective of the fact if you have just joined the group or are enjoying sainthood, definitely will make sure to join and be a part of the morning fun ride.

[ziffius]

Originally Posted by Majumdarda

Welcome to the family and please share the name too. Best regards,

This late reply is for a 'thank you' for the guidance acquiring a RE as well as a closure for me for the short time I owned the bike. It's been seven years since I bought it and six since I sold it to a dear friend of mine.
Lots of unexpected sharp turns occurred (life) and had to let the bike go before I could arrive at a name for it. Also bought a Suzuki Access 125 in 2018 and again had to let it go because of an injury. Both vehicles went within a year of purchase, just when I had crossed the careful initial servicing/run-in care & was getting ready to have fun with them. The silver lining is both the vehicles went to new owners who really care for their vehicles - irrespective of they being two or four wheelers.
This forum has been an immense source of motivation for quite sometime now. A big thanks to the moderators for their work in keeping the forum for what it was, has been and continues to this day.
Now in 2023, am headed to a Mahindra Scorpio N booking and getting my small draft post ready. Hope to be more active in a meaningful way in the forum going forward.
Mods: Please delete this post as you deem fit if you think this does not add to the conversation or necros the thread in someway.

[Majumdarda]

Motorcycle Riding can be both fun and adventurous. Though there were many fun rides post the ride on the 26th, this one kindled an adrenaline rush, a visit to the Natural Stone Bridge, which is approximately 115 kilometers via the road we took.

Woke up quite early to get myself fitted into the layers of riding gear and by 6, I was at the parking, carefully noting down the starting reading



We had the morning meetup point at one of the Shell outlets and as the city woke up, the members came along. It's always an experience to ride in a group, more so when you have many new members. For example, how can I forget my efforts to stop a new rider from going in the wrong direction, but all in vain? The kid was so happy to come out of the morning traffic that he chose to head straight, ignoring the frantic attempts to catch his attention. It's another story though that we had a gala time, the entire trip discussing his deeds. Amun-Ra basking in the morning sun, while members were trying to guide the young chap back en route. The Forest Green looks Royal in this morning sun



The morning breakfast helped us re-energize the cells while I concentrated more on this new dish that I discovered. It's called "Cut Vada"; basically One Vada dipped in a sambar, showered with Alu Shev; supplemented with a few frams, Jalebi. Though the main food in itself was quite chilly, the jalebis provided the soothing touch, to make it a nice morning dish.



In no time we reached the parking lot and had it not been for the ride lead, who had visited this place before, I am sure to have missed this and ride through.



To reach the Stone Bridge, one has to go down into the valley, through narrow steep steps. Riding jackets and boots proved to be a deadly combination in this trail and luckily we had a roadside food joint that happily allowed us to dump our belongings. The bridge in itself comes to view after a few steps, though to access the same from the front, one has to go down a few more steps and then move right.



The locals informed us that during the monsoon, there is a stream flowing down the stone path. With lush greenery during the monsoons and a stream of flowing water, I can only imagine the beauty of this place.




This place is so near to Pune yet for a clear Blue sky, one has to reach the outskirts. Presenting the most soothing view amongst the rocky grandeur



After spending some time at the venue, we head back to Pune and I reached home around 2 PM

[Majumdarda]

And yet it's just a mere 63025. More rides required Amun-Ra?

[Majumdarda]

Bucket List : Mumbai Night Ride

Rides, like the Leh-Ladakh etc, are like a Holy trip for motorcycle enthusiasts. And yet, they do not feature in my Bucket list. Well, I guess they did, but once the sainthood is attained, who remembers! And Yet, there are a few, for which one plans, forgets, re-plans only to over-ride, yet again the vicious cycle continues. But those rides, no matter how small they are, are something special and they fall in my bucket list.

For example, how about being able to visit the mother plant where someone out there "hand-crafted" my Amun-Ra. Quite a distant dream at this stage, but yes, its there in the pipeline, hoping to realize someday for sure. And then, there was this Mumbai Night Ride. A plan of which I had from the day I joined our group! But at last, on the 15th Of April, the ride became a reality, at last! And that too on the very auspicious day of New Year (Pôhela Boishakh).

Though the feelings and excitement of 2014/15 were lacking, to be overcome by a more cautious approach, nevertheless, its a feeling after all. The sense of achievement got re-kindled as we crossed the Panvel station, after starting from Pune late in the evening. While my friend introduced us to Antilia, Amun-Ra re-introduced me to night ride fun; that very excitement for which I have been longing since ages, the achievement to have been able to ride on the streets of Bombay! Marine Drive probably could have been enjoyed better if it had not been for the visiting dignitaries, but then who could have stopped us from cherishing the moments seating on the steps of "The Asiatic Society, Mumbai" at half past midnight! The ride thus back to Pune got blessed with some added BHPs, revving the night roads with all its power and grit!

Thank you Amun-Ra!

[Majumdarda]

https://youtu.be/uH1ICXHpAEw

The Ladakh session has started but unfortunately Amun-Ra will not be able to travel this time. Though I had my leaves approved but IT sector is itt (meaning stone in Bengali). Anyways could not stop cherishing the memories and trying my luck with some video editing.

[Majumdarda]

While sitting at friend's garage an impromptu night ride was planned for Lion's point. Though there is hardly anything to ride about this quick short ride, but then the twinkling bright night pearls across the sleepy slopes are worth a beauty.

From a time when Amun-Ra used to be the youngest in a group ride, to these days when he is the oldest. Fast rides are a bit challenging with the Swift young guns on straight plains, but the Bofors knows it's tricks in the twisties.