[tharian]

Originally Posted by adrian

@ Arjithin/ Majumdarda : Just out of sheer curiosity, what is the purpose of the part in the new carburetor version Bullet 500 that is marked in the picture.

Looks like the pulse air valve for emission purpose.

The old Cast Iron 500 had it directly onto the bend pipe , but all the later models post 2007 or 08 had it on all the models until the EFI's came out.

[ArizonaJim]

arjithin

The problem with the clutch when the motorcycle is first started is quite normal.

These engines have a "wet plate" clutch which has a number of driven disks or plates resting between a number of driving disks. The surfaces of the disks have a light coating of oil on them and after sitting for a period of time they become slightly stuck to one another.

Your pulling and releasing the clutch lever while the engine is idling causes the disks to become unstuck with one another.

Another method of breaking loose the clutch plates before starting the engine is to first, pull the clutch lever in. Then, using the kick starter push it down.
It will become hard to move as the piston starts its compression stroke but with a little more force, suddenly the lever will become very easy to push. The clutch disks have lost their grip on their neighbors.

Once this is done, you can start the engine and you should not have a problem engaging first gear.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by tharian

Looks like the pulse air valve for emission purpose.

The old Cast Iron 500 had it directly onto the bend pipe , but all the later models post 2007 or 08 had it on all the models until the EFI's came out.

ok. So how does a PAV work? Here are some photos from the bike

From engine a pipe runs to a another device



From there a pipe runs below the petrol tank. I am not able to locate the other end of the pipe as its too tightly tied up.




Majumdarda, I dont think the rubber piece helps in increasing the thump.
Its the first point of contact if a car hits from back. Twice I was hit by a car from the back in the stop and go traffic (because drivers misjudge the length of a bullet) in my older CL350, and both times this rubber took the beating and saved the rear mudguard.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by tharian

Looks like the pulse air valve for emission purpose.

The old Cast Iron 500 had it directly onto the bend pipe , but all the later models post 2007 or 08 had it on all the models until the EFI's came out.

Thanks buddy, can't find it on my 2011 standard uce 350. Any way, what advantage would it bring with it ?
regards adrian

[tharian]

Originally Posted by arjithin

ok. So how does a PAV work? Here are some photos from the bike

From engine a pipe runs to a another device



From there a pipe runs below the petrol tank. I am not able to locate the other end of the pipe as its too tightly tied up.

.

The fat pipe is connected to the resonator box to suck in fresh air and the thin pipe connects to the intake manifold between the carb and the engine.

The basic explanation can be found here,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_suction_valve

There was another link with diagrams specific for Enfield which I will post as I cannot find it now.

Originally Posted by adrian

Thanks buddy, can't find it on my 2011 standard uce 350. Any way, what advantage would it bring with it ?
regards adrian

No advantage on the power front., only for emission purpose. At first when I saw this on the CI 500's, i thought it is some sort of power device

The UCE 350's I guess do not have this because of the smaller engine size which may be meeting the emissions as it is(same reason the CI500's had it and not the CI350's in early 2000) and the UCE 500's with EFI do not need it because of the FI .

The AVL 350/500's all had it as well as the last few years of CI350's.

[adrian]

@tharian : Thanks for the explanation and the link. The whole gimmick turned out to be just another place to look for a vacuum leak
regards adrian

[tharian]

Originally Posted by adrian

@tharian : Thanks for the explanation and the link. The whole gimmick turned out to be just another place to look for a vacuum leak
regards adrian

Enfield way of adhering to norms.

Actually, all the models that came with the PAV had the Cat Con in their exhaust pipes as well. So it may be a way to make the cat con work more efficiently.

The old 500 had something called the hot tube exhaust system, a predecessor of the cat con.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by tharian

Enfield way of adhering to norms.
So it may be a way to make the cat con work more efficiently.

Any body got an idea on the type of cat cons in the new bullets ? To be more precise on the question, does the cat con contain ceramic material ? If it does, then the simple deed of fixing the leak at the exhaust pipe-silencer junction after placing a metal sheet would damage the cat con as the silencer has to be tapped with a mallet or a 4 by 4 to slide it over the exhaust pipe and that shock / vibration is enough for the ceramic cat con to go kaput. So it is always advisable to fix that joint leak using high temperature RTV sealant although it is a bit of a mess during dis-assembly of the silencer.
regards adrian

[arjithin]

well... i got the first oil leak this weekend. Odo is at 1200km. I observed oil marks at the parking space and a look below the engine confirmed it, It was very messy there, so couldnt find out the source of leak, Suspected that oil is leaking from the left side engine cover packing, hence tightened all the engine cover bolts. Cleaned the bottom to check if the leak is resolved,

The leak has reduced, but not stopped. here is a picture of the engine bottom side after 30km of running. Need to visit a service center now!!!



Another observation, when the rear tire is rotated backwards, there is a grinding noise fron the front sprocket. see the below video, hear the sound from 5 second mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcIPnQrctag

Bike jumping ahead when using electric start in first gear continues to happen occasionally. Unfortunately not able to replicate at the dealership.

getting a mileage of 36-38 in the bangalore ORR traffic

[Majumdarda]

Please do check the oil level as well. It should be between the marks. As your motorcycle is leaking some oil, so might as well you need to do a top-up. [Liquid Gun is what the company uses]

[ArizonaJim]

arjithin
Sorry to hear about your little oil leak. The dealers mechanic should be able to fix it in a few minutes time.

I suspect the noise you are hearing when you rotate the rear tire backwards is the chain rubbing on the bumper on the swing arm. This can be especially noticeable is the chain is too loose.
If I am correct let me assure you that the design of the bumper is intended to prevent harm if the chain rubs in this area.

A loose chain can cause major harm to the rear wheel sprocket though so if you can move the chain up and down more than a total of 50mm while the motorcycle is resting on its centerstand you should have it adjusted.

[arjithin]

Well..I haven't updated this thread for a long time now. A new baby, new house, loads of work at office..all made my last 4-5 months go like a wink.
I will try to make the below update very crisp

Bike now stands at 4100 km, 6 months old, first 3 services done.

No major issues; bike continues to perform strong and turn heads after a good polish. The initial enthusiasm has died down as many STD500s are in the street now.

Service history:
First service details I mentioned earlier. That experience made sure that I will not visit the Company service center in BTM layout again. So tried Teknik @Sarjapur road for second service. Stayed with the bike for second service and they did a decent job.
Since i moved to a new location within Bangalore before third service, I thought I will try the new service center in KR Puram. They also did a similar job. The biggest advantage of KR puram service center is that they have dedicated & good parking space and a good space in front of the showroom to test ride. Mostly will go to this service center again.

Major problems:
Clutch - Continues to be a problem from day 1. Symptoms - Vehicle jumping ahead during first gear engagement in cold start & vehicle moving forward while in gear start (any time). Same issue mentioned all three services, none is able to rectify. Its a general observation in every service center that they are not interested in any inspection which may take longer time; I guess pressure on meeting SLAs defined by RE and profit making. Now I am used to freeing up clutch in the morning and applying brake before starting in gear.

Petrol tap leak: Petrol was leaking from the tap. Asked to fix in the third service; fixed it in such a way that leak is more. Asked again before leaving the service center and looks like its fixed properly.

Mileage: I was getting 38+ before the first service. For every service, mileage came down by 1-2 km ( very clearly visible as tracked in Fuellog app). Now in the range of 31-32
Ride comfort: I drive a pothole filled 12 km every day to work. ( for people in Bangalore - Whitefield - Varthur - Kadubeesanahalli route). I could feel every pothole in my back. Moved the rear suspension to the lowest ; it helped marginally, but not in a big way.

Stability: This is my 7th bike and I have been driving 2 wheelers for 24+ years. I fell down from my bike twice in 24 years, and both happened in last 4 months. Both were minor in nature and I/bike escaped with bruises.



For some reason I dont feel that the bike is not planted on ground, especially the rear half. Any time I drive on a wet/loose surface, I don't feel that I am in control. I have driven the same roads earlier in my CL350 or GS150R, and never felt this lack of confidence. Any time I brake hard and rear wheel skids; the back of the vehicle moves leftward. Explained the problem to 3 service advisers and service managers; they test drove the bike and felt everything is normal.

Note: The loss of confidence didn't start from the falls, its there from start.

I suspect the ride comfort/suspension issue is related to this; but don't know how to troubleshoot. Rear tire is stock and runs on the correct tire pressure. The bike goes in perfect straight-line if I take my hands off the handle bar. My confidence is much higher if I have a pillion again suggesting that the problem is at the rear. I also suspect if the handlebar is tight. Could this be a design problem for all STD500 due to its smaller tire, but rest of the back area same as STD350?

I had some severe shoulder pain issues during April/May timeframe and doctor advised me NOT to take any long drives in Bullet500; so didnt get any chance to drive long distances. Twice I took the bike to NICE road to run in at high speed; Didnt feel confident after seeing 3 digit speeds.

Mods Done:
1. Extra driving lights - LED 12W spot lights. Bought from ebay.in and installed myself. See pictures. Very happy with the outcome. Now oncoming traffic's high beam dont make me blind and since this spot beam is focused very close; oncoming traffic dont feel strained.




With highbeam ON


With highbeam OFF


planned mods:
1. Silencer change: The current exhaust note is much better than classic series but I want to get as close as a stock CI exhaust note. Any suggestions on which aftermarket silencer should I buy?
2. Handle bar - Want to change to the classic handle. IMHO, the Electra handle bar dont go with the old bullet looks.
3. rear shocks/Tire - Need to see if I have a better option here.
4. Extra cushion in seat to increase comfort.

Thats all for now. Thanks for reading and please provide your suggestions.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by arjithin

Major problems:
Clutch - Continues to be a problem from day 1. Symptoms - Vehicle jumping ahead during first gear engagement in cold start & vehicle moving forward while in gear start (any time). Same issue mentioned all three services, none is able to rectify. Its a general observation in every service center that they are not interested in any inspection which may take longer time; I guess pressure on meeting SLAs defined by RE and profit making. Now I am used to freeing up clutch in the morning and applying brake before starting in gear.

Do you have too much free play at the clutch lever ?

Originally Posted by arjithin

Stability: This is my 7th bike and I have been driving 2 wheelers for 24+ years. I fell down from my bike twice in 24 years, and both happened in last 4 months. Both were minor in nature and I/bike escaped with bruises.


For some reason I dont feel that the bike is not planted on ground, especially the rear half. Any time I drive on a wet/loose surface, I don't feel that I am in control. I have driven the same roads earlier in my CL350 or GS150R, and never felt this lack of confidence. Any time I brake hard and rear wheel skids; the back of the vehicle moves leftward. Explained the problem to 3 service advisers and service managers; they test drove the bike and felt everything is normal.

Note: The loss of confidence didn't start from the falls, its there from start.

I suspect the ride comfort/suspension issue is related to this; but don't know how to troubleshoot. Rear tire is stock and runs on the correct tire pressure. The bike goes in perfect straight-line if I take my hands off the handle bar. My confidence is much higher if I have a pillion again suggesting that the problem is at the rear. I also suspect if the handlebar is tight. Could this be a design problem for all STD500 due to its smaller tire, but rest of the back area same as STD350?

If your handle bar is tight (tight steering cone), you won't be able to ride hands-off.
Please make sure that the two rear shock absorbers are adjusted equally and as for the braking use both brakes simultaneously. During my initial riding days I used only the rear brakes on my bullet and have made successful 45 degree sliding stops on the roads. Now I brake mainly with the front and the issue is resolved.
regards adrian

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by adrian

Do you have too much free play at the clutch lever ?


If your handle bar is tight (tight steering cone), you won't be able to ride hands-off.
Please make sure that the two rear shock absorbers are adjusted equally and as for the braking use both brakes simultaneously. During my initial riding days I used only the rear brakes on my bullet and have made successful 45 degree sliding stops on the roads. Now I brake mainly with the front and the issue is resolved.
regards adrian

Clutch lever adjusting is all they do every time. No issues with play.

Both shocks are in the lowest setting. I use both brakes always.Rear only braking if have enough time to slow down ..like a speed breaker 100m down and no vehicles in the front.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by arjithin

Clutch lever adjusting is all they do every time. No issues with play.

Both shocks are in the lowest setting. I use both brakes always.Rear only braking if have enough time to slow down ..like a speed breaker 100m down and no vehicles in the front.

On the assumption that you have 2-3 mm free play at the clutch lever end and lot more threads remaining at the clutch cable adjuster on the left engine cover ( I mean to rule out the stretched cable/ wrong type of cable), before you exit the warranty period, firmly ask the RE service to resolve the binding clutch issue by opening the left side engine cover. Could be anything as follows
1.dirty clutch facing
2. Warped clutch plates
3. Faulty clutch actuating mechanism
4. Faulty push pad / push pad bearing / push pad retainer
Please do not ride on with a binding clutch as it will wear down the gears prematurely.
regards adrian