[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by ringoism

Manali-Kullu-Bajoura-Dianapark-Jhatingri-Barot-Baragram-Rajgunda (final 1.5hr by trek). Returned a couple days later by the far less interesting Mandi route (Pathankot highway)... which has thankfully been mostly re-paved recently on that stretch. Either way takes about the same time.

The destination being "Workation X" - a recently completed remote workstation set in one of the more remote villages of the region. I'd done the defunct jungle road (from the Billing side) some years ago on the KB125 - quite an adventure, as no vehicles had crossed over it in years it seemed and there were some pretty entertaining obstacles (a Bullet would never have made it through, in truth). Apparently that road has re-opened now, but it's still more of a Jeep trail, very rough/narrow at points, and visitors to Workation are always brought in via Baragram.

As far as the route goes, it is a nice one, very lightly traveled in the off-season, and therefore pleasant. Very few tourist facilities along much of it, but there again lies the appeal. Quite a distance is run along a narrow, high ridge, with views both to the north and south, overlooking villages that must be just about never visited by outsiders. Very satisfying.

-Eric

I had no idea about this route that you have mentioned. I live very close to Bir-Billing on the Mandi-Pathankot highway. Have travelled to Billing and you are right that the road from Billing to Rajguntha doesn't feel doable on Bullet.
A few years ago, we had heard that a road to Manali via Barot/Jhatingri shall be opened reducing the distances by a lot as there will be no need to go to Mandi first. Had no idea that it was an already motorable road. Is the route you guys took from Manali to Jhatingri doable in a car. I won't have any problem riding my Bullet, but my friends who are visiting usually come by cars. Last time, I took them to Barot, but it would be even nicer if we could make it to Manali in a much shorter duration.
If you are ever riding again to this side, do ping me. We could have our own mini Team-BHP meet.

Edit - Oops, just saw that you have said both routes take same time. Still, no doubt that your preferred route is the more picturesque one.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by rdst_1

A few years ago, we had heard that a road to Manali via Barot/Jhatingri shall be opened reducing the distances by a lot as there will be no need to go to Mandi first.

If you are ever riding again to this side, do ping me. We could have our own mini Team-BHP meet.

Would be great to meet up. I'm probably heading that way again in March briefly. PM with your contact info asap, and we can do WhatsApp or whatever thereafter - I don't check my t-Bhp messages often and my box gets filled up.

Yes, Google / Here maps doesn't show the road as completed. Had to zoom in by the aerial photograph to see that it was likely complete, and confirmed with locals at Jhatingri last year when we took the car; Earlier I had gone down to the highway from near Dianapark, I think, to Paddhar, which is also a nice route.

The high road is considerably shorter but slower going on account of its narrowness and some tighter twists and turns than the highway. Definitely more picturesque.

-Eric

[ringoism]

Finally some snow in Manali...




For the sake of those in the warmer regions, that was SNOW...

And THIS is ICE:




Got it???

ICE:



And SNOW:




(Hope that'll be clear now...)


In other news, as per earlier musings, I managed to find a second-hand P220 carb:



And if/when I get the time will try retrofitting on the LB500. It's a 32mm vs. the original (I think) 28mm, which with a freer-flow filter and headpipe (if the Hitchcock's kit is any indication) should help the top end considerably; And being a CV, probably will not have negative effects on the low-end or FE, either.

We shall see....

[ringoism]

Thought I’d share some Bullet comparison / analysis here:

I had the rare opportunity this morning to do a side-by-side ride comparison between three related bikes of the same pedigree, all within the space of an hour or two: all RE’s, all 500cc’s, but from three different eras and stages of development, and all with their basic engines (if not all else) in similarly good condition.

There's a lot of online commentary out there already, and I will not be the first to observe and record some of what I felt riding these three, but at any rate, unbiased direct side-by-side testing/impressions across the full model range are rarer, so here goes:


1. 1998 500 standard: Several years ago, having long since developed a universal dislike for Bullets (as far as I knew), a friend called upon me to delve into some extensive carb tuning (I'm not speaking of the idle screw) on a couple of vintage 350’s he’d bought and was hoping to export to the U.S. Somewhere in the midst of that little project, he invited me to take a test-ride on his very nicely done-up 500 C.I., which had been mechanically rebuilt earlier by one of Karol Bagh’s famous export gurus for a foreign couple touring the subcontinent. My friend having bought it from them at tour’s end had personalized it according to his own tastes, having an ornate leather saddle handcrafted for it in Malaysia, getting some custom paintwork done, and fitting much wider tyres, among other things:





That ride was for me an absolute revelation. Apart from the short bottle, the engine itself was so quiet - It throbbed gently without feeling vibey, the thing was immensely responsive, and it just pulled so strongly compared with the 350’s I’d ridden till then. The brakes were strong and firm, the suspension “just right” - and the rather tall 1st gear and wide 3-4 gap that I’d found so irritating on the 350’s (in the hills at least) faded into irrelevance in light of all the ready torque, the gear lever precisely grabbing each cog exactly as it was supposed to, every time (that in itself was a first as far as RE’s and I were concerned). In summary, I grasped - for the first time - how someone could love riding one of these bikes. It seemed just about perfect.


The 500 CI I rode home last night, and back to the shop this morning, was in a considerably rougher overall condition:





On-road, the gearbox was a typical vintage RE disaster (could hardly ever find 3rd, whether upshifting or downshifting, moving the lever slowly or quickly, firmly or lightly, whatever…), the bulbous 25-30L custom tank looked to have been brush-painted along with the rest of the bike, the tyres were bald in the centers, and the carb was very lean off-idle causing some hesitation (nothing that raising the needle a notch wouldn’t fix).

But the engine itself was solid and quiet with strong compression, and I could feel the potential in the bike – I know that most people like to thump along at low revs on these CI's, but the high-rpm pull here was extremely strong, surprisingly feeling stronger and stronger as speed increased. And it actually felt smooth at those high revs – as though you could ride at highway speed all day long. I did a long full-throttle run, changing up through all four gears (or whichever ones I could find) multiple times through a number of switchbacks up-valley, and when I turned around to come back, the engine - supposedly notorious for overheating - was still only warm to the touch, and still no mechanical clatter. The old 500’s have pretty large cooling fins on the head, and it must help a lot (my AVL seems to run a good bit hotter); they also make the engine physically larger overall, filling out the frame better than the LB500’s rather slender cylinder does.

To sweeten the experience, unlike any other 500 I’ve ever kicked over, this one repeatedly fired off so easily that I actually started it by mistake a few times, when trying with a light foot (decompressor cable broken) to bring the piston to TDC. Unbelievable! I got thinking that maybe I’d made a mistake in buying the Machismo last autumn, which didn’t seem to pull as vigorously up high, and certainly was possessed of much looser-sounding innards (and doesn’t really have a stellar gearbox itself).

Suspension-wise, the old-school oil shockers on this CI were actually a lot more plush than the Machismo’s gas-charged “upgrade” allowed; And the bike felt light and more nimble somehow, maybe on account of the wider handlebar and lightweight, aftermarket front mudguard – so it was very confidence-inspiring in the turns. It had very worthily been retrofitted with a disc brake, much stronger than even the big twin-leading-shoe units of yesteryear and very likely reducing unsprung weight as well. So here we had a terribly ratty-looking old bike that was nonetheless (apart from the gearbox) a truly excellent ride - what a great machine! At maybe around rs60,000 – cheap I thought – my ‘heart’ was telling me to purchase and refurbish this one.


2. 2016 Bullet 500 (UCE): Throw in about twice the money and I could take one of these home. I’d ridden a few before and liked the responsiveness and torque evident at low revs in pretty much any gear; this one was no exception.





A common weak-point, I also noticed a light but disturbing rod-knock coming from the crankshaft on I suppose three out of the four of these I’ve ridden, this one included – despite its being in pristine physical condition and having under 18,000km’s on the clock. Apart from that knock (which lessened some after warming up but never disappeared) the bike is very quiet between the UCE engine and long-bottle, and the bike just seems easy to ride with precision. And I really do think they look lovely in black (not so much the green IMO).

But I have to say, as others have I suppose observed and put to various descriptions, that the bike feels overly “sanitized” and devoid of much character. Capable, true, but not really soul-stirring. The gear lever notches in very quickly / easily, but feels somehow light and insubstantial, even flexy/springy somehow, maybe like your average 100cc bike. And yes, it chugs rather than thumps (largely resolvable with a Goldstar silencer, I know).

But the VIBES!!! Yikes! The engine is tuned distinctly for low-end grunt and rideability, which it’s great at, and midrange is likewise pretty decent, but vibrations are already coming in by then. At the top end it feels it’s running out of steam, power tapering off pretty noticeably, and the vibes, in my view, become just about intolerable. It’s kind of like my old KB125 – a blast to ride around short distances (or maybe to lug along at low revs on gentle country roads) – but NOT something I’d want to ride at speed on the highway for an extended stretch - considerably diminishing the whole "advantage" of having a larger-displacement bike. I'd always said of these UCE500's (incl. a couple CL's I've been astride) that it felt more like I was riding an engine than a bike.

Still, the responsive push was compelling, there is the fact of easily available spares, FE is excellent especially vs. the CI, and the bike is quite pretty in a very traditional way. Again got wondering if I’d made a mistake with the Machismo…

3. 2009 500LB (AVL) Machismo (not mine): Last but not least. I kicked it over (non-functional self-start as seems so common with these) - Oh my, this is one of the few AVL’s I’ve heard run that hardly seemed to clatter at all. On-road, forward thrust was as good overall as the UCE500’s, though maybe not quite as eager in the low-end; nor likewise perhaps was it quite as lively up high as the CI (probably on account of the triple restrictions of the small CV carb, the convoluted intake plumbing, and the catalytic converter at the rear of the headpipe) – But a very solid midrange, and better at high revs than the UCE (LB’s peak power is at 5,600rpm vs the UCE’s 5,200); In all very good power throughout the range.



The gearbox on this unit was perfect, a longer throw with a more satisfying, solid engagement than the tinny feel of the UCE’s, yet unlike so many of the old 4-speeds, no false neutrals anywhere, no matter how I worked the lever. And even after a good hard run, the engine surprisingly lacked the LB’s trademark clatter – so we’ve obviously got a very special sample here. Brakes / steering were spot-on though the latter a bit heavy, and the ride a little plusher than ours for some reason (it’s funny how different “identical” bikes be – perhaps especially when they’re coming from a company infamous for loose manufacturing tolerances – another case in point, two other LB500’s I’d ridden were very anemic power-wise – feeling more like 350’s, despite having fresh engines with very good compression – and switching the carbs didn’t help, incidentally).



Anyway, the one I rode this morning felt just great in every way, has a quieter engine than ours, and (as a fellow tour-company bike) just happens to have the next registration number in sequence – I think I’m going to try and pick it up, with a plan of restoring one to completely original spec and maybe using it as a loaner / rental / future re-sale unit, while keeping the other for myself to modify / set up as I’d really like it to be, namely with some efforts to freeing up a little power and lightening the machine a bit wherever possible (fit the thinner Electra mudguards, get rid of the self-starter, big battery, and related apparatus), do something about that heavy seat-pan and mudguard support, the heavy taillamp/number plate, maybe fit a plastic battery cover, get rid of the leg-guard (statistically no safer than without), discard the steel box in the inlet tract - and if possible, maybe get a set of alloy rims from a Conti GT or wherever…). The British-market Electra-X weighs only a bit over 160kg's as I recall, vs. 190 for the Machismo. I think this figure would be about right for a bike of this power.



So here we are, having come full-circle. With a little trepidation, I got back on my own Machismo and took off down the road towards home.






Thankfully, it felt just as strong as (albeit more clattery than) anything else I’d ridden in the past hour. The steering (slightly bent stanchion I think, and most likely gear-lube in there instead of shocker oil) and gearbox (worn selector disc/spring?) need some attention as does the paint. Compression’s good, it starts easily and runs so well that I’m debating whether or not to open the top end and maybe replace the rod small-end bush / piston pin and see if it helps with the noise. But anyway, it’s a solid bike that I don’t at all regret buying.

And I might not regret buying another, either.

Because as I see it, the Machismo might represent the best of all that Bullets have offered over the years: Unique and good looks, FE approaching the latest models, power / braking on par with any of them, five gears and left-hand shifter with a solid feel, the classic British-era divorced gearbox (advantageous for servicing), a stronger, virtually unbreakable chassis than either the UCE or apparently even older CI models, most of the combustion/oiling improvements of the newer models with a heavier crank and smoother feel of the old models, and the chain and silencer on opposite sides, as it really makes the most sense for them to be, vs. new models which compromise (if ever slightly) the balance of the bike, make the left side look a little too sparse, and might cause a bit of chain oil to be thrown on the bottle on occasion. The Machismo pollutes less than the old ones, revs more freely and vibrates less than the new ones... not a lot to complain about here - especially if you can find a less clattery example!

Regards,
Eric

[ringoism]

A fairly complete mechanical refurbishing and a few other upgrades completed, the bike's running / riding better than ever. Low-end power is considerably stronger now, the piston/rod clatter is largely eliminated, clutch slippage resolved, and moreover the gearbox no longer pops out of gear when accelerating. The RE500's famous vibrations do not seem at all oppressive, very possibly having reduced as well.





Lots of technical advice / info gained from members of the classicmotorworks(dot com) forum, hosted by the U.S. Royal Enfield importer, and a fair amount of practical direction (saving me a couple times!) in the shop from the various technicians and "Ustad-ji" Manoj at Anu's Autoworks, Vashisht.

Nonetheless, work was ultimately done almost entirely with my own two hands... which, being oily much of the time, prevented my pulling out the phone and snapping many pics of the actual process...







All said, it turned out to be much more time-consuming than I'd anticipated, especially since I accompanied the two most critical parts - the crankshaft and cylinder block - all the way to Karol Bagh (New Delhi) to oversee the work that would be done on them.

As can be seen vs. photo earlier in the thread, the bike's also sporting a couple mods a'la the late-model CL, namely the re-sized rubber (making the whole bike look a little lower / longer and filling out the rear mudguard nicely) and the wider springer / separate pillion seats, which really goes a long way to reduce the spine-jarring effects of riding daily on these broken hill roads.





Net result: It handles better, looks better, runs better, brakes better, sounds better, and is more comfortable as well. I can never grasp the rationale of owners convinced that keeping everything stock is "better"!

Counting my time invested it seems increasingly unlikely that I'll be able to re-coup the costs in the near term... But it has been a valuable education and made the bike into something much more satisfying (for me, at least) to ride.





Replaced / re-fitted / modded:

1. Crankshaft: Had a premium-quality Maco rod swinging on it already, so had the big-end re-sized for oversized NRB-sourced rollers; new small-end bush also fitted. Runout checked with dial indicator and shown true to 0.04mm (specified max being 0.08mm). Main bearings replaced with NRB pieces.

2. Cylinder block re-bored .030" (0.75mm) over, i.e., to 84.75mm; Fitted an excellent quality Sam piston, which is evidently coated and utilizes a long-wearing chrome top ring and effective three-piece oil control ring. Piston to bore clearance set to 0.0025", that being more appropriate than the excessively tight-fitting but often seen (.001-.0015), cause of many seizures in these air-cooled applications.

Additionally, block and piston crown edge (to 1cm in) were shortened by 2.5mm, creating a raised section on crown center, increasing compression ratio to approx. 9.2:1, and creating a more ideal "squish" clearance of around 1mm. This is where the improved torque / responsiveness over stock comes in, without creating any issues with "pinking" (detonation).

3. All rubber seals / gaskets.

4. 5-plate clutch to replace the 4-plate that had been in there.

5. New primary and secondary drive chains.

6. Gearbox engagement "dogs" re-shaped to original profile to ensure positive / reliable engagement

7. New intake/exhaust valves, 3-angle valve job, port-matching and mild valve pocket / exhaust port improvements.

8. "Hot tube" of mysterious function (but certainly small-diameter, restrictive) removed from back end of header pipe to improve flow.

9. 120/80-18 Dunlop Geo-Cruiser on wider rear rim, and front 90/90-19 Ralco Speedblaster tyres fitted. Both seem to be of a softer / grippier compound than the traditional 19" RE options.

10. I'd bought an aftermarket tail-lamp and was going to wait on installing till I had time to mod the mudguard to accept it. Then I got hit from behind by a car a few days back, smashing the OE piece and bending the number plate... so went ahead and made the switch to this maybe 100g unit, down from well over a kilo for the OE, I suppose - every bit helps!

11. Electra front mudguard to replace the dented and rather heavy OE unit. Re-drilled this to lower it 3/4" to match the new front tyre diameter.


I've done about 200km's on the bike so far. Pulls hard and very, very responsive. The higher compression gives it more deceleration effect off-throttle. A fun bike to ride. And incidentally carries our family of four, when required, quite effortlessly now.

Yet to complete:

1. Cam spindles and possibly pinion gear, as cam backlash couldn't be fully adjusted out with what I had left and thus there's still a little clatter.

2. Self-starter: Common weak-point on AVL's is the starter sprag, which seems to be fine on this one. A non-ES switchgear had been installed at some point, so once the right one's in there will see what else is wrong, if anything. Till then, it almost always starts on the first kick with no real drama. If I were sure I was going to keep this bike and use it only personally long-term, I'd just toss the entire SS setup - motor, gearset, enlarged battery - and lighten the bike by probably 10kg's.

3. Paint: mudguard / tank / headlamp housing need doing. Sideboxes too, I suppose. Nothing urgent there, bike looks fairly presentable as-is despite the wear.

4. Gotta figure out how to adjust a Bullet headlamp aim... and maybe put in a lower-wattage LED.

5. Probably add the 32mm P220 CV carb and freer-flowing filter, to see if I can pick up a bit more midrange / top-end power. Also can do a handlebar-mounted electric choke that way.

6. Rear mudflap, bar-end RVM's, etc, etc, etc...


Looking forward to this riding season here in the hills...

-Eric

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by ringoism

But I have to say, as others have I suppose observed and put to various descriptions, that the bike feels overly “sanitized” and devoid of much character. Capable, true, but not really soul-stirring. The gear lever notches in very quickly / easily, but feels somehow light and insubstantial, even flexy/springy somehow, maybe like your average 100cc bike. And yes, it chugs rather than thumps (largely resolvable with a Goldstar silencer, I know).

Having ridden alongside a UCE Bullet 500 for 13 days covering a little over 7600 km's on my 100cc motorcycle my experience is inline with your statement, the only noise the 500 made was muffled ticklish thumps while overtaking and that was it, which ideally would've been a good thing if it weren't for parts coming loose anyhow and flying off the motorcycle.

In comparison my 100cc was screaming its guts out ridden with the throttle wide open for the most of it almost running out of room for the speedometer needle to go any further but still managed decent fuel efficiency and the reliability was leagues ahead of that of the Bullet.

The experience did get me thinking and I've come to the conclusion that if you're looking for something that can haul luggage at a reasonable pace then the UCE 500 is for you, but if you're looking for something that feels and runs like an actual motorcycle then you need to look elsewhere.

Originally Posted by ringoism

120/80-18 Dunlop Geo-Cruiser on wider rear rim, and front 90/90-19 Ralco Speedblaster tyres fitted. Both seem to be of a softer / grippier compound than the traditional 19" RE options.

How did you manage to source a Dunlop in 2018?

5. Probably add the 32mm P220 CV carb and freer-flowing filter, to see if I can pick up a bit more midrange / top-end power. Also can do a handlebar-mounted electric choke that way.

The one from the P220 comes with an electric choke plunger, if you want the BS32 then settle with that of the Avenger 220 as it comes with a manual plunger.

Also just be aware that the new P220's come with a UCAL 33 originally found on the 200NS, they come with a manual choke plunger, they're tuned to run leaner if I'm not wrong.

Either way I would suggest that you retain the filter box cause CV's don't run well without them, it'll be a ticking time bomb with the slide waiting to crap our on you when you least expect it to.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Having ridden alongside a UCE Bullet 500 for 13 days covering a little over 7600 km's on my 100cc motorcycle my experience is inline with your statement, the only noise the 500 made was muffled ticklish thumps while overtaking and that was it...
How did you manage to source a Dunlop in 2018? ...

The one from the P220 comes with an electric choke plunger, if you want the BS32 then settle with that of the Avenger 220 as it comes with a manual plunger.

It wasn't till this past week that I realized the UCE's have a catalytic converter in the long-bottle... I think that's a main culprit re: the chugging (vs. thumping) sound. Just breaks up the exhaust pulses too much. A "goldie" fixes the sound - at the expense of emissions control / sound-level sensibilities.

The Dunlop was sourced WAYYYY back, and very briefly fitted on the KB125!!! One would've have thought it'd be hard/cracked by now, but no - it seems to grip just fine.

Thanks for the carb tips. I thought of fitting an electric choke, which on the handle would be a little easier than groping around behind the fuel petcock - but for the sake of simplicity may take your advice.

And BTW, I applaud you for seriously "going the distance" on a 100cc bike!!! Without a doubt, my most memorable and far-flung riding ever was astride the old KB100RTZ...

-Eric

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by ringoism

It wasn't till this past week that I realized the UCE's have a catalytic converter in the long-bottle... I think that's a main culprit re: the chugging (vs. thumping) sound. Just breaks up the exhaust pulses too much. A "goldie" fixes the sound - at the expense of emissions control / sound-level sensibilities.

If you ever change your mind to go for a FS or RS carburetor(they're available for peanuts on aliexpress, though don't expect them to be from Mikuni/Keihin) then definitely give the Megaphone a shot, with minimal exhaust restrictions there wont be much bogging on quick throttle operations as well, the LB500 even with a CV carb and Megaphone combo runs like stink, even thinking of one running on a cable operated carb with an unrestricted exhaust gives me goosebumps!

Racing PWK Keihin Black 28 30 32 34 28mm 30mm 32mm 34mm Carburetor With Power Jet Koso OKO Motorcycle ATV

They're available in 28~34MM sizes and they cost roughly under 2k.

The Dunlop was sourced WAYYYY back, and very briefly fitted on the KB125!!! One would've have thought it'd be hard/cracked by now, but no - it seems to grip just fine.

No wonder they're usually referred to as "Sticky Dunlops", buying tyres has never been the same after Dunlop left the scene, I hope the Masseter's would live by MRF's claims of offering superior grip at a decent price.

Thanks for the carb tips. I thought of fitting an electric choke, which on the handle would be a little easier than groping around behind the fuel petcock - but for the sake of simplicity may take your advice.

Presuming that you'd be going for the less electrically dependent route and also presuming that you're running without a self starter as I'm aware that the LB500's starter motor is prone to crapping out frequently, why not eliminate the battery altogether?

DIY: Motorcycle Battery Eliminator

And BTW, I applaud you for seriously "going the distance" on a 100cc bike!!! Without a doubt, my most memorable and far-flung riding ever was astride the old KB100RTZ...

-Eric

Thank you Eric, motorcycling is not what is used to be which is more bad than good at times but it is motorcyclists like yourself who know their way around analogue motorcycles and motorcycling that inspire the rest to keep moving.

Ride safe.
A.P.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Presuming that you'd be going for the less electrically dependent route and also presuming that you're running without a self starter as I'm aware that the LB500's starter motor is prone to crapping out frequently, why not eliminate the battery altogether?

If the bike were always, forever, only going to be mine, I'd scrap all the selfstart hardware, fit a much smaller battery (or eliminate), and lighten the bike by probably a solid 20kg. It starts easily enough (for me!) with a single kick almost all the time.

Unfortunately there's a certain required technique to it which is lost on the owners of more modern machinery (CL's included). I had a guy from Andrha take it for a day (a CL350 owner); we rode up towards Rohtang till Mardi stopping at multiple points; and it wasn't till near day's end, after countlessly repeated instructions, that he finally "got" it and could start it on his own. Some people never get it. And my wife did want to ride this at some point, and she finds kickstarting even the KB difficult.

As an aside, it seems a lot of the trouble with the starter sprag failures on the LB's came down to kickback... which due to the gear reduction often broke stuff when unable to suddenly spin up the starter motor in reverse... The company's solution was apparently a revised CDI (the "green" one) that allegedly wouldn't fire below a certain rpm - or maybe that had retarded timing below a certain rpm or whatever, to minimize the kickback issue. My sprag seems fine but I've got non-selfstart switchgear so haven't been able to test operation yet... it's on my list. I rode another LB500 for a day that really ran beautifully but was a real bear to start, kicking back and making rude clunking/grinding noises regularly. I suspect it maybe had the older CDI, it was a year older bike than mine.

-Eric

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by ringoism

If the bike were always, forever, only going to be mine, I'd scrap all the selfstart hardware, fit a much smaller battery (or eliminate), and lighten the bike by probably a solid 20kg. It starts easily enough (for me!) with a single kick almost all the time.

For self-starters to work without straining the starter you need an auto-decompressor which sits on the cam making sure to leave some clearance at the exhaust valve below a certain RPM to reduce kick-back load on the sprag clutch.

On the AVL's you could just press the starter with the decompressor activated, would take a couple of cranks at worst I guess.

My P220 doesn't have an auto-decompressor neither does it have a kick starter nor even a manual decompressor for that matter, just a bad-ass starer and a 9ah battery, it doesn't make sense but it works just fine for some un-explainable reason, guess that's Bajaj going 'All-Indian' by incorporating 'Jugaad-Tech'!

The UCE motor comes with an auto-decompressor, which is why just about anyone can kick start the motorcycle with the piston anywhere other than just after TDC.

[Williams_f1]

Hi,


I must compliment you on this awesome thread, which I have read through countless number of times.

Reading this thread, has reignited my interest in the Machismo series, especially the 500 which I wanted at the time (College days) and now a long forgotten dream.
I had a RX100 back then which I still have now. Off-late I have been thinking of getting another bike, riding the RX 100 for the past 16 years, I am in a dilemma of how to proceed
whether to sell the RX or not but thats another matter altogether.

I have a fairly good & dependable Bullet mechanic, on the very suggestion of AVL500, he outright shot down the idea, stating issues like Lack of Spares, High maintenance, High Cost of Spares,
low reliability and low resale. He suggested either go for a CI or a UCE only, he said for a person(me) who is an occasional rider and wants a low maintenance and reliable bullet,
the UCE is the way to go, basically A bullet for the people who expect serviceability like other commuters.

Reading this thread makes you think otherwise, you have noted down the positives and benefits of the AVL500 over its other siblings.

My question to you is, as you own one, is my mechanic right? Are spares a real problem, parts specific to the 500, like the block piston kit etc? also the reliability? UCE being more modern
Should/could be more reliable?

I am based in Pune, don't work on my vehicles much but would like to do more in the future also I haven't ridden RE bikes that much but I would like to get one, planning to rent one for sometime and
then take a call, but you cant hire AVL500, all I can get is a couple of KMs on the bikes which are on sale.

Thanks for hearing me out and thanks again for sharing your story here.

Bye.

[raj981]

Originally Posted by Williams_f1

Hi,

My question to you is, as you own one, is my mechanic right? Are spares a real problem, parts specific to the 500, like the block piston kit etc? also the reliability? UCE being more modern
Should/could be more reliable?

I am based in Pune, don't work on my vehicles much but would like to do more in the future also I haven't ridden RE bikes that much but I would like to get one, planning to rent one for sometime and
then take a call, but you cant hire AVL500, all I can get is a couple of KMs on the bikes which are on sale.

Hi, the spares are available though not as freely as for the UCE. It's a good idea to get hold of the head/block, sprag clutch if you can get your hands on one.
You will have to have basic knowhow on working on the machine. These are simple machines and if you spend time with your mechanic you should get the hang of things.

Originally Posted by ringoism

It's no small wonder, then, that I should now find myself with a well-worn-in, kind of typically rattly Bullet Machismo 500 (LB/AVL) parked outside:

Don't know how I missed this thread. I have two of these beauties! Keep the knowledge sharing going bhai!

Originally Posted by ringoism

Attaching a page from the Hitchcock's online catalog here; keep in mind that in the UK market the "Electra X" is powered by a 500LB (AVL) engine:

Attachment 1721235

This is their stage 1 kit, which supplies a truly astonishing 40% power increase at the rear wheel - with only an upgraded (Amal 30mm) carb/adapter/air filter, a freer-flowing header pipe, and capping off the PAV system in the cylinder head. Really impressive gains. Personally, I'd work up a kit on my own rather than spending a few hundred pounds on theirs. But anyway 40% takes you up to around 32bhp (up from 23), supposedly without any negative effect on low-end torque. I think that'd be a very appealing/comfortable level of power for a Bullet.

I have this installed from Hitchcocks. Except used VM32 Mikuni instead of the Amals. Way better than the Amals.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Williams_f1

I have a fairly good & dependable Bullet mechanic, on the very suggestion of AVL500, he outright shot down the idea, stating issues like Lack of Spares, High maintenance, High Cost of Spares, low reliability and low resale. He suggested either go for a CI or a UCE only, he said for a person(me) who is an occasional rider and wants a low maintenance and reliable bullet,
the UCE is the way to go, basically A bullet for the people who expect serviceability like other commuters.

Reading this thread makes you think otherwise, you have noted down the positives and benefits of the AVL500 over its other siblings.

My question to you is, as you own one, is my mechanic right? Are spares a real problem, parts specific to the 500, like the block piston kit etc? also the reliability? UCE being more modern
Should/could be more reliable?

Sorry to be getting back to this so late.



I don't know about spares procurement in Pune, nor your tolerance for servicing requirements, exactly. Honestly I feel that AVL parts supply is beginning to dry up a bit - particularly for the 500's which were domestically rare, and moreover which were mainly exported to the U.S./U.K. where Indian suppliers (incl. RE itself, I suppose) can make a lot more money selling spares at inflated prices. I went to a lot of trouble to find something as simple as the gearbox output shaft seal, a tiny thing with MRP of rs30 but apparently is so rare as to command rs400. Till now haven't found the decompressor sleeve & clip... though with the selfstart now working (only had to replace the solenoid, not the sprag thankfully), I can live without it. Re: servicing, the basic AVL/CI layout is truly antique and the trouble you need to go to for something as simple as changing a drive sprocket is shocking to anyone groomed on small Indo-Jap bikes. It all seemed reasonable when they didn't know any better, and in the days of dirt-cheap labor.



That said, find a mechanic who knows what he's doing and everything can be managed surprisingly quickly / efficiently. Spares-wise, the block and piston were still very much available as of earlier this year - I picked up an extra set brand-new at rs.7500 just to have it on hand, can't remember if it was ordered from Chandigarh or Delhi, but anyway through a local supplier in Kullu. If reboring, pistons (incl. the 535) actually interchange with the UCE, though the compression ratio may differ somewhat. Crankpin / connecting rod are fully interchangeable with the UCE, so basic engine rebuilds are not going to be an issue. Stuff like valves / pushrods / tappets / cams / oil pump shaft (which wears more quickly than it should) could get harder to find in the future, but I suspect valves & pushrods may be the only thing differing from the 350's, which should have spares more widely available. Drivechains / sprockets / clutches / brakes / shockers etc in common or adaptable from other models. One senior mechanic here claims that the basic guts of the gearbox are the same between the UCE/AVL, I need to verify everything and maybe pick up extras of anything unique to the 500 - a little tricky since part numbers are different even for identical parts between the two engines.



I think you'll sense by now that there's a little commitment required here, a little tolerance for inconvenience(s) as in any good relationship I suppose.



Vs. the UCE (500), the latter seems to have been pretty well refined after the first couple years and I might own one myself if I didn't generally prefer the feel of the AVL. They can be had second-hand for rs.60,000 in Delhi now, so a good bargain and pretty straightforward machine, but I think people who've likewise compared generally would agree with my conclusions... My Machismo was with a friend this past month whilst his CL500 was being overhauled. He commented that the Machismo ran really well, and was impressed particularly with its smoothness, something I'd also observed - the UCE just seems to vibe more and its basic operational groove is more in the midrange where you really feel that. Gaurav Jani - filmmaker, tour operator, founder of 60kph and traveler extraordinaire, said his UCE's have been reliable / serviceable for commercial use, he earlier made epic journeys on / alongside old CI's, but concedes that his all-time favorite (which he still owns) is the Machismo 500.



So I suppose it's like a lot of other things... the, eh, finer pleasures involve some cost - whether in terms of finance or time or trouble - and it all sort of depends upon what a person values / enjoys. If you want a classic looker and don't care about mechanical heritage or finer technical / operational points, the UCE is absolutely fine. Pure investment / collector / purist motive? Then maybe the CI, really preferred by many in terms of outright "feel" above the other two - a Buddhist Aussie I know called it "zen-like" and with the heavy crank and low compression it does seem to have a gentler, more insulated "thrum" to it vs. the other two. It is for sure a quieter less rattly engine (not speaking of the silencer) than the AVL, and I could be tempted to own one alongside the Machismo if not for the lower fuel economy, horrid (IMO) gearbox, poor standard brakes, and apparent weaknesses in the oiling/cooling systems which generally lead to shorter lifespan.


For me, I felt that that: 1) UCE500's do depreciate pretty quickly; with the economy thriving and people going after more costly/modern/quick/reliable bikes, I doubt they're the sort of thing people are going to be scrambling much after second-hand - That they're already available at a third their original cost is telling. Anyone purely after looks / image can save himself the expense and go for the identical-looking 350; Either way with tens of thousands of units being sold every month for years on end, you're not owning anything very special or unique here, nothing likely to become more desirable in the future, either. 2) Re: the CI, I'd have to mod it considerably to make it what I wanted for regular use, and that would be an expensive proposition with minimal payback. Whereas 3) the AVL is a decent turn-key rider as-is; Being rare, has likely hit bottom price-wise and if only for collector value, will probably be increasing in resale value in the coming years. Collectors don't have to think primarily of practicality / cost-effectiveness (witness the RD350)... they are more after a piece of history / legend, and the Machismo fits that bill very well in my view, while remaining very ride-able in the current context.


So to me (a non-Buddhist) the AVL is still the best "middle path"...



-Eric

[ringoism]

BTW, for anyone with the divorced Enfield 5-speed gearbox who's having trouble with gearchanging - perhaps especially downshifting (was sticking in 4th when trying to downshift to 3rd):



The friend who'd borrowed the bike this past month said that "one fine day" the shifting became hard, and he'd thought there was an issue with the clutch cable... clutch lever action felt fine to me but I didn't have time to test ride or really check things out, and he took it up to the Enfield showroom where one of the purportedly better (factory-trained) local mechanics put on a new cable, also removing the clutch cover / gearbox side cover, adjusting the clutch actuator, etc, but utterly failing to diagnose and solve the ACTUAL problem: namely, that the self-locking nut on the end of the countershaft (seen at center in photo) was NOT holding, and had come loose by several turns, the effect being that the entire shaft with its gearset was sliding several mm's inward towards the left side of the bike whenever the clutch lever was pulled - thereby getting the selector forks effectively out of alignment and preventing gearchanging!






Simple resolution: Removed and banged on the nut a bit to tighten up the plastic self-lock insert, and re-installed with some Fevifit on the threads,(Fevitite would be more application-specific but didn't have any), tightening as much as possible, then replaced the cover / refilled the oil (mechanic had astonishingly left it almost completely empty!!!???) and Viola! Absolutely perfect gearchanging again. I'm sure the tech spent a LOT more time than this fooling with unnecessary things (as I also had initially). He was saying the actuator spring was the remaining problem, it needed replacing - which it clearly didn't...



The lesson: K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Stupid! When something starts acting up suddenly "one fine day", check first for basic stuff like loose nuts/bolts... And think carefully about the symptoms: I could tell as soon as I rode it that there was something amiss in the gear system, that it was in no way a clutch-related issue. And lastly (as I'm the one who'd assembled the gearbox this past Spring): If there's a locknut there, you might want to make sure it's actually locking, and that you've got it torqued down good and tight.



I had planned to ride it down to the plains for a wedding this weekend, the first such venture for me by motorbike, but this little glitch had prevented it. So is life with such a venerable machine... the wife and kids were glad to have me stay home anyway...



Whatever, after riding the anemic Impulse for some weeks, it is just so refreshing to be back on something so responsive and torquey again! Traffic's bad here these days so had the four of us on it going to town and back last evening... no problems pulling us all uphill for several km's!



-Eric

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Williams_f1

also the reliability? UCE being more modern
Should/could be more reliable?

Forgot to address reliability. I probably haven't owned this one long enough to say; The only thing that's ever stopped our bike is the main fuse, which has blown a few times while running the (over-powered) halogen headlamp. Easily replaced roadside, and an over-rated fuse would probably solve the issue. Mine is a 2010 so not exactly "old" yet, I'd say that the usual niggles of aging bikes like electricals, etc shouldn't be much of an issue on a well-maintained, pampered, garage-kept example especially (remember that mine did tour/rental duty since new on some of the most challenging roads / conditions on earth).



Regarding particulars:

• AVL's/CI's have a lot more opportunities for oil leaks than UCE's, though the latter can also leak. Ours is fine.
• The abuse-worthy Machismo chassis is definitely stronger than some UCE's, which have been breakage-prone even in cases of lighter use (see RE's forums).
• AVL tappet stems are a little thin and can fail, of which I've seen a couple cases personally. Supposedly this is not an issue if oil is changed religiously.
• AVL self-starters also can be weak (sprag in particular), though mine's okay thus far and I've seen UCE's with this issue as well. Associated parts are not cheap if/when they do fail.
• UCE hydraulic tappets can get noisy and there's no way to adjust them, and lastly
• UCE cylinder kits/cranks don't seem to last as long as they should, broadly speaking - the material used in many of the original UCE crankpins is inferior, according to a crank-rebuilder I spoke with, and even with the most attentive care, you're unlikely to go more than 40,000km's without needing the internals gone into (that from the owner of the RE showroom himself). CI 500's not great either and don't know how much better AVL's are than the UCE's, but just sayin', UCE's, though modern, are not exactly the acme of of reliability / durability.

Anecdotal, but the guy I bought this AVL from has a fleet of 30+ of these, and besides his supported tours the past ten years, he rents them, sending low-budget, stingy tourists off alone to Ladakh/Spiti every season; many ride around for a few months barely maintaining them, under the worst possible conditions, before returning - and he supposedly rarely sees breakdowns / component failures. They all seem to come back one way or the other, usually with a smile on their face, I think!



Not exactly recommending anyone should buy one, btw... always risks in second-hand purchases, and RE's QC was always famously spotty to begin with. I'm not even sure how this one will work out, but I'm hopeful.



-Eric