[JayPrashanth]

Help guys.

I am taking delivery of my LB500 tomorrow evening. Please provide your inputs on what all should I keep in mind before taking delivery of the motorcycle. The registration formalities will be completed by the dealer. Any particular dos and don'ts before taking delivery. Please give me your inputs.

[shivshanker]

Hello JayP,

Ofcourse the basic checks first Check the Engine number .. it is there on the LHS of the frame and on the LHS of the engine .... the first digit would have to be 9 for a 2009 produced unit... and the last alphabet would have to be A for Jan .. which denotes the production month in that year and so on.

Bullets are manufactured in Chennai... hence lot of parts are have spots of rusts on them .. do check the bike thoroughly once.

Cold starting the bullet is a challenge, escpecially brand new ones, which have not been run in completly.

Insist on Cold starting the bullet yourself. The mechanics would be able to teach you some best practises (rather tricks) if you are new to the Bullet.

Do not rely too much on the Electric starter for the first few days. Till you get a hang of kick starting your Bullet.

Do remember .. the bullet revs up slowly .. rather very slowly ....a beat by beat or the thump by thump so if you are used to quick twists to the throttle which is what makes the plastic bikes roar .. in case of the Bullet typically such show off results in stalling the bike.

All the best and Ride safe.

Cheers!

[hollywoodhogan]

Originally Posted by JayPrashanth

Help guys.

I am taking delivery of my LB500 tomorrow evening. Please provide your inputs on what all should I keep in mind before taking delivery of the motorcycle. The registration formalities will be completed by the dealer. Any particular dos and don'ts before taking delivery. Please give me your inputs.

jp, just go and enjoy the experience. do not wrack your brains too much. enjoy the bike and its nuances. cheers!

[madhokritesh]

And as usual please post some Pics.

[arun_cj]

Hey guys,

i sold my 1990 model bullet sometime back, im looking for one in bangalore, could anyone of you help me find one please.

Thank you.

You could reach me at arun_jc@yahoo.com

Regards,
Arun

Note from the Team-BHP Support Staff : Please take the time to use proper punctuation as per Team-BHP rules. Avoid...typing...like...this. Thanks.

[Bluu]

Originally Posted by arun_cj

Hey guys,

i sold my 1990 model bullet sometime back, im looking for one in bangalore, could anyone of you help me find one please.

Second hand? Check classifieds section.

First hand? I can give you the phone number of sales manager of HSR Motors, which seems to be the best RE showroom in Bangy.

[hollywoodhogan]

Originally Posted by arun_cj

Hey guys,

i sold my 1990 model bullet sometime back, im looking for one in bangalore, could anyone of you help me find one please.

Thank you.

You could reach me at arun_jc@yahoo.com

Regards,
Arun

am told that there are some 60s models available at the HSR Motors workshop. not sure but you can check it out. but it sure is likely to cost a bomb.

[deepclutch]

Dont want to make another thread.
What is the effect if I remove the muffler inside the silencer in my Bullet Electra 4S ?Will it adversely affect the exhaust valve of the bull?

[JayPrashanth]

Hey guys,

Finally, I got my LB500 on Wednesday. First of all, thanks to all the Bhpians and Team-bhp for helping and guiding me during the decision making and the purchasing stages. The dealer called me to the dealership at 5pm for delivery. I was there at 430. Finally the delivery happens at 7pm. Phew! In the interim, I got a crash guard fitted, checked the oil level and took the bike for a test ride to check how the bike was. The LB500 rode well but didn't pull as hard as the test bike that I rode a few weeks ago. When I quizzed the showroom guys about this, they said as I was riding with less than one fourth throttle, I wasn't feeling the power and torque. I was satisfied with this reply as I was using just one fourth throttle in all gears and not taking it past 50 in top gear. I filled in nine litres of fuel to supplement the showroom guys' one litre of fuel.
Then, I took delivery with the odo reading 10 and rode down to Gaadi Ganesha temple for Pooja. I was a little tired as the bike was pretty heavy in traffic. My only grouse with the LB500 was the high clatter and vibrations at idle although the engine sounded good and felt smooth once the bike was doing around 40-50. Finally when I got home, the bike had covered 35 on the odo. I'm not commuting yet, to my office in E-city as I don't want the bike subjected to peak hour Hosur road traffic.

Next day, I took the bike out for a spin after work. I covered around 50kms after 7 at night. I took the Outer Ring Road near Hebbal and switched off the bike at the traffic signals. I rode at a speed of 50, never exceeding 55 in top gear and I also slowed down now and then and then accelerated gently to make sure that the engine saw different rpm levels in different gears. Overall I felt happy although I felt that the power and torque was less. Also the engine got heated up pretty fast at idle and I couldn't keep my hand on the timing chest for more than two seconds as it was pretty hot. When I returned home and observed the engine for oil leaks, etc, I found a few drops of oil around the the breather pipe. I checked the oil level and found it to be almost full. So, not too surprising as the bike was depositing the extra oil to the catch can. But, as the breather pipe wasn't fitting snug enough, a few drops oil was being let out. So, I set that right. The odo read 85.

On Friday night, I took off and rode towards the Bangalore International Airport( awesome smooth tarmac) Kept the speeds to less than 55-60 and varied the speeds in all gears with gentle acceleration and deceleration. I also gave breaks every 40-45 minutes and let the bike cool for ten odd minutes before starting off. Finally came back home late. the odo read 163.
I was very happy with the stability and poise. I was unhappy with the somewhat sluggish performance and the diesel auto-like clatter at idle.

Finally Saturday arrived. After a late brunch, I went to JC road and bought two AGV MPA lids(one for my brother) from Megha Enterprises. I took a circuitous route to avoid traffic to keep engine temperature low. Then, i rode down to Cramster for a jacket and gloves. It was closed as the Cramster guys were off to the Rider Mania. Then, I took off to get some mileage in. Back on the new airport road. This time, I pushed it to sixty where I found that the bike loved it. I had found it's sweet spot. Finally, after passing the airport, I turned around and rode home. Was pulled over by cops for overspeeding. When I asked for a print out, the cops sheepishly showed a fifty one. So they couldn't fine me as I was under the 60 K's speed limit. Just before reaching home, I tanked up. 11.12 litres of fuel went in to fill the 14.5 litre tank. The speedo read 260. I was amazed. I had covered 260 clicks in approximately less than 6.5 liters. So that made for a mileage of 40+ on a 500cc. I wasn't happy, not happy at all. Was my baby running to lean? Got home and checked the silencer bend pipe for blueing. No signs of it. Touched the timing chest. Engine was pretty hot.

Now, this is leaving me all worried. Could the lack of pick up and hot engine be due to the lean mixture? That said, cold starting is not too much of a hassle with the bike needing choke to start and some warming up. But, the engine has a minor misfire when I am decelerating using gentle engine braking. This happens, even when the engine is warm. So, is my bike running lean and does that explain the lack of grunt at lower rpms? Or is the high gas mileage due to the fact that I'm riding gently without straining the engine? I personally think the misfiring is due to a lean mixture or the timing may be off as the engine is getting run-in. If it is the latter, that explains the lack of grunt and also the misfire. Or it could also be a combination of both which could explain the factor of high mileage as well. Or is it something else? Bullet gurus, please chip in with your know-how. I'm a little anxious. I just don't want the engine to run lean during the very critical running-in phase. Please HELP!

Also, the bike vibrates quite a bit at idle and the clatter is high/noisy during idle, when the engine is warm. Will that reduce and do bullets, especially AVL500s become smoother after the first service? Please advise as I have no clue about all this and what to expect aftre the first service as I am a newbie bulleteer.

Meanwhile, I will check the spark plug tomorrow morning. Also, I plan to cover another laidback 120 kilometres each day on traffic free/ fast moving city roads tomorrow and on Republic day. So, that means, first service on Tuesday or Wednesday. Till then, I can only hope that my LB500 isn't running lean. Tomorrow, I will ride down to Gurunandan's garage and pick up a Pete Snidal manual. But, Nandan himself advised me against touching the engine as it will void warranty. So, I have to keep off that temptation.

Also, please excuse the lack of pics folks. My digicam is on vacation somewhere in Kasargod with a dear friend of mine. I will post pics after the first service. Will keep you guys updated. Sorry for the long post.

Cheers,

Jay

[JayPrashanth]

Hey guys,

I went to Mr Gurunandan on Sunday and he rode my bike. He was happy with the performance. So, maybe I'm expecting a little too much. I bought a Pete Snidal manual. It is pretty impressive. A couple of times, I opened it up and hit 80 from fifty. That is when I knew what the torque on the LB500 was. It just pulled hard and in a jiffy I was at 80. I didn't keep that speed for more than a couple of seconds. Pete's Snidal manual also advised me to show it higher speeds for less than 15 seconds once a while. I also checked the plug and noticed that it had a gray colour, not white. So, I guess, it isn't running too lean. Also, I've covered 470 clicks as of now. Meanwhile, I will be taking the bike for the 500KM service on Wednesday. I will keep you guys posted.
Here are a few pics I managed from my friend's phone camera. Please excuse the average quality.

Here is my LB500 somewhere on the BIAL road.

Cheers,
Jay

[deepclutch]

My 350cc 4 speed electra OTOH ,speeds regularly at 80kmph although 60kmph is my common speed.(Surprisingly ,vibrations are less compared to heavy crank regular 350). NO ,I dont fear engine seizure.My Engine is thoroughly looked after by a competent mechanic.IMHO ,Going through pete's manual or Guru Nandan's and Completely believing it and following will make you panic more than needed and much often .I never said that what they show are wrong.but consider this : they have this idea of a coughing bullet on freeways of Europe or Americas or Pacific where 120-160kmph are the norm.that's it.
--
The problem which is claimed is that at over 90kmph ,the Oil pump cannot cop up with the need of Oil to be circulated at that engine rpms.for 90-120(?)kmph ,you can speed it.but not for than a minute's time.
Geared Oil Pump is what AVL engines got afaik.for CI engines ,such a high performance one is available via ebay or hitchkok(UK).
--
Another small thing you can see in CI engine Bulls are ,they likes constant throttle speed increments instead of sudden bursts of throttle to reach the required speed(In my case ,it is 80-90kmph)
My Rant is over

[JayPrashanth]

Seems that I have a problem on hand here. Today after work, I started my AVL LB500. It started without the choke in one kick with the decomp used. I was extremely happy and I warmed it up and rode it down the street. The bike wasn't pulling well for the first two hundred metres. I assumed that it would be as the bike may not have warmed up fully. After a couple of KMs down the road, I found that the bike was smooth but my seat of the pants feel told me the power wasn't definitely up to the mark. So I turned around and brought the bike back in.

I checked the oil levels. Oil levels were correct. Then I checked the spark plug for any oil foulage. The spark plug was dry and showed no oil. Then, I tried a compression test by almost standing on the kickstart lever. Surprisingly, the lever moved without under my 60 kilo(120 pound) weight. Then after cranking the lever with the clutch for a couple of times, I kicked it and it started pretty easy. Please note that I did not use Decomp. Then, I repeated this drill a few times more. With the decomp on and sometimes without it. The bike responded and started easily. Sometimes, the kickstarter wouldn't budge however hard I tried but after standing on it for a while, albeit comically, it moved down. This also happened a few times. Till yesterday, my bike's starter wouldn't budge even if I stood on it.

I took it for another ride to gauge the power. The bike felt much smoother but wasn't picking up speed just as easily. It just didn't have the initial grunt that it had before for half the throttle twisted. Now, I am thinking that my bike is losing compression somewhere as there is a perceptible loss in power. Please advise as to what may be wrong. Tappets loose, or something like that or what are the other factors to consider. Tomorrow, I will be taking my bike to get it serviced as the 500 kilometre mark is almost done. Kindly advise.

[deepclutch]

nothing to panic.this is common with self starter models.

[bmw_m5_titus]

Originally Posted by deepclutch

nothing to panic.this is common with self starter models.

Prakash bhai, What is it about self start models that causes loss of compression?

[deepclutch]

what I felt is ,when you use more of Kick Start method instead of self on a self starter model electra, the kick will be smoother and easier.I don't know the reason.check some bulls for such behaviour.
else ,
it has something to do with clutch adjustment.the compression test based on the kick start cannot be true every time.for some reason like advanced timing,tight clutch will yield a easy kick start .
Note:Source is a mechanic ,can correct me