[ArizonaJim]

I'm a little confused by your usage of the acronym ECU. That usually refers to the Electronic Control Unit or, computer.
Assuming you are talking about the crankshaft sensor (which is inside the engines right hand side cover) and the wiring that is coming out of the cover just ahead of the oil fill, it is rather unusual for this seal to leak.

That's not to say it can't happen.

There is another seal in the engine right hand side cover that is located above the drive sprocket. This seal is for the kick starter shaft and it has been known to leak oil.

In any case, it sounds like enough oil is leaking to cause it to drip down onto the exhaust pipe where it will produce the smoke your seeing. It only takes a drop or two to produce quite a cloud.

If your not seeing any pools of oil on the ground underneath your motorcycle, there is no reason you can't ride it.

There is more than 2 liters of oil in the engine and a few drops one way or the other won't make any difference.

Another area where a slight oil leak can happen is around the rocker arm covers at the top of the engine.
These are sealed with special flat plastic plates with a rubber seals molded into the top and bottom surface.
Over time, the rubber seals in the plates become "set" in their crushed position and they may begin to leak.

If the seal plate for the exhaust rocker arm cover leaks badly enough, the oil can migrate down to the area where the exhaust pipe plugs into the cylinder head. That will also produce some smell and smoke.

These rocker arm seal plates are easily fixed by either replacing them, or by applying a oil resistant sealer to the top and bottom of the plates and then reinstalling the cover.

I must add here, if the rocker arm seal plate or plates are leaking DO NOT TRY TO TIGHTEN UP THE RETAINING BOLTS on the top of the cover.
These bolts, which use a hexagon key to loosen, are shoulder bolts which butt against the cylinder head at a precise height. Attempting to tighten them will not only not increase the pressure on the leaking seal but, it may well break off the threaded area of the bolts.

Because there is a leak somewhere, look for any areas that appear oily or have oil soaked dirt on them. Then, take it to your dealer and insist that he repair it.

(Just in case you missed it, your motorcycle is totally safe to ride if you haven't seen large amounts of oil on the ground under it.)

[coolaks7]

Thanks Jim for your quick reply. I checked the bike and the rocker arm covers are not having any traces of oil. It's the right side cover which has leakage and was replaced 3 weeks back.

And I got the ECU thing wrong. I think it's the Denso starter motor (small cylindrical above the crankcase). The SA told me it's the ECU and I never bothered to check.

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

(Just in case you missed it, your motorcycle is totally safe to ride if you haven't seen large amounts of oil on the ground under it.)

And lastly thanks for the reassurance. This makes me quite comfortable. Cheers mate!!

Regards
Ankush

[jacs]

My TB500 is not idling below 1500 RPM with zero throttle. I am suspecting the choke as its not showing any difference in RPM when pulled.

Also my bike has clocked a little above 10K KMs /2 years as of now and just wanted to hear from experts on any proactive part replacements needed since my usage is purely touring. It sits idle in garage rest of the time or most of the time. Apart from the choke issue, few other observations are.

• Chain gives a click sound once in a while when cruising in slow speeds on higher gears.
• Braking confidence has come down slightly as the tyres are also aged. Hunt for a better tyre than Zappers is on.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by jacs

My TB500 is not idling below 1500 RPM with zero throttle. I am suspecting the choke as its not showing any difference in RPM when pulled.

Also my bike has clocked a little above 10K KMs /2 years as of now and just wanted to hear from experts on any proactive part replacements needed since my usage is purely touring. It sits idle in garage rest of the time or most of the time. Apart from the choke issue, few other observations are.

• Chain gives a click sound once in a while when cruising in slow speeds on higher gears.
• Braking confidence has come down slightly as the tyres are also aged. Hunt for a better tyre than Zappers is on.

What happens when you pull in the clutch, when it is warmed up during idle?
Does the rpm slowly creep up?

If yes, then the air flow is getting reduced (choked) and engine is running rich.

But, did not the TB500 come with Fuel injection? What is the need of choke in a FI bike?

[tharian]

Originally Posted by jacs

My TB500 is not idling below 1500 RPM with zero throttle. I am suspecting the choke as its not showing any difference in RPM when pulled.

Also my bike has clocked a little above 10K KMs /2 years as of now and just wanted to hear from experts on any proactive part replacements needed since my usage is purely touring. It sits idle in garage rest of the time or most of the time. Apart from the choke issue, few other observations are.[list][*]Chain gives a click sound once in a while when cruising in slow speeds on higher gears.
[

You need to check the chain link and replace and the air filter being clogged probably can be the reason for the idle issue.

Originally Posted by abhishek46

What happens when you pull in the clutch, when it is warmed up during idle?
Does the rpm slowly creep up?

If yes, then the air flow is getting reduced (choked) and engine is running rich.

But, did not the TB500 come with Fuel injection? What is the need of choke in a FI bike?

What's the connection between the clutch and the idle rpm?I've noticed variations in my car during cold start with the clutch engaged or disengaged,but not on a bike.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by tharian

What's the connection between the clutch and the idle rpm?I've noticed variations in my car during cold start with the clutch engaged or disengaged,but not on a bike.

Nope, there is no connection as such. My bad.
I quoted the clutch because of the way I personally (badly) use the choke.

I enable it while starting up. And I forget to disable it.
It is a bit hard to detect if the choke is running if the engine is not fully warmed up and the vehicles is running in-gear (being driven).

Several Kms down the road when i stop at some junction or somewhere, the moment I pull in the clutch, the rpm starts creeping up.
Thats when I realize the clutch is on, and i disable it.

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by jacs

My TB500 is not idling below 1500 RPM with zero throttle. I am suspecting the choke as its not showing any difference in RPM when pulled.

Also my bike has clocked a little above 10K KMs /2 years as of now and just wanted to hear from experts on any proactive part replacements needed since my usage is purely touring. It sits idle in garage rest of the time or most of the time. Apart from the choke issue, few other observations are.

• Chain gives a click sound once in a while when cruising in slow speeds on higher gears.
• Braking confidence has come down slightly as the tyres are also aged. Hunt for a better tyre than Zappers is on.

Assuming the Royal Enfield Thunderbird you have is fuel injected, your motorcycle doesn't have a real choke.
It has a air bypass valve that lets more air into the intake manifold when it is moved to the "on" position. RE calls it a "Bi-Starter".
It is intended to be used only during cold starts, until the engine is warmed up. It then should be turned off.

When the Bi-Starter is engaged by moving the control lever on the handlebars, and it is letting more air into the engine, the Manifold Pressure Sensor sees the additional air and tells the computer about it.
The computer then resets the amount of fuel that is being injected and the engine speed increases.

The Bi-Starter valve is supposed to have a spring in it that returns it to the "off" position when ever the lever that engages it is released.

It sounds like the spring on your motorcycle is not doing its job and the valve is still in the "on" position.

Occasionally, moving the Bi-Starter lever to the off position will return the valve to the "off" position but if the valve becomes stuck, moving the lever may only result in the cables outer sheath moving.

Your Royal Enfield mechanic should be able to figure out and fix the problem.

The clicking chain could be caused by a mis-adjustment of it.

With the motorcycle resting on the side stand, take hold of the rear drive chain with your fingers about half way between the engine and the rear wheel.

Move the chain up until resistance is felt and make a mental note of its location. Then, apply downward pressure to the chain.
The total movement between the up and down position should be about 25-30 mm.

If it is more than that, the chain is too loose and it should be adjusted.
Failure to adjust a "loose" chain can result in damage to the teeth on the rear sprocket and the chain.

If the chain has not been regularly lubricated, it can develop "tight spots" which do not want to bend around the sprockets. This can also make clicking noises.

A examination of the rear chain by putting the motorcycle on the center stand (with the engine OFF) can be done by moving the chain up and down like I just described. After moving the chain in one spot, rotate the rear wheel slightly and try the test on another area of the chain.
Continue doing this until the entire length of the chain has been examined.
A "tight spot" will not want to bend easily as the chain moves up and down.

If the chain does have tight spots in it, it is probably too late to worry about lubing it. It needs to be replaced.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by jacs

My TB500 is not idling below 1500 RPM with zero throttle.

Check the breather tube for cracks, which needs to be replaced every 2 years as per the owner's manual. If the breather tube is cracked, get it replaced. It will idle around 1,000 rpm.

[jacs]

Hey thanks guys for your perspectives and tips. ArizonaJim's input on the choke system is totally new knowledge.

I shall have a check accordingly and update you.

[jacs]

Received my TB500 after a general service from RE. All reported issues looks solved as per my preliminary run.

• PAV Hose and Drain Hose were replaced as found in broken condition.
• Breather pipe replaced proactively as per my recommendation (based on J.Ravi's post)
• Spacer-Chain stay got replaced as found to be shaky. And now the click sound disappeared. Chain is checked and tightened. Not recommended for immediate replacement.
• Rear disk brake pads were replaced as it was almost worn out.

[k88k]

Had my Bullet 350 ES (Erstwhile Electra) serviced from Royal Enfield ECity Motors yesterday.

It was the 4th Service. Can anybody throw some light on this 'Wheel Truning' (in service center terminology) activity? They are saying, the wheel spokes are prone to getting cut/bent and can lead to wheel alignment issues. Have a feeling that they are just fleecing the customers. They charge around Rs. 500 for this.

I didn't find any activity by the aforementioned name in the service booklet, but there is this line item: 27, "Spokes tightness and wheel rim run-out front/rear", inspection intervals being 1st (@1K Km) and 3rd service (@6K Km).

Would appreciate hearing your thoughts.

[ArizonaJim]

k88k
You are correct. Checking the tightness of the spokes and checking the wheel runout is a listed inspection that needs to be done occasionally.

Spokes are under a constant strain which normally will create no problem unless the tyre/wheel is subjected to a hard impact. This can easily happen if pot holes or objects are hit by the wheel.

When an impact occurs, the spokes may be slightly stretched, reducing their tightness.
Occasionally, one or more spokes may actually break.

If several adjacent spokes become loose for whatever reason, while the remaining spokes are still tight, the tight spokes will tend to bend the rim sideways in a local area. This is the "run-out" that was mentioned and if it exists, it needs to be fixed.

Getting back to "tightness", IMO, every rider of a motorcycle with spoked wheels should take the time to inspect his/her spokes.

This is easily done by using a pen or pencil and all it takes is to lightly tap a spoke with it.
This should produce a short, musical, ringing sound.
Remembering the musical note of the sound, proceed to the next spoke and tap it.
Continue this until you have struck every spoke.

If all is well, the musical note will be somewhat similar at each spoke.
The note doesn't have to be exactly the same but it should be close indicating the tightness of each spoke is similar.

If, while your ringing the spokes you suddenly hear one that produces a musical note that is much lower than the rest, that spoke is loose and it needs to be tightened.
I've even heard some spokes which did not ring but made a "thud" sound indicating the spoke was totally loose and doing nothing to support the motorcycle or keep the rim straight.

There is a special wrench which is used to rotate the spoke nut to tighten or loosen (or remove) the spokes but usually a small adjustable wrench will serve the purpose.

It is best to let the air out of the tyre before rotating these spoke nuts. Doing this will prevent the head of the spoke nut which is inside the rim from damaging the inner tube.

Rim runout can happen if a bad pot hole or some large object is struck by the rim.
It also can happen if several spokes have loosened.
Whatever the cause, if it exists, it should be corrected.

In minor cases, run-out can be corrected by tightening the spokes but I don't recommend doing this to the average guy on the street.
A good mechanic who has experience with spoked wheels is the best option for straightening or removing run-out.

Again, checking for run-out isn't difficult.
The most common method of doing this is to put the motorcycle on the center stand and rotate the wheel.
Carefully watch the side of the rim. It should not move back and forth sideways.
If it does, the problem should be corrected.

I hope this explanation answers your questions.

[wangdu]

k88k, you might find it interesting to know that fixing of wheel alignment due to minor rim/spokes bend is usually not done at RE svc centers but instead they take the rims to bicycle shops. You might have seen such fixing setups at cycle shops or near local RE mechanics. The svc guys themselves told me one such shop where they deliver the rims for such issues. It might be interesting for you to know what exactly svc center did and where for your bike.

In my city, fixing minor rim bends & spoke straightening is done for 300 (both rims) and an authorized RE parts shop told me to instead buy new rims for 1000 (front & rear).

I didn't do either on my Electra till now (13000 kms on odo) as I don't see the need for it yet.

[Majumdarda]

Post my 2 weeks of break, I have noticed that the headlight is quite dimmed (both upper and dipper). The starter works efficiently, though I have noticed that the ammeter shows a greater negative deflection when I switch on the headlights (than previously it was 2 weeks back). My daily commute is of 40 kilometers and even that has not been able to recharge the battery it seems. Shall a battery recharge resolve this issue (as the battery is pretty new) or is there something else I need to be looking at too?

[tharian]

I had a query regarding the clutch springs on the clutch plates on the 4sp Bullet.
I had the plates replaced recently and had to replace the springs to slightly longer ones today. The six springs hold a plate with the springs in between the plate and clutch plates.
Are the nuts holding the springs to be fully tightened till they lock or is supposed to mildly tightened?