[DragonHawk]

Today morning while starting the bike I witnessed a fuel leak from the rubber hose which connects to fuel pump. Lucky that fuel was not leaking while riding. Though I was able to fix it by tightening the screw of the clamp on top of the hose. But what makes me worrying is it is not always we look down while starting the bike and even a small fuel leak like mine will always be hazardous and I am sure hose clamp will become loose again in due course of time.
So I suggest all 500 FI owners to have an eye on rubber hose whenever you start in the morning.

[ArizonaJim]

Your suggestion is an excellent one.

All owners of the fuel injected Royal Enfields (or any other fuel injected motorcycle) should inspect the fuel hose connection at the fuel pump occasionally.

This cannot be done properly when the ignition switch is turned off.
It can be done with the ignition switch turned on without starting the engine and of course it can be done while the engine is running.

Both ends of the hose, that is, where it is connected to the outlet of the fuel pump at the left hand, bottom of the fuel tank and where it is connected to the fuel injector on the throttle body should be examined.

If either end is leaking, tighten the clamp a bit.
Don't get too carried away with this clamping as the outlet of the fuel pump is made from some sort of plastic and it is not very strong.

As I recall, the fuel line on my G500 started leaking several months after I received the motorcycle. Tightening the clamp with a screw driver solved the problem and it has not returned after 3 1/2 years of riding it 26,000 km.
Even though the joint has not started leaking again, I visually check it every week.
I consider doing this to be zero cost preventative maintenance.

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

As I recall, the fuel line on my G500 started leaking several months after I received the motorcycle. Tightening the clamp with a screw driver solved the problem and it has not returned after 3 1/2 years of riding it 26,000 km.
Even though the joint has not started leaking again, I visually check it every week.
I consider doing this to be zero cost preventative maintenance.

Glad to know clamp was not loosened even after 3 1/2 years this gives me enough confidence. However I just examined the screw, it doesn't look like it is made from high quality material. It might be rust prone in due course of time especially for those who stay near Coastal areas. As you mentioned visually checking it every week will obviously the best bet to avoid getting stranded in the middle of the road.

[jundi]

Have any of you used the seats (refer attached photo)? How are they when it comes to long distance rides?

Any recommendations for after market seats that are good for long distance hauls and can be used as solo?

[basuroy]

Originally Posted by jundi

Have any of you used the seats (refer attached photo)? How are they when it comes to long distance rides?

Any recommendations for after market seats that are good for long distance hauls and can be used as solo?

Yes I have (only rider feedback , my bullet is solo ).

Good -
aesthetics .

has not changed it's shape over time though , I was afraid the base plate might over time buckle under the weight , no damage or sign of ageing either (even the logo is still clearly imprinted ). And for the limited padding , it is comfortable , I have adequate padding on my rear though .

bad-
spring simply not sufficient even for my 73.5kg weight now , when I was 102kg 9 months back , it was rubbing the paint of the rear mudguard requiring a foam leather cushion . It will sway sideways during turns . I personally tried but failed to source stiffer springs , you will without fail need stiffer springs so only go ahead if you find them .

It is not comfortable for long distance , my ride is more of a hobby vehicle(old cast iron bull ) so I am satisfied with the limitations .


Go to royalenfieldzone.com website , they have many options available , some from appearance are padded better and should be comfortable . I purchased mine from there .

[argchoff]

I had a problem for last two years with self start which was traced down to a near dead battery. The reason given by the service centre in pune was that the bike is not being run very often which i accepted and fitted a new exide battery in june. After that the bike has been run for about 3000km till date (in 5 months), but now the battery is completely flat and the bike only kick starts. The ignition starts started weakening a month ago and now does not work at all. Is this a common problem related to the bike alternator for other owners as well or could there be some other problem?

[ArizonaJim]

If you've been using the electric starter motor, ride with your headlight on, ride short distances between turning your motorcycles engine off and shift to higher gears to keep the engine speed as low as possible the alternator will not produce enough power to keep the battery charged.

I installed a LED volt meter on my Royal Enfield. It shows the system voltage when the engine is running and from this I have learned that at engine speeds at and slightly above an idle speed the alternator is keeping the voltage at 12 volts.

12 volts is enough to keep everything powered but it is not enough to charge the battery at all. For that, the voltage must be at 13 to 14 volts.

Riding with the headlight off raises the system voltage to 13 at a little above idle speed but some places require the head light to always be on and riding with it off is dangerous so most will agree that that is not a good option.

That leaves riding in lower gears as the best option to keep the engine up to a speed that will produce the 14 volts needed to recharge the battery.

Another option is to buy a trickle style battery charger and to use it to recharge the battery while your not riding.
These trickle chargers should be available at a good motorcycle store. If not and your looking for one to buy remember, the maximum output the battery charger should be capable of producing is 2 ampere. It is best for it to also have a self adjusting capability to prevent overcharging the battery.
I don't know if these are available in India but a good trickle charger is made by "Battery Tender" such as is shown in the following link

http://www.amazon.com/Deltran-Batter.../dp/B00068XCQU

[rakesh_r]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

I installed a LED volt meter on my Royal Enfield. It shows the system voltage when the engine is running and from this I have learned that at engine speeds at and slightly above an idle speed the alternator is keeping the voltage at 12 volts.

12 volts is enough to keep everything powered but it is not enough to charge the battery at all. For that, the voltage must be at 13 to 14 volts.

Hello Jim can I install an Ammeter from the cl 350 on a cl 500?Or can I install one of these?
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/100-P...902364074.html

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Hello Jim can I install an Ammeter from the cl 350 on a cl 500?Or can I install one of these?
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/100-P...902364074.html

Hope you might want to retain the MIL lamps in your CL500. You may try hiding once such an item inside your speedometer.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Car-M...984191222.html

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/R1B1-...250788019.html

[ArizonaJim]

rakesh_r

I would not suggest using the guage that shows the ampere readings.
These readings require cutting the wiring between the battery and the regulator to determine how much power from the battery is being supplied to the battery.

The guages that show the voltage only on the other hand can be connected to any wire that is powered when the ignition switch is on and to some handy ground (earth) location like the motorcycle frame. No wires are cut so no electrical system damage will be done.

Your headlight may be using a wire for a internal parking bulb inside the headlight housing for one small bulb that is inside the headlight.
My headlight doesn't have one of these small parking light bulbs.
As a result, there is a gray wire that was disconnected inside my headlight casquette. It's in the wiring bundle that connects to the main headlight bulb.
I plugged the red wire on my voltage guage into that gray wire to find the system voltage when the headlight is turned on plus the black wire to a unconnected ground wire in the same vicinity.
All of the "voltage" guages will work if they are connected like this.

Below is a photo of my voltage meter.
It has a sticky back on it so I stuck it to the handlebar clamp.

[csubhojit]

Hello everyone,

I need a bit of a help. Can anyone please tell me where I can get a carrier as shown in the picture attached? I stay in Hyderabad but I am good even if I have to source this from somewhere else? I have the Givi Monolock case and the universal fitting kit along with the base plate, but need the carrier.

Thanks,
Subhojit

[ilangop]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

Below is a photo of my voltage meter.
It has a sticky back on it so I stuck it to the handlebar clamp.

Hello Jim, Could you please share some info on where to find such voltmeter? Thanks in advance.

[ArizonaJim]

I bought mine from the company that imports the Royal Enfield. They have a web site called NFieldgear.
The owner Kevin Mahoney, is a dyed in the wool Royal Enfield fan who goes out of his way to support the Royal Enfield company and the many people in the U.S. that buy from him.

Here is a link to the NFieldgear site and the voltage guage I used.

http://nfieldgear.com/enfield-store/...ery-gauge.html

As I mentioned, there are many voltage indicators on the market and I would expect to see them offered by a really good motorcycle dealer in India if buying off the web isn't practical.

[raghu.t.k]

Last night had one more learning regarding my classic 500. If the battery is weak Change, else you might be stranded

I could reach office with a weak battery, but on the return, the battery was so bad that the fuel pump could not start when the vehicle was turned to the 'on' position.. After multiple attempts, managed to start it, but every time I applied the brake or horn, the engine would switch off. Tried my luck for some time, and then had to approach a barricade, when the brake had to be applied and horn sounded. The vehicle stopped and there was no more energy left in me or the bike battery. Thankfully there was a petrol pump near by where the vehicle was parked for the night.

This morning tried to source the 14AH battery from exide, and it was out of stock in all the outlets enquired!! Then had to resort a another brand, which I hav e not even heard of - Poweron from kusalava batteries at a price of 3k, which I understand is much on the higher side. The justification given was that these are sealed maintenace free, and hence more costlier than Exide..

BTW any one in India heard of this battery and any idea how long they stay?

[ArizonaJim]

I've never heard of them but that shouldn't be too surprising because I live in the U.S.A.

A bit of web browsing using the word "Kusalava" had over 1900 'hits' and after looking thru some of them it seems the company has been manufacturing their motorcycle batteries since 2011. They claim to be using American technology and yes, sealed batteries are common in America. In fact, because they never need to have water added to them and they won't spill in the event of an accident they are much preferred over the old fashioned vented batteries.

Although some of them come with a hose that looks like a typical battery vent under normal conditions the batteries rarely if ever actual vent fumes thru it.

Here's hoping that their battery lives up to the reputation the sealed batteries in America have. If it does the 3k price will be well worth the money.