[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Jim, the old cast iron Std 500 was 22 bhp. The new UCE 500 is 27 bhp.

That's an increase of a little over 20%.

More importantly, its all on paper.

Just this weekend I out-dragged (and out-climbed) a 5-speed UCE 535 cc GT Continental (29+ bhp on paper) with my 13 year old 4-speed on-paper 22 bhp cast iron Std 500.

Ebonho it is not just the motorcycle that matters it is also the rider in question that matters. Besides I have ridden 500 CI and 500 AVL LB before I decided to plonk in my money on the Tbird500 UCE which belts out 27 odd BHP and a couple of more NM of torque. It's all on paper but riders and rides differ. For example I managed to outpace a fellow rider on his CI 500 with my Tbird AVL LB 350. Haven't got a chance to ride my Tbird500 UCE with a fellow Machismo AVL LB 500 as yet. Once I do it will let you know.

P.S. Atleast in my style of riding and when especially talking about Bullets it is not just the speed or outpacing that matters, there are many other things besides this.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

Ebonho it is not just the motorcycle that matters it is also the rider in question that matters. Besides I have ridden 500 CI and 500 AVL LB before I decided to plonk in my money on the Tbird500 UCE which belts out 27 odd BHP and a couple of more NM of torque. It's all on paper but riders and rides differ. For example I managed to outpace a fellow rider on his CI 500 with my Tbird AVL LB 350. Haven't got a chance to ride my Tbird500 UCE with a fellow Machismo AVL LB 500 as yet. Once I do it will let you know.

P.S. Atleast in my style of riding and when especially talking about Bullets it is not just the speed or outpacing that matters, there are many other things besides this.

I am in absolute concurrence with you that rider matters bro

But the photo was what was touted as an Old Boy's Ride. Each guy in that photo has at least a hundred thousand kilometers of Bulleteering under his belt (some a lot more), and have been Bulleteers since the turn of this millennium (some like the sardarji, older). And except for the guy on the extreme left, they are all racers. Fast. And some are probably some of the senior most riders in the Indian Bulleteering fraternity (don't know if you recognize any of them or when exactly you joined the fraternity)

We met up after years (each of us having moved on to better faster machines) just for the pleasure of thumping on our old girls together.

The LB 500 on my left (as you see the photo) is a heavily modded fast LB with a VM34, K&N, megaphone, and a host of other mods. Also a very fast tenured rider.

The photo is on top of a hill (with a fort in the background) that was a really famous hill climb back in the racing days of the 50s through to the late 80s early 90s, with PARA regularly hosting annual hill climb races there for racers from across the country.

So to summarize, all riders in that group (except for the left-most) are near equal on skills and brass. And were all belting (the only way we ride).

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Each guy in that photo has at least a hundred thousand kilometers of Bulleteering under his belt (some a lot more), and have been Bulleteers since the turn of this millennium.

So to summarize, all riders in that group (except for the left-most) are near equal on skills and brass. And were all belting (the only way we ride).

Ebonho while I respect the veteran riders and their achievements I am a believer in the tag that says, "age and experience is no guarantee of expertise". I am saying this as I have rode with fellow riders who are new to Bullets and have started learning to ride on a Bullet as their first bike.

I am amazed at their riding skills and the way they handle their machines, ofcourse I also give some credit to the motorcycles too. We have rode to Malshej Ghat and Lavasa which is a twisties and climbing paradise. There was a KTM Duke 390 rider who is a racer type expert rider and I saw a fellow rider with his new Tbird 350 UCE keeping up with the Duke 390 and tailing him in the twisties and climbs. Similarly on another ride we had a CGT for company which was owned by a 20 something rider. The way he rode it was amazing and we with hundreds of thousands of kms under our belt were left in the wake. Not that he was rash or ignorant while riding, but he rode it like he knew it as a pro. I also give due credit to the CGT for its beautiful handling characteristics due to fanstastic well balanced twin cradle frame chassis, paioli shockups, sticky pirelli sport demon tyres, coupled with light crank 535cc engine, etc.

Well I think we are deviating from this thread.

[ArizonaJim]

Perhaps your 20% is closer to the amount of horsepower gained than my 30 % however my point was/is, the UCE engine in its stock condition has little room for gains by simply replacing the air filter and silencer and adding a Power Commander that overrides the stock motorcycles engine control computer.

As for differences in acceleration between your Iron Barrel and the UCE, much of it depends on the final drive gear ratio, the weight of the motorcycle, the tyre pressure and the weight of the rider and how hard he's trying.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

Perhaps your 20% is closer to the amount of horsepower gained than my 30 % however my point was/is, the UCE engine in its stock condition has little room for gains by simply replacing the air filter and silencer and adding a Power Commander that overrides the stock motorcycles engine control computer.

My personal experience is that an LB 500 (AVL engine) does as good if not better with the long OE bazooka. The in-gear punch while at speed from that bazooka made me a fan of it, and the silent thrum was very welcome while touring.

But the same cannot be said of the old cast irons, which are quite simply just badly choked up with their OE long silencers. recently when I went anal on a "get back to stock" trip, I even took off the Goldie (its the original free flow one with just the two nose to nose cones internally) and took down the OE silencer, dusted and cleaned it, and put it back on (the pristine gleaming chrome had a part to play .....).

The start itself made it clear it was not a move I was going to enjoy, and 15 kms of test ride later I came back home and took it off and put it away (for good this time). Yes, we retuned the carb. The bike felt dirty, even the shifts became dirty, wheezing, choked, slow. So no, the standard cast ironed 22 bhp 500 was not optimized, or even close. And I am pretty confident that just the Goldie (stock carb, filter, ignition, everything) helps it eke back a lot of the 3 bhp it loses out to the LB 500.

I have seen and ridden with tons of UCE 500 (and some 535) guys. Most with different after market exhausts, filters, some even cammed with uprated compression and other mods.

Bottom line. They cannot get away. If at all they stay in front.

As for differences in acceleration between your Iron Barrel and the UCE, much of it depends on the final drive gear ratio, the weight of the motorcycle, the tyre pressure and the weight of the rider and how hard he's trying.

Stock gear ratios. If anything, I am running the 535's font sprocket (18T vs the 500's stock 17T).

The bikes all weigh near the same. They are Bullets. With nothing extra put on or taken off.

Tyre pressures we normally maintain the stock 20F/30R.

Weight of the rider - I outweigh the Con GT guy by 10 kilos and the LB guy by 15.

How hard trying - as hard as competitive riders do, who are also friends. I guess that should tell you till where each would push before backing off.

I guess the point I started making when I entered the discussion in response to your post was that we have seen the 22 bhp Std 500 and the 26 bhp Lightning 535 (the Big Mama), then the 25 bhp LB 500 followed by the 27 bhp UCE 500 and now the 29 bhp UCE 535. The good thing out here with the sheer number of Bullet riders we have is that you will get to ride against all kinds of riders and Bulet variants regularly. In real world conditions. Sundays breakfast rides. Short tours. Long tours. Mountain tours, desert tours. Races. Drags. Track. Monsoon rallies. Dirtrodding.


For years, Bullets were the only bikes we had. And we used them to do everything, not really having a choice in our garages. First one, then two, then three. But all Bullets. We have done and seen it all, so there is very little if anything hidden from experienced riders about these new and old machines. Without getting too technical about it (nothing wrong in that per se) we see the bikes as how they perform against each other. Not the kind of technology that goes inside them. That also includes how easy (or hard) it is to live with them and how much effort (and money) goes into keeping them takatak (Indian for tiptop) on the road. We love each of them for what they are, appreciate their finer points, and yet are also very aware of where they fall behind.

For me personally, in terms of their bikes, RE has been running hard, standing still, these past two decades.

Not one single earth shatteringly different or superior bike in 20 years.

[arjun.vanil]

Originally Posted by arjun.vanil

Under NO circumstances should you turn any of the screws on the outside of the throttle body except for the one I am about to mention.

Hi!
My mechanic adjusted the small allen key screw to set the idle speed. Now the bike feels very rough to ride. Vibes and I am unable to reverse what was done. I have attached an image with a red circle pointing the screw. Could you please help me out and explain what this screw does and how do I fix my problem.

Thanks

Hope this attachment helps to understand which screw I am talking about. Currently my brass idle screw cannot be rotated clockwise any more. It is in it's maximum .

[manas.mys]

Mods, please move this post to the appropriate thread if I am wrong to post it here..



I have been an avid reader on t-bhp but have not been very active. I want to change that now.

Here's my story....

I own an Activa (Dad wanted to try it out, its been at least a couple of decades since he has been riding a 2-wheeler) and I had to ship her to Mysore from Bangalore. So, the thought of putting her through to the transport company was running in my mind. There was also this lingering thought of riding all the way myself over a weekend. I decided that I am going to ride.... on the 1st of May which was a Friday.

I was pretty excited that I was riding, set the alarm to leave at about 5:30 AM not realizing that the battery on the clock was dying . I somehow missed setting it on my phone too... Anyway, got up straight at 8 screaming at myself...

Left at around 9:00 AM finally... I was frustrated to find myself stuck in traffic even on the highway that day. After stopping for breakfast and hoping for traffic to have eased down I was shocked to see it had only gotten worse.

Half way into my journey, I stopped for some tender coconut and as I was about to take a sip, through the corner of my eye I saw this... this... Machine.

It was Matt.. it was the colour of sand... it was big.. oozing with character ...it was a Royal Enfield Desert Storm !!!!!!

I haven't been able to get that moment out of my mind. So the first thing I did when i reached was go to the Royal Enfield to the showroom. The guys there were friendly and I looked and found out about all the models. I was fixated on the DS.

I couldn't TR it the same day and I had to give it a miss that weekend and returned to BLR. I kept reading about it all week and the more I read, the more I wanted this bike. I did a TR the following weekend and then after many discussions at home with the family, I decided to book it. I want it to have a MYS registration and so .... booked it on thursday (Dad did it on my behalf.. He's the best !!!).

Here comes the best part..... He's says that he has it in stock !!!!!!!!! My first thought - " How cool is that !!!!" Another part of me is saying.... "How could that be?? when there's is such a huge waiting period for it"

Guys, i'd really like to hear your thoughts on it being available off the shelf..

[Piyadassi]

Originally Posted by manas.mys

He's says that he has it in stock !!!!!!!!! My first thought - " How cool is that !!!!" Another part of me is saying.... "How could that be?? when there's is such a huge waiting period for it"

May be because someone might have cancelled it. Like I did when the DS had arrived as I wanted to take the delivery after the monsoons. In any do a thorough PDI before committing yourself to take the bike.

[nerd1200]

Originally Posted by manas.mys

Here comes the best part..... He's says that he has it in stock !!!!!!!!! My first thought - " How cool is that !!!!" Another part of me is saying.... "How could that be?? when there's is such a huge waiting period for it"

Guys, i'd really like to hear your thoughts on it being available off the shelf..

Hi Manas, Congrats on booking the beast.

It is very unlikely that they have a bike ready in stock right away. Even if someone cancelled their booking, it goes to the next person in line (unless you are that person). Please do check if the vehicle was used as a Demo/TR vehicle for sometime. What is the manufactured date?

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by nerd1200

Hi Manas,....
Please do check if the vehicle was used as a Demo/TR vehicle for sometime. What is the manufactured date?

I agree. Buying a used Demo is asking for trouble, even if you get a discount.
A lot of test riders rev the cold engines to very high speeds (Hey, Dude, it ain't my bike.), shift gears poorly and do a bunch of things that shouldn't be done to a new bike.

Royal Enfield does test ride each of their motorcycles before it is delivered to the dealers so distances of up to 20 km might show on a new bikes odometer but if it has more than that, beware (or ask for a huge discount and get the dealer to verify in writing that it comes with its full factory warranty.

[bikertillidie]

Originally Posted by ilangop

As you said, this is one crappy RE spare part. The replacement lock for battery compartment will unlock with any key and doesn't really ensure safety. Also I have seen brand new locks giving away while the mechanic tries to fit it.
My suggestion would be to look for an universal tool / glove box lock used in Jeeps / Ambassador / etc. You will have to carry an extra key (without "Royal Enfield" stamped on it).

An option is to use commonly available cam locks.
I have used Godrej branded cam locks to secure the tool boxes on my old CI 350 bullet, and they work quite well.

[bikertillidie]

Set out to fix the incessant noise on my UCE 500 yesterday.

Wanted to clean and/or replace the hydraulic valve lifters as needed and hopefully end the incessant push rod clatter plaguing my bike for several years.

As opposed to splitting the crank case open, we decided to open up the cylinder head & barrel. Once the piston was out of the way, hopefully access to the lifters would be easier; at least, that was the initial assumption.

Afterwards, the allen screw & the bracket holding the pins in place was removed.

However, the pins securing the lifters in place were jammed and despite repeated attempts, they could not be removed

Has anyone been successful in extricating the pins without having to split the crank case? Would really be interested in knowing the procedure followed.

We also noticed that the O ring seated at output end of the oil pump had become dislodged and had been squished out of shape. Hence, we ended up replacing it.

[nasirkaka]

With a heavy heart, i let go of my C5 last Saturday. :(

Was not using the bike much these days, and It was mostly lying in my semi open parking space gathering rust and dust. Thought best to let it go including all the accessories, spares, etc i had collected over a period of 5 years. Hope the new owner is happy and satisfied with all the changes/mods done to the bike.
Had my share of sweet as well as bitter times with the bike. many memorable rides. Many stunning photographs (C5 is one of the most photogenic bikes around, esp in black & white). thousands of tea and sutta breaks along with the bike. Many sleepless nights over the initial waiting period and over some trivial issue which was difficult to diagnose. in retrospect, a memorable relationship.
Thanks to all you guys, Learnt a lot from the discussions here. Will try and keep visiting this thread and help fellow rides wherever i can. And who is seen the future, if RE comes up with another stunning irresistible motorcycle, i may swing my leg over it.

Thanks and cheers!!

[ArizonaJim]

bikertillidie
The Service Manual says (implies?) the two small pins under the retainer just pull out, releasing the hydraulic valve lifters.
There should be a very small amount of both pins exposed to allow grasping them with needle nose pliers.

As for the hydraulic valve lifter noises, you may have found the problem when you discovered the oil pump O-ring condition.
Face seal O-rings are susceptible to any misalignment and it takes very little error to cause them to leak.

If that joint was leaking a lot of oil the resulting low oil pressure could have failed to keep the hydraulic valve lifters pumped up.
That would result in the clattering you heard.

[bikertillidie]

Thanks ArizonaJim.

The pins have rounded ends and offer very little purchase when gripped with long nosed pliers.

It's certainly not as simple as the shop manual leads us to believe.

Replacing the O ring has helped to a certain extent. About 90% of the clatter is gone.