[The Great]

Just got the footrests fabricated for long tours. I was searching for forward controls to customize my bike's brake and gear and came across a few neat mods but after riding a friends bike I felt that the front controls are very hard for city riding. Also thought to install the TB footrests but that didn't work well. Hence looked up for a solution and then thought of fabricating the same according to my body sizes without compromising on city driving so kept the original configuration and made a front footrest.

So now its more comfortable than a thunderbird because of the super foamy seat, backrest, front footrests and windshield on long rides (cruiser style). While in city its unchanged.

The only problem is conventional leg guards wont fit along. Either the single straight rod is an option or to get the leg guard fabricated in ss.

[rakesh_r]

Had a query, apart from the engine capacity, how different is the 500 and 535 engine (C GT). Is it possible to swap out, maybe the half engine of the 500 with that of the C GT (Head,valves,block,piston etc)? Is the crank shaft different?

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by The Great

Just got the footrests fabricated for long tours.

Mate although the modification looks good it can become a safety hazard when one needs to change the gears suddenly or worse when one has to brake suddenly in a split second due to something jumping on the road or due to some blind spot while riding. These extended foot pegs will rob those life saving milliseconds which helps us to avoid hazardous situations. My humble suggestion to you is please take them off for your as well as pillions' safety.

The only problem is conventional leg guards wont fit along. Either the single straight rod is an option or to get the leg guard fabricated in ss.

Riding an RE without crash guards is risky it can injure the rider as well as damage the bike. Never ever go for those single straight rods, if they bend on impact(which they will due to their design) you knee will get a nasty hit.

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

Had a query, apart from the engine capacity, how different is the 500 and 535 engine (C GT). Is it possible to swap out, maybe the half engine of the 500 with that of the C GT (Head,valves,block,piston etc)? Is the crank shaft different?

Rakesh mate first of all why would you want to do this modification? if you want to swap your engine to CGT configurations it can be done but it wont be without problems like we have experienced for years with bored out CI 350cc bullets modded to 500cc. The CGT uses a different size head, bore and piston in addition to a lighter crank.

[The Great]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

Mate although the modification looks good it can become a safety hazard when one needs to change the gears suddenly or worse when one has to brake suddenly in a split second due to something jumping on the road or due to some blind spot while riding. These extended foot pegs will rob those life saving milliseconds which helps us to avoid hazardous situations. My humble suggestion to you is please take them off for your as well as pillions' safety.

Riding an RE without crash guards is risky it can injure the rider as well as damage the bike. Never ever go for those single straight rods, if they bend on impact(which they will due to their design) you knee will get a nasty hit.

The footrests are for long tours. To stretch your legs for sometime sitting for long time on the bike.

I am working on the leg guard/crash bar. Of course it is important and I am researching on how to work around the crash bar with these footpegs. I had the butterfly style crash guard with the rear footrests on it done at a lathe guy but that didn't work out so I did this mod.

Also the rear brake and gear shifts are accessible too with the heel (had done a similar mod on my Yamaha Rx and old Bullet) and also I always ride with full gear on but I do get your point. Thanks a lot.

[Sridutt]

So, I came across thsi thread here http://royalenfield.com/community/forum/thread/posts/?topicid=8727.

Any ideas or feedback on the problems quoted here? I am thinking of getting a new bullet and wanted feedback on the problems with the bikes. Would appreciate any feedback.

[ArizonaJim]

Sridutt

To answer your question about a "engine problem with the Classic", there is none.

Mechanics often say there is a problem with machines that have no problems.
This (IMO) is caused by a fear of the unknown.

The RE Unit Construction Engine is very reliable. In some ways, the fuel injected UCE is more reliable than the carburetor version.

The basic mechanics of the UCE is the same as the older Iron Barrel and AVL except the UCE has improved many of the older engines shortcomings.

The UCE does not require valve adjustment because of the hydraulic valve lifters. It has a high pressure/high flow oil pump to keep things lubricated, it has an excellent oil filter that removes any harmful grit from the oil, the crankshaft and lower end of the connecting rod uses roller and ball bearings, the sleeved aluminum cylinder removes heat 3 times more efficiently than the old Iron Barrel... The list goes on and on.

Because of these improvements the engine seldom breaks. It can be run at high speeds and at an idle without overheating. Valve adjustments are not needed...

This is not to say the engine is perfect. No engine is and there are times problems do happen.

IMO, the rarity of these problems can be seen right here on the TEAM-BHP forum.

Yes, people do post their problems with the Classic but when one considers RE sells hundreds of thousands of their motorcycles per year, if there truly was a problem there would be tens of thousands of posts about problems with the RE engine and transmission.

They aren't happening.

Yes, there are little niggles that upset people but similar niggles will be found on every other motorcycle companies products too.

If you buy a new Bullet I am sure you will be more than pleased with it for years to come.

[sudipta]

Hi All,

I have procured 2 packs of Motul 300V 15W50 in aspiration to change my C500 Chrome engine oil. I have 2 questions regarding the same.

1. Do I need to follow any special procedure to remove as much of the old engine oil before I put in this fully Synthetic Engine Lube?

2. Will 2 Lits be sufficient for the engine?

Thanks in advance.

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by sudipta

Hi All,

I have procured 2 packs of Motul 300V 15W50 in aspiration to change my C500 Chrome engine oil. I have 2 questions regarding the same.

1. Do I need to follow any special procedure to remove as much of the old engine oil before I put in this fully Synthetic Engine Lube?

2. Will 2 Lits be sufficient for the engine?

Thanks in advance.

It is always beneficial to remove as much of the dirty engine oil as possible when changing your engines oil but refilling the engine with a fully synthetic engine oil like the 300V will not cause any problems if some of the old petroleum oil was left in the engine.

Synthetic motor oils and petroleum motor oils mix together nicely. In fact, that is exactly what the "Semi-Synthetic" oils are made of. Quite a lot of the regular petroleum oil and some full synthetic oil. (Enough to meet Government regulations. )

As for the amount of oil you will need, that depends largely on the age of your Royal Enfield.

The UCE engine prior to 2013 had two oil drains.
One is the large hexagon plug on the bottom of the engine, towards the rear. The other is the oil pump inlet screen (filter) cover. It is held to the bottom of the engine with two small hexagon bolts.

Sometime around 2014 or 2015, Royal Enfield added another drain plug to the bottom of the engine making a total of three drain locations.

This new plug is located towards the front of the engine on the bottom of the crankcase under the crankshaft.
The reason for this added plug is that with only two drains, a considerable amount of oil was left in the engine right under the crankshaft.

This area of the engine is designed to hold a supply of oil so the flywheels on the crankshaft can throw it back into the transmission on top of the gears. That is what lubricates the gears.
By adding this forward drain plug the accumulated oil in this area can be drained.

If your motorcycle only has the two drain locations, 2 liters of oil will be more than sufficient to refill the oil tank. In fact, I've found the oil quantity of oil needed to refill my 2011, 500cc, UCE engine is 1.7 liters.

To use the sight window, you will need to start the engine and let it idle for at least 15 seconds. Then shut it off and allow 1 minute for the oil in the upper part of the engine to drain back down into the oil tank.
At this point, you can use the sight window to see if the oil is at the proper level.*

If your engine has three drain locations, 2 liters of oil should fill the oil tank just about right.**

A word about refilling the engine oil if the engine has three drains.

If you have drained all of the oil out of the three engine drains, replaced the plugs/cover and refilled the engine, the real oil level won't show on the sight guage.
That area under the crankshaft will not refill until the engine has been started and allowed to run for 30 or more seconds. It receives all of its oil from the oil pump so running the engine is the only way to refill it.
When it refills, the oil level in the oil tank will drop.

For this reason, the proper way to refill the oil tank is to add the 2 liters of oil and replace the oil filler plug.
Then, start the engine and let it idle for at least 30 seconds. One minute is better.
Then, shut off the engine and allow at least 1 minute for the oil in the upper part of the engine to drain back into the tank.

Only then, can you use the sight guage to determine if the engine needs more oil added to bring the level up to the center of the sight window*.


*The Royal Enfield oil level guage (window) can only be used if the motorcycle is resting on the center stand on a totally flat, horizontal surface.
If it is leaning either to the right or to the left, the oil level in the sight window will not reflect the actual oil level in the oil tank.

** The Owners Manual says the engine needs 2.75 Liters of oil to fill it.
This is correct for a totally new or rebuilt engine but about .65-.75 liters of oil will remain in the engine after a normal oil drain. This trapped oil is in the side covers and other nooks and crannies and it will not drain out by simply removing the drain plugs.

[Mohd Faiz]

Originally Posted by sudipta

Hi All,

I have procured 2 packs of Motul 300V 15W50 in aspiration to change my C500 Chrome engine oil. I have 2 questions regarding the same.

1. Do I need to follow any special procedure to remove as much of the old engine oil before I put in this fully Synthetic Engine Lube?

2. Will 2 Lits be sufficient for the engine?

Thanks in advance.

I have a 2011 model Classic 500 which has only two drain plugs. I am using Motul 300V 15W50 and it consumed around 2.4 Litre in total. But I was following a different refilling method suggested by Randhawa in this thread. I waited for one full day with holding the bike in tilted position and cranking the engine in between. I also filled few quantity (200 ml two times) of fresh 300v oil and again drained. That's why the quantity is different from what ArizonaJim has mentioned.

Can someone please suggest the right oil change frequency we can follow with 300V. My bike has done 5000 km since last oil change and I am planning to do after 6000 km.

[sudipta]

Thanks a lot ArizonaJim for you reply. Mine is a 2011 model so I guess it will have only one nut and one plug with filter. Given your suggestion to remove as much dirty oil, I have decided to do it myself this time. So I will get the new oil filter and also get another bottler of Motul 300V just in case I need to top up later. Do you think I should also buy the "O" rings and copper washer and keep them handy for this task?

Also it will be great if can someone help me with the size of the bolts so that I can get the correct tools before I get into this task.

Thanks in advance.

Sudipta

[ArizonaJim]

Originally Posted by sudipta

Thanks a lot ArizonaJim for you reply. Mine is a 2011 model so I guess it will have only one nut and one plug with filter. Given your suggestion to remove as much dirty oil, I have decided to do it myself this time. So I will get the new oil filter and also get another bottler of Motul 300V just in case I need to top up later. Do you think I should also buy the "O" rings and copper washer and keep them handy for this task?

Also it will be great if can someone help me with the size of the bolts so that I can get the correct tools before I get into this task.

Thanks in advance.

Sudipta

You will need to have a 8mm and a 19mm wrench to remove the main drain plug and the 2 bolts on the pump inlet screen cover. The 8mm wrench is also used to remove the oil filter cover.

If you can afford it, I strongly recommend buying a torque wrench and sockets to fit these bolts.

In the USA, O-rings and a copper drain plug gasket come with the oil filter kit. I don't know that this is true in India.

It is always a good idea to replace the copper or aluminum washer on the main drain plug.
If you are careful and don't nick or gouge them, the O-rings should not need to be replaced.

As for draining the oil, there are other posts in this topic that fully describe what needs to be done. Just make sure your drain pan is large enough to hold over 3 liters of oil and it is large enough in diameter to catch all of the oil that will drain out. (My pan is about 35.5 cm in diameter).

When you remove the oil filter cover you will find there is a strong spring inside which tries to push the cap off. Occasionally, the static friction of the small O-ring on the cover will keep this from happening after the bolts are removed but a slight rotation or tapping on the cover usually is enough to cause it to pop out.

Inside the oil filter cavity you will find the filter cartridge with a large O-ring on either end of it. These O-rings can also be reused if they are not cracked or broken.

Be especially careful not to damage the thin O-ring on the cover when you replace the oil filter cover. I suggest that a thin layer of oil should be applied to this O-ring before trying to push the cover back in place.

While your oiling things, thoroughly soak the oil filter in clean oil. You want the paper element to be saturated.

On the oil pump inlet filter cover you will find a magnet. Likewise, the main drain plug has a magnet on it. Wipe off all traces of the steel filings it has collected.

Speaking of the oil pump inlet filter cover, it has a very thin O-ring on it.
This too can be reused.
The thing to remember at this location is this O-ring is acting as a face seal.
The adjacent surfaces must be totally clean for it to seal. Use a soft, clean rag to wipe both of the interfacing surfaces.

When putting everything back together, a word of caution about tightening the bolts:
The main drain plug torque = 20 NM (15 lb/ft) Overtightening it may strip out the threads in the engine.

The 8mm hex bolts torque is = 5.4 NM (4 lb/ft). This doesn't seem like a lot but applying more torque will break the bolts or strip out the threads in the engine.
By the way, that puny 5.4 NM will create a force of about 700 kg at each bolt so you see, that low torque is more than enough to keep things together.

If you take your time and work carefully your oil change will be a total success. Not only that but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did it and it was done right.

[sudipta]

So finally I changed my engine oil for my Classic Chrome. Yesterday I had some time in the day and I started by cleaning the under body of the engine. Sprayed some diesel and cleaned all the dirt first so I can see the sparkling drain cap and drain nut. Used the 8mm socket wrench to open the cap (2 nuts) and pulled out the along with the metal mesh filter. The current oil still had some life. Also used the same wrench to open the oil filter cap and removed the od oil filter. removed the Filler cap after cleaning the area to avoid dust and other contaminates going inside the engine.

But I was unable to open the drain nut. It is a slim one and that too sits in a protrusion between two high areas. I didn't have a socket wrench for that and my normal spanner and offset ring spanner slipped a few times. I got scared of damaging the drain nut and left it there. But there is no going back now. So went ahead with the oil change. May be next time I will take it to the service center and ask them to open it and get it changed if needed.

I raised the left side of the middle stand by an inch (some wooden block) and kicked the starter a few times to ensure as much of the old oil is drained. Poured some new mineral oil which I had from my earlier oil change and a few more kicks to get that out as well.

After 30 mins there was no more oil coming out of the drain cap opening. I cleaned the filter (which had nothing anyways) and refitted the Drain cap ensuring the O ring is good. Now used a new cotton thread to tie the new oil filter and sink the same inside the new oil can and pull it out. So the new soaked oil filter with Motul 300 V goes in the slot with O rings on both the side. The cap goes in with 3 nuts tightened adequately (not very hard).

Now the new oil goes in to the filler opening, poured 2 liters and closed the same. A few kicks with the clutch pressed and then used the self starter to start the bike. Went around the campus for a few mins and then parked it on a level ground to check the oil level. The color is green and very easy to check from the eye glass. It was just touching the low mark so used another 150 ml to bring it to the middle of high and low and left it there.

Later I used the bike for 15 kms all seems well, no leakage from any of the caps which I opened for the oil change. I will keep an eye on the behavior of the bike and report any difference I fell over time.

Thanks a ton to all the members for their help and especially ArizonaJim with all the detailed information and encouragement. I am happy that my engine has the best oil that I could get my hands to.

[ArizonaJim]

It sounds like you did a good job.

Don't worry too much about leaving the main oil drain plug in place.
Removing the oil pump inlet screen as you did, drained almost all of the oil out of the engine and the small quantity that remained behind will not cause a problem.

Yes. That main drain plug almost requires a socket to be used to remove and install it correctly.

May I suggest, the next time you wish to change the oil, rather than paying a service center to do the work, use the money to buy a 19mm (3/4 inch) socket and a break over bar (toggling handle) or ratchet to drive it.
(If you have extra money, buying a torque wrench so that you can properly torque the drain (20 NM) would be a good investment.)

Again, congratulations on a job well done.

[sudipta]

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

May I suggest, the next time you wish to change the oil, rather than paying a service center to do the work, use the money to buy a 19mm (3/4 inch) socket and a break over bar (toggling handle) or ratchet to drive it.
(If you have extra money, buying a torque wrench so that you can properly torque the drain (20 NM) would be a good investment.)

Again, congratulations on a job well done.

Thanks a ton for the encouraging words. I am bitten by the bug now like the other Bullet riders and have also ordered a 1/2 inch drive set by Stanley which has sockets starting from 11 mm to 32 mm with multiple handles including ratchet. I will also be in the lookout for a torque wrench during the sale period and get one before I change my oil again. So that means no going to service center for oil changes any more.

Tools that I have ordered for this job and future (just an excuse, I had planned to buy them for a long time now).

1. Stanley STMT72795-8 1/2 inch 24-Pieces Drive Metric Socket Set
2. Stanley STMT727948 46-Piece 1/4 Drive Metric Socket Set

Thanks again.

[sudipta]

Today my Turn Indicator lamp on the speedometer stopped working. On preliminary inspection, the cable broke from the bottom of the holder. I will have to open the headlight to have a better look and access for the same. Any suggestion towards rectification from anyone will be welcome.

Thanks,
Sudipta