[Randhawa]

@Dhruva- Yes I got them all changed. I think you are just getting the gist for noises and in the process of teaching you ears to different noises to associate with things. Just as I heard some noises in the engine and nobody would believe me but I knew where it was coming from.

One tends to get a bit worried when you are not sure where that noise is coming from and why. In due course you will teach yourself enough to live with the noises if they are normal for the machine to produce.

@Bradhey- thats definitely a 19 in front on that black beauty.

[Dhruva]

@Randhawa : I really hope all is well. Thanks again.
Regards.

[nandishpal]

YouTube - Eicher Motors' Siddharth Lal at Auto Expo 2010

military green cl 500 for exports & dual tone cl 500.
i like his jacket though.

[hexanerax]

Hi,
Thanks for all the appreciation. I will be posting up a detailed travelogue shortly . The trip was amazing and riders with me were from Bangalore (1) and Dehradun (2) My pillion was from Delhi.

I was running a Pirelli Desert Scorpion 100x90x18 front and a Ceat Vertigo Rage 120x80x18 rear , both with tuff up tubes. Everything went very smooth ( figuratively ). The tyres were extremely steady even under hard braking and heavy load , there was no tendency to slide. Ice , Snow , water , dust , rocks and tarmac were tackled with aplomb.
We did have our share of mechanical troubles including a blown head gasket on the Electra 5s before Pathankot on day 1 , a slow puncture on the Std 350 at Lamayuru , No start on the std 350 after overnight soaking in freezing rain in Dras , Poor acceleration on both Cast Iron Models in Leh and beyond and a puncture on the CL 500 ( above the tuff up double layer on the tube :( ) . The Electra 5s on the return had a disk that would not release fully. Full disassembly and reassembly of the caliper assembly helped only for a short while. Only regret is that Baralacha la and Kunzum La were closed due to snowfall and we could not go through Spiti or the Leh Manali road. That will be left for next July for sure.

Meanwhile Here is a panoramic view of Pangong ( stitched together ) to tempt other bikers to make the journey.

Regards
Naren

[Randhawa]

@Naren- The front surely looks like 19, did you raised the front fender. Seems like its higher then the normal C5 fender. I thing if I am not wrong then you have changed the front fender to C350 as you had mentioned earlier.

Out of curiosity, why did you opted for 120x80 instead of 120x90 rear?

Pangong is tempting me for sure, have been planning the trip for last two years. In which month is Rothang pass shut for traffic in summers?

[hexanerax]

@ Randhawa , It is an 18" rim. The higher aspect ratio of the tire results in the circumference being almost the same as a 3.25 x 19 tire. The mudguard is not following the curve of the tire. A 19" mudguard is on order but i have not picked it up yet. I had to replace the mudguard stays with a set from the std 350 as the tire was touching the mudguard on the sides.
As for the 120x90 rubber , couldn't get hold of a tire in time for this trip. I have a Michelin on order and should be picking it up by July end for future trips.
BTW for those looking for Pirelli off road / highway rubber , Bhatia tyres in Dehradun has a few in stock both in 18 as well as 19" rim sizes, both tires are 100x90 similar to the one my bike uses. I can vouch for the superb handling character of this tire type.
Regards
Naren

[hexanerax]

Randhawa , Rohtang La normally opens in early May and the road to Leh should remain open till october. This year was different with roads remaining closed till 22 June causing me to miss out on that trip. The main obstacle on that road is the snow demon Baralacha La which is regarded as one of the most difficult to keep open. check out the road markers on the bottom of the leh.nic.in page and also keep checking on vistet.wordpress.com for the latest rearding the Leh Manali and the Kazaa Manali routes.
Regards
Naren

[Randhawa]

@Naren- thanks for the info. I think I'll definitely make it to Leh this year hopefully. I went to Manali and ahead of Gulaba, did inquired about the Rohtang and I was told it will be opened within 10 days. I guess more snow fall would have delayed it again.

Fender really looks out of place but you can go for Std 350 fender as you can easily get that instead of waiting for CL fender. The scorpion you have is not showing on the Pirelli web site any more. I have tried to source Pirelli form one of the main importers in Ludhiana but no luck so far.

Do post a picture once you get the fender on.

Any one knows the web site where I can get Bronze swingarm bushes for RE?

I remember looking at the bushes on some website and now I cant find it again. I think if I put the bronze bushes then it might help with the instability issue.

[GreaseMonk]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

Any one knows the web site where I can get Bronze swingarm bushes for RE?

I remember looking at the bushes on some website and now I cant find it again. I think if I put the bronze bushes then it might help with the instability issue.

Good luck with that. They were discussing this on the enfieldmotorcycles.com forum and they seemed to indicate that it is insanely difficult to get the stock bushes out.

By they way, I should be getting my bike in a couple of weeks. Could you post some close up photos of your swing arm for me to compare with mine to see if they have, indeed, upgraded the arm?

[Randhawa]

I had totally forgotten about it until someone mentioned on that forum and I kind of had a flashback.

I'll get the bush made if I have a look at the bronze bush. Just need to get a picture of it.

They have not upgraded the swing arm so far as I checked it last week. I was given some info about the new design, in the present swing arm- its like Π. The new one is supposed to be something like this λ. Anyway I will post a picture tomorrow.

[indian21r]

Hexarex. That is a nice ride man and good to hear the bike kept up well.

[Randhawa]

@Greasemonk-Here is a picture for you of the swing arm.

[Randhawa]

@GreaseMonk- Here is a picture for your reference. If C5 is indeed getting a improved swing arm and going by what I was told then it should look like this. This design has been used decades ago on Triumph bikes.

But lately I am feeling that bronze or metal bush from Std 350 should resolve the instability issue and we might not need the new swing arm. Fingers crossed.

But if you see this shape on your C5 then you are sorted hopefully

[GreaseMonk]

@Randhawa: Brilliant, thanks dude.

[bradhey]

Can't understand how would the new swing arm (as shown by Radhawa) address the issue of instability. I mean how is the new design superior to the existing one. Could anybody elaborate ??