The Royal Enfield 500 Classic thread!

bludhemn · 17th July 2010, 21:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

Re-foamed it into a slightly more comfy shape. The problem is that its great for long rides, but quite tedious to be on in the city.

Hi, Could you please post pics of the mod? I am looking to mod my seat as well, perhaps this could provide some insight.

Thanks
Fel

EssYouWe · 17th July 2010, 21:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by bludhemn

Hi, Could you please post pics of the mod? I am looking to mod my seat as well, perhaps this could provide some insight.

Thanks
Fel

Hi! Apologies, don't have access to a camera. :(

I can however, describe the shape and advise you against it if you drive in the city.

If you are taller than 5'11", any back-lifting on the stock plate will result in you being seated too close to the tank. If you prefer the forward position, then it'll be perfect.

What I basically got the guy to do was pad up a raised back, curve out the part where you'll actually sit and raise the front end. Even though the seat is very comfy, I find the forward seating position very awkward for the city.

So, basically I would advise you against changing the shape a lot. You can try harder foam before you change the shape.
Or if possible get a larger plate (which would mean either no pillion seat or a new one).

bludhemn · 18th July 2010, 01:16

Oh, ok. I think this is exactly what I had in mind. I'd stand around 5.8 , so I don't think it will pose much of a prob when modding the seat, especially if I change the handle bars to something similar to nasirkaka's.
Are you on the stock handlebar? If so, perhaps a change of bars may be what you are looking for, since you mention that you have to lean forward while riding.

EssYouWe · 18th July 2010, 10:11

I did consider that, but i will still have to bend my legs more to find the foot peg than with stock. I did raise the handlebar a bit, don't want to stretch the cables too much so going to wait on the handlebar change.

Frankly, I like to run stock!

Sad you live in cochin, I could have taken your seat's foam. :P

bludhemn · 18th July 2010, 14:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

Sad you live in cochin, I could have taken your seat's foam. :P

..I have an old sofa in my backyard...would you like to consider that ?? :P

bradhey · 23rd July 2010, 18:01

Has anybody got any information on the power and torque curves of the C5

A proper diagramatic representation would be great help. Thanks

GreaseMonk · 23rd July 2010, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradhey

Has anybody got any information on the power and torque curves of the C5

A proper diagramatic representation would be great help. Thanks

Find attached a power\torque chart of the C5 at the wheel.

Courtesy 72Westie @ Royal Enfield Motorcycles - The Official home of Royal Enfield in the USA

Source: 2009 Bullet G5 EFI Dyno Results

nasirkaka · 24th July 2010, 13:15

21? And they said it was 27+ :(

It is the difference between the power at crank and power at the wheel?
Personally, i feel that C5 is quite under-powered for a totally new and modern engine, displacing 500 odd cc. Does anyone else here feels the same about C5? Any tips on how to improve the performance of a C5? (sometimes i feel this Fi is a devil disguised as a god, wrt performance mods..)

My guess is that C5 would be the SLOWEST 500 cc bike developed in recent past. Will dig out more on this and confirm.

GreaseMonk · 24th July 2010, 15:29

Yes, this is at the wheel. 27 is supposedly at the crank. Enfields always had quite a high loss w/ transmission.

You've got to understand that this is a low compression air cooled engine with a very basic balancing system to 'retain the old bike charm' aesthetically.

The real modern thumper would be something along the lines of the KTM Duke, etc with two digit compresion ratios, a full-fledged counterbalance shaft and IIRC, liquid cooling. But a bullet frame\body with a KTM engine would have looked quite awkward IMHO.

nasirkaka · 24th July 2010, 17:56

@ GreaseMonk:

Opps.. Thats some real loss. (6 bhp)

I dont get a few points.

The C5 with integrated gear box as UCE, wet clutch plates, about 15% reduction in No. of engine parts which is suppose to greatly reduce the transmission losses, is STILL loosing 6.5 BHP from crank to wheel.

Where as, the Cast Iron based STANDARD 500 looses about 5-6 BHP from crank to wheel.
Where is the gain then?

i think aesthetics of a bike is purely industrial design issue/approach. A 500cc based powerful bike (LC) could still be made to look retro.
A typical example that come to my mind is Triumph Bonneville.

An 850 cc bike generating 66 bhp at 7500 VS a 500cc generating 27.5 bhp.
(ofcourse the triumph is a parallel twin and there is difference in price)

nasirkaka · 25th July 2010, 01:37

internal view of a 500CC UCE EFI:

ac 427 · 26th July 2010, 09:58

hey there,

another month for my classic 500 to roll in. its been 7 months of long waiting time.

cheers,
ac

Randhawa · 26th July 2010, 13:08

I thought you would have got your C5 by now, did you not booked your C5 last year?

Randhawa · 28th July 2010, 18:02

Any one lives near Kashmiri gate in Delhi? Need urgent help regarding a bearing I need.

girishab · 28th July 2010, 18:47

For about an year now, I was thinking of upgrading from my 2001 model CBZ. The reason for the upgrade, well, was the age showing up on my bike even though it surpassed the expectations I had from the 150cc mill, though I was not sure as to what I wanted for myself at that point in time. Heart would say go for the old-world charm of Bullet 350 Std (especially since my dad rode one and I have vivid memories of my childhood on this bike) but mind would pop the question “would you be confident that it will not leave you stranded?” So began the search for other bikes and I tested the new ZMR and P220. However, for some reason I wasn’t completely satisfied with these (though I cannot point out the reason behind it). And then came the news of the Enfield Classic being launched in India and I decided to go for the Classic 500. Unfortunately, could not book it in the initial days of launch as I was in the middle of a job change and had too many things to take care of. Once things settled down and approval sought from better half, I booked my bike in Feb 2010, with a waiting period of 6 months.

Then began the long wait, with constant calls to the RE brand store Jayanagar on the progress, getting glued to the thread on C5 on team-bhp. My morale went up everytime people shared the plus points of the bike and their feelings on owning it and so did it take a beating when people talked about the fundamental design issues, questioning myself on the decision. But again, looking at the effort and conviction of people like Randhawa and Nasirkaka (to name a few) to bring the issues to the attention of RE and/or fix them, I convinced myself that all will be well (hope that will turn true).

So, after a long wait, I will be taking delivery of my bike this Friday and am eagerly looking forward to the experience of owning an RE. By the way, I was surprised that the price for C5 in Bangalore has increased by about 7k as compared to the price in Feb.

Will update on the initial experiences soon.

18th July 2010, 01:16	#453
bludhemn BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Cochin Posts: 39 Thanked: 0 Times	Oh, ok. I think this is exactly what I had in mind. I'd stand around 5.8 , so I don't think it will pose much of a prob when modding the seat, especially if I change the handle bars to something similar to nasirkaka's. Are you on the stock handlebar? If so, perhaps a change of bars may be what you are looking for, since you mention that you have to lean forward while riding.
	() Thanks

18th July 2010, 10:11	#454
EssYouWe Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 1,391 Thanked: 18 Times	I did consider that, but i will still have to bend my legs more to find the foot peg than with stock. I did raise the handlebar a bit, don't want to stretch the cables too much so going to wait on the handlebar change. Frankly, I like to run stock! Sad you live in cochin, I could have taken your seat's foam. :P
	() Thanks

23rd July 2010, 18:01	#456
bradhey BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Agra Posts: 288 Thanked: 34 Times	Has anybody got any information on the power and torque curves of the C5 A proper diagramatic representation would be great help. Thanks
	() Thanks

24th July 2010, 13:15	#458
nasirkaka Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,343 Thanked: 3,167 Times Infractions: 0/1 (5)	21? And they said it was 27+ :( It is the difference between the power at crank and power at the wheel? Personally, i feel that C5 is quite under-powered for a totally new and modern engine, displacing 500 odd cc. Does anyone else here feels the same about C5? Any tips on how to improve the performance of a C5? (sometimes i feel this Fi is a devil disguised as a god, wrt performance mods..) My guess is that C5 would be the SLOWEST 500 cc bike developed in recent past. Will dig out more on this and confirm. Last edited by nasirkaka : 24th July 2010 at 13:18.
	() Thanks

24th July 2010, 15:29	#459
GreaseMonk BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 289 Thanked: 94 Times View My Garage	Yes, this is at the wheel. 27 is supposedly at the crank. Enfields always had quite a high loss w/ transmission. You've got to understand that this is a low compression air cooled engine with a very basic balancing system to 'retain the old bike charm' aesthetically. The real modern thumper would be something along the lines of the KTM Duke, etc with two digit compresion ratios, a full-fledged counterbalance shaft and IIRC, liquid cooling. But a bullet frame\body with a KTM engine would have looked quite awkward IMHO. Last edited by GreaseMonk : 24th July 2010 at 15:35.
	() Thanks

24th July 2010, 17:56	#460
nasirkaka Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,343 Thanked: 3,167 Times Infractions: 0/1 (5)	@ GreaseMonk: Opps.. Thats some real loss. (6 bhp) I dont get a few points. The C5 with integrated gear box as UCE, wet clutch plates, about 15% reduction in No. of engine parts which is suppose to greatly reduce the transmission losses, is STILL loosing 6.5 BHP from crank to wheel. Where as, the Cast Iron based STANDARD 500 looses about 5-6 BHP from crank to wheel. Where is the gain then? i think aesthetics of a bike is purely industrial design issue/approach. A 500cc based powerful bike (LC) could still be made to look retro. A typical example that come to my mind is Triumph Bonneville. An 850 cc bike generating 66 bhp at 7500 VS a 500cc generating 27.5 bhp. (ofcourse the triumph is a parallel twin and there is difference in price) Last edited by nasirkaka : 24th July 2010 at 18:04.
	() Thanks

25th July 2010, 01:37	#461
nasirkaka Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,343 Thanked: 3,167 Times Infractions: 0/1 (5)	internal view of a 500CC UCE EFI: Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

26th July 2010, 09:58	#462
ac 427 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,393 Thanked: 244 Times View My Garage	hey there, another month for my classic 500 to roll in. its been 7 months of long waiting time. cheers, ac
	() Thanks

26th July 2010, 13:08	#463
Randhawa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brighton Posts: 1,193 Thanked: 355 Times	I thought you would have got your C5 by now, did you not booked your C5 last year?
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 18:02	#464
Randhawa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brighton Posts: 1,193 Thanked: 355 Times	Any one lives near Kashmiri gate in Delhi? Need urgent help regarding a bearing I need.
	() Thanks

28th July 2010, 18:47	#465
girishab BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 44 Thanked: 0 Times	A long wait ends..almost For about an year now, I was thinking of upgrading from my 2001 model CBZ. The reason for the upgrade, well, was the age showing up on my bike even though it surpassed the expectations I had from the 150cc mill, though I was not sure as to what I wanted for myself at that point in time. Heart would say go for the old-world charm of Bullet 350 Std (especially since my dad rode one and I have vivid memories of my childhood on this bike) but mind would pop the question “would you be confident that it will not leave you stranded?” So began the search for other bikes and I tested the new ZMR and P220. However, for some reason I wasn’t completely satisfied with these (though I cannot point out the reason behind it). And then came the news of the Enfield Classic being launched in India and I decided to go for the Classic 500. Unfortunately, could not book it in the initial days of launch as I was in the middle of a job change and had too many things to take care of. Once things settled down and approval sought from better half, I booked my bike in Feb 2010, with a waiting period of 6 months. Then began the long wait, with constant calls to the RE brand store Jayanagar on the progress, getting glued to the thread on C5 on team-bhp. My morale went up everytime people shared the plus points of the bike and their feelings on owning it and so did it take a beating when people talked about the fundamental design issues, questioning myself on the decision. But again, looking at the effort and conviction of people like Randhawa and Nasirkaka (to name a few) to bring the issues to the attention of RE and/or fix them, I convinced myself that all will be well (hope that will turn true). So, after a long wait, I will be taking delivery of my bike this Friday and am eagerly looking forward to the experience of owning an RE. By the way, I was surprised that the price for C5 in Bangalore has increased by about 7k as compared to the price in Feb. Will update on the initial experiences soon.
	() Thanks