Gentlemen,
As a lot of people must be knowing here, I own a stage 1 LB500 that goes like stink. While I did Pune Bangalore in under 14 hours on an LB500, I also know the limitations and my struggle when it comes to spare parts. Today, one dear friend of mine, along with whom I started this trip of going fast and faster on the Machismo sold his LB500 for INR 1.3 Lakh. While this is price hard to fathom, the buyer bought it as the LB500 is question was modified heavily and was doing 140 on the gun. Now, I too have the same set up as my friends and my LB500 managed a 135 on the gun which is no mean feat.
But, why did my friend whose bullet was simply flying just drop everything and sell it? Lack of spare parts. Going fast on a bullet entails plenty of maintenance which involves replacing a lot of less than perfect spares and this happens very frequently. So, finally he decided, enough was enough and took the huge, emotional step of parting with his bullet. Now, I'm in similar situation but I can't do that. I bought my LB500 with the earnings of my first job and since then I have spent almost more than 80 % of the cost of my LB500 on fuel and maintenance. I also happen to have a load of spares except the bore kit and the crank lying at home. More than anything it is an emotional decision that I simply cannot take since I am too attached to my first motorcycle and I don't want to part with it come hell or high water.
But the issue right now is of critical spares like the bore and the crank shaft which simply isn't available anymore. I met a chap at the Mumbai airport whose LB500 was grounded for months without spares. Ditched by RE, He finally managed to source a piston kit from Kerala on his own to make sure that he could get his bull up and running. This is the situation most LB500 owners are facing right now as less than 6-8,000 LB500s are on Indian roads. Today, I spoke to a RE chap in the factory and he said that even they have trouble in finding spares for LB/CI500s. If the folks in the factory are in this shape, how about us?
Also, I have done a lot of leisure riding on my LB500. What I have observed is, it is simply not comfortable chugging along in top gear even at speeds of 60. This is inherent in all LB500s and I am not complaining as I fully knew what I was getting into. But, I always have felt that the best way to tour is to ride at under 60 so that the scenery/moment passing by can really be enjoyed to the hilt. So, I thought, I'll enjoy the ride rather than worry about spares. On the LB500, going fast means hunting for spares while going slow and enjoying the show simply isn't possible. For my high speed rush, I plan to buy a fast jap machine or a used SBK once I complete my studies in about 3 years time.Then, the CI350 will become a weekend/occasional ride.
While I won't sell my LB500, I will replace it's engine. So, I am contemplating a blueprinted STD350 CI engine in my existing LB500. STD500 looks alluring but I simply can't afford the spares for the same. The main reason for this dramatic shift is the fact that I am going to become a student again and the cost of upkeep of a high strung LB500 is not easy anymore. So, I will be buying the STD350 block, piston, head, crank and crankcases while retaining my clutch and the 5 speed gearbox which I will now convert to a right shift box.
How much will a good standalone CI350 engine minus the gearbox cost? While I plan to rebuild the engine totally to blueprinted specs, I don't want junk engines as warped/welded/abused crank cases will again result in a lot of issues like oil leaks and stuff. Or which way should I go to buy a STD350 engine? Do I buy the entire engine in parts as I already have the chassis ready?
I was tempted to go for Amber's hybrid set up but the long term reliability is still under question. That said, I am keeping a close eye on his set up. Therefore, I finally decided to go for the CI350 set up, with points/CDI, whichever works best. As usual, I will do a mild hop up till stage one so that I can do a true 110 on my CI350 occasionally. I am planning to use European roller bearings on the bottom end and get a totally true crank job done. But, right now my ideas are still fluid and I might end up using a bronze floating bush too. The con rod also might be a one off steel item machined particularly for me. The next six months would be the time period in which I might head this way. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Cheers,
Jay