[trammway]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I don't know what these vibrations are as I have not ridden a 500 with just 1000km on the odometer. What I can tell you is give the bike another 2000km on the odometer and then take it slowly beyond 70kmph. Do not change the oil. Just check levels and do the next oil change once the bike shows 4000km on the odometer. You did not mention if the oil filter was changed when you got the first oil change done. Not that it will reduce any vibration but still.

If all this running in does not work, there is some serious component mismatch in the engine that is causing the vibration.

You should check if this vibration exists if you rev the engine freely when in neutral. There is no load on the engine when you do this.

Originally Posted by BulZire

Console yourself Siva sir,

I would suggest you to check the chassis and engine mount bolts and clamps once again to make sure nothing gets loosened on the run. It might be a weird suggestion but this check made me to sort out a minor vibration in my bull.

Since you had already done up everything from engine perspective, do also get the oil filter and carb cleaned to make sure no dust stagnates and stops the free flow of fuel or oil.

In other case start the engine and close the exhaust mouth with something. Then revive it hard while on the stand/neutral to check if there is any vibration from the engine mount.

Oil filter and oil changed twise after I bought this bull. All the bolts have been rechecked. Diffidently not the vibration from mounts.

As I told you till 70kmph the bike runs like smooth cake, only when revving up it frustrates me like anything. I really can't express the way I'm disappointed on this deal of this bike.

I regret my decision of taking this bike, lost a lots of money(over 1.1L at this point) and now time also getting wasted. Looking for any kind of solution to solve this issue.

May be I will also be talking to the ex-owner of this bullet from chennai(whos address is printed on this RC book to see if he has observed anything previuosly) to get some additional information about the services/mechanic he visited and changes he has done.

[Randhawa]

Do you feel vibrations in the handle or the whole of the chassis vibrate?

What's the story with the head, is it from 535 if not then and you have the stock 500 head. Is it running OEM valves/ springs?

As much as I have learned from my C5, I can think of very few things to cause such high vibrations.

I know you have got new parts but sometimes even new parts can be faulty or develop problems.


1. 3x crank shaft bearing- check for play at booth ends of the shaft by removing the side covers and move the shaft up/down. Remove the head/block and rotate the crank- this way any problems associated with it will show it's ugly face.

2. Big end bearing not set right.

3. Crank weights either not from 500 or not balanced right when assembling the crank after a new big-end.

4. It may sound dumb but trust me this little thing can cause vibrations on unimaginable scale. It's the engine support bar which supports the engine head to the chassis/tank. Check it out if this is loose or broken.
5. check primary chain (not too tight or loose), clutch assembly.

Usually push rod gets damaged either due to improper/ too tight clearance or valve/spring issue.

If it's the head then you should feel rattling and not much vibrations.

I know exactly how you feel but there is no easy way out unless you can sell it off to a unsuspecting buyer even if you have to bear a small loss.

Or be patient, forget everything for a week and pretend as if you don't own a Bullet then start fresh after a break when your mind is fresh. Getting frustrated is no option for likes of you and me. I am just saying from your experience.

Another option is to find a genius mechanic with decades of experience on bulls. This kind of guy will diagnose the problem very easily.

[trammway]

Originally Posted by Randhawa

Do you feel vibrations in the handle or the whole of the chassis vibrate?

What's the story with the head, is it from 535 if not then and you have the stock 500 head. Is it running OEM valves/ springs?

As much as I have learned from my C5, I can think of very few things to cause such high vibrations.

I know you have got new parts but sometimes even new parts can be faulty or develop problems.


1. 3x crank shaft bearing- check for play at booth ends of the shaft by removing the side covers and move the shaft up/down. Remove the head/block and rotate the crank- this way any problems associated with it will show it's ugly face.

2. Big end bearing not set right.

3. Crank weights either not from 500 or not balanced right when assembling the crank after a new big-end.

4. It may sound dumb but trust me this little thing can cause vibrations on unimaginable scale. It's the engine support bar which supports the engine head to the chassis/tank. Check it out if this is loose or broken.
5. check primary chain (not too tight or loose), clutch assembly.

Usually push rod gets damaged either due to improper/ too tight clearance or valve/spring issue.

If it's the head then you should feel rattling and not much vibrations.

I know exactly how you feel but there is no easy way out unless you can sell it off to a unsuspecting buyer even if you have to bear a small loss.

Or be patient, forget everything for a week and pretend as if you don't own a Bullet then start fresh after a break when your mind is fresh. Getting frustrated is no option for likes of you and me. I am just saying from your experience.

Another option is to find a genius mechanic with decades of experience on bulls. This kind of guy will diagnose the problem very easily.

As per the shop owner who supplied the rest of the parts, the head looked like RE535. However some of the parts manual do claim that the RE535 and RE500 shares the same head.

The valve and springs were replaced by Powertwin, but it was checked during last rebuild in the lathe.

The bearings/parts/weights are some thing which the lathe and parts dealer checked. The seating and play were checked by Mechanic and looked fine.

I agree with you about the bar that connects engine head with chassis/tank, but that is fitted perfectly tight. Primary chain and Clutch are the only things I didn't change

I will have the head serviced once again to make sure I didn't leave the valve and springs issue open. Now what I need is a Genius mechanic who can give FAIR and Unbiased information about this RE500.

[bradhey]

Such mechanics exist only in dreams.....! Every mechanic will read the problem according to his past experience, which will differ from person to person.
In my opinion, you must replace all crucial components, even if it warrants a complete rebuild of the engine.
Most important of all please get the balance of the crank verified at least by two specialists before plonking it back into the engine.

[ZedMae]

Originally Posted by trammway

I will have the head serviced once again to make sure I didn't leave the valve and springs issue open. Now what I need is a Genius mechanic who can give FAIR and Unbiased information about this RE500.

Hi Sir,
Not sure if you already know about this person, but do check out mechanic Shankar in Thiruvanmiyur.

Cheers

[trammway]

Originally Posted by ZedMae

Hi Sir,
Not sure if you already know about this person, but do check out mechanic Shankar in Thiruvanmiyur.

Cheers

You are right, I was also referred by many of my friends to Shankar. But when I visited his garage he refused to even see the bike saying he cannot handle the load as excessive work is pending with him. Hence didn't even see bike.

[IQBAL VEERJI]

Hi, friends, I am at present restoring a 89 bullet, I will be starting painting on it ,it is held up due to Rains in mumbai.
Today I got Tank monogrammes and GOLDEN WATER STICKER SET .
It has stickers for rear m/guard,toolboxes,petrol tank,etc .
Can someone pls give me instructions how to fix these water sickers, STEP BY STEP pls.Regards..........

[tharian]

Originally Posted by trammway

You are right, I was also referred by many of my friends to Shankar. But when I visited his garage he refused to even see the bike saying he cannot handle the load as excessive work is pending with him. Hence didn't even see bike.

Trammway,

I taking a guess that you have the 500 still with you and bumping an inactive thread after 3.5 years.

What was the reason for the vibrations and was it fixed .
How is the bike doing now, if you still have it.

The thread was active before I joined Tbhp and I had given some inputs too through a member .

[trammway]

Originally Posted by tharian

Trammway,
I taking a guess that you have the 500 still with you and bumping an inactive thread after 3.5 years.

What was the reason for the vibrations and was it fixed .
How is the bike doing now, if you still have it.

The vibrations never stopped and I hardly rode the motorcycle. As of now I let the bike to rot as much investment pumped without any result, kind of disappointed and also not ready to sell it off.

Apparently yesterday I was dusting off the bike and found the rubber hoses from/to carburetor has been worn out and also battery was dead. In a hope to fix the bike again, I called another mechanic here locally this time to check all the mounting bushes of the engine are in good condition.

The gears in the bullet also very rough and not shifting easily hence the mechanic told me that he will check all the issues before suggesting me to invest more or not

I have only one suspect left out that is the head that some one said 535s and some said it is 500s. So I only need to change the head to 500s to see if that solves. Since it is also trial and error, I don't want to buy a head for the R&D and looking for some loaner for one trial and if it work i will go ahead purchasing one. Unfortunately, the CI 500s are rare and no head is in avail hence still disappointing.

The purchase is a sure flop and busted my bullet dream, My investment or pleasure never again on a Royal Enfield.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by trammway

The vibrations never stopped and I hardly rode the motorcycle. As of now I let the bike to rot as much investment pumped without any result, kind of disappointed and also not ready to sell it off.


The purchase is a sure flop and busted my bullet dream, My investment or pleasure never again on a Royal Enfield.

It was a bad purchase is what I would say.

The reason I say that is because there are plenty of CI500 owners who are happy with their purchase whether first or second hand.

I would not suggest pumping in more money on it now because prices of parts have increased in last 3-4 years and you can't be sure if the bike would be fine after that.

I have a 96' 500 (it is there in a photo 2 pages back) which I picked up in almost scrap state. I ran it in that state for a year and almost 9k kms till it seized up partially and spent a bomb and re-building the whole bike including new barrel and piston. But, I went the Authorized Center way and got the complete job done at one . The result being that I had peace of mind since all parts were original and re-built by a RE trained mechanic.
Tax and VAT and what not came up to quite a bit for me, but in return the bike was showroom condition.
I still have it with me and in the process of giving it away. It has run 40k kms with only the main bearing and rings replaced after the re-build.

I hope you get a good price even if you plan to sell it off.
Thanks for the update.

[john doe]

Originally Posted by trammway

I have only one suspect left out that is the head that some one said 535s and some said it is 500s. So I only need to change the head to 500s to see if that solves.The purchase is a sure flop and busted my bullet dream, My investment or pleasure never again on a Royal Enfield.

Well, I hope that the guy who sold you the bike stepped up and accepted some blame!

TO answer your doubt about the 535 vs. 500 head, I am very sure that there is no difference. Your bike's problem is elsewhere.

In Pune, the mechanics charge approx Rs.4,000 as labour for opening and assembling the engine. I think that this is what needs to be done. After opening the engine at a good workshop, you will know what the problem is.

But I admire you for not tryin to sell it and pass on your problems to the next guy!

Anyway, I also have a 500 C.I. and the engine is in the process of rebuilding right now.

[r.K]

Originally Posted by trammway

The purchase is a sure flop and busted my bullet dream, My investment or pleasure never again on a Royal Enfield.

Trammway. Don't lose hope machi. Take it to Shankar. He will refuse but pester him. He'll give in. He and his son are very sincere in their work and they know their stuff. If he keeps refusing, tell that Karthik from Kottivakkam, Shailendra from mylapore referred u to him. If anyone can help you with it, it is him 'cause he prefers to ready bullets in stock form. No modifications.

I have a '94 CI 350. I'm looking to sell it and get a CI500. 350 is great for city use, but just doesn't cut it for long distance trips, especially with pillion. Do you have any contacts currently? Greatly appreciate your help. And lovely thread. Bullets teach their owners a LOT of patience.

[jacob.d.mathew]

Hi all. Is it possible to modify a Thunderbird to resemble a Lightning?
These are the plans:

1A) Change Fuel tank to Lightning (if a Lightning tank is available).
1B) Paint Fuel tank to Lightning (if a Lightning tank is not available).

2) Make several changes to the sides so it resembles the sides of Lightning.

3) Change headlamp assemble to resemble the Lightning. Don't know whether that box storage compartment near the headlamp assembly can be added anyway.

4) Change mudguard and back lights to Standard / Electra.

Is it feasible? To create a "Lightning-bird" this way? Or would it be a "disaster" :-)

[trammway]

Yahooooooo! I have the RE 500 bullet vibration issue resolved by a village mechanic.

Though this has been sorted out during last September, I couldn't update the status here. Anyway the long story short that during my last visit to India I have called a local mechanic near my house in a remote village in Kancheepuram district of Tamilnadu to have a look at my bullet. (I was hoping to scrap the bike if it is not resolved.)

He came to my home at around 8pm in the evening to look at the stalled motor cycle that wasn't even moved a inch for last 3 years. He came with a his CI 350 and swapped the battery after cleaning the carburetor.

Hurray the bike started but sounded like a horribly infected ill person. He smiled at me and said after a thorough inspection that he could resolve the problem. At first he said he has seen similar vibration issue from other motor cycles he worked earlier and this is nothing to do with the engine head.

There were couple of issues to be fixed in the bike so he said he will take the bike to his home and after two days he will delivery it back. I had no option but to trust him as any way I was deciding to scrap this monster.

after two days he called up and said he cannot make it on that day and will come next day early morning. I was ok with the extension as he requested.

Next day around 8:30am I got a call from my apartment security that someone wanted to enter into the premises citing my name. I knew that it was my mechanic and asked security to allow them. I kept my expectations very low and thinking that I'm going to hear some excuse from the mechanic. Believe me the mechanic smiled at me and said, your bike got fixed and please take a test drive.


That's it, history is made! the vibration is gone forever!! After a long days of rides to the city for next two days I can conclude that the vibration is nowhere to be seen on my RE500 CI Classic.


The issues contributed to the vibration

1. Worn out fork cone
2. Worn out gears
3. Engine mount
4. Jet setting

Total damage was around 10K but it is worth it. I still need to work on electrical fittings and few aesthetics but time was running out to catch up my next flight to US.

I'm now eagerly waiting for my next trip to India to give the much needed attention to this bullet.