Bullet 350 UCE Blues

wanderluster · 3rd February 2014, 14:52

These are the very reasons why i am considering junking my electra booking in favour of the Duke. I am only planning to take the bike for long trips and these quality issues are something that i just don't want to deal with.

Leepower · 3rd February 2014, 15:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Whilst I understand that you are trying to bring everybody's attention to the poor wiring done on the new enfields, why do you want to name this as Royal Enfield : Unit Construction Engine (UCE) Standard Horror!!!

Instead it would make sense and be more precise if you want to put it as Royal Enfield : Wiring Mess A Standard Horror!!!

It can get very misleading with the present topic line. Can you please change this to reflect it more appropriately?

Dude, I don't care what the title is... But that guy could have been killed out there if I hadn't intervened.
And moreover these modern bikes rely more on battery and electrical components and if the wiring is substandard then what can I say...
P.S. The bike involved in the incident was a RE UCE Bullet 350. So admins can change the title if it is offending RE maniacs' sensibilities. I always though that a human life was more important than a motorcycle. This is a petrol head and a 5-year-old Bullet 350 rider speaking!!!

Mudhalaipatti · 3rd February 2014, 16:13

Why is this case of human life and life threatening gimmicks played out here. The connection was loose and the guy was sensible to stop the vehicle and ask for help. Why dramatize this beyond what is warranted.

Leepower · 3rd February 2014, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

Why is this case of human life and life threatening gimmicks played out here. The connection was loose and the guy was sensible to stop the vehicle and ask for help. Wh dramatize this beyond what is warranted.

Boss, have you driven to Palakkad from Coimbatore after sundown? He was there in the first place cos he thought the bike was reliable enough and he would make it home safe.
And that is no place to be stranded, it is a desolate, dark, dirt track, single lane road with trucks whizzing past from both side and construction materials lying around

Leepower · 3rd February 2014, 17:18

This ain't no gimmick and I am no RE baiter... I own a 78 Bull and I bought an Electra UCE 350 with my hard-earned money for my brother.

ku69rd · 3rd February 2014, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leepower

Dude, I don't care what the title is... But that guy could have been killed out there if I hadn't intervened. This is a petrol head and a 5-year-old Bullet 350 rider speaking!!!

Dude,
You can't get insensitive with such a naive title. First of all congratulations on fixing the headlight and saving a precious life. Also I would expect the rider to be a mature person and have these basic checks done before setting out on a highway ride that involves riding in the night.

Good to know that you have been riding from the past 5 years. May you continue strong.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudhalaipatti

Why is this case of human life and life threatening gimmicks played out here. The connection was loose and the guy was sensible to stop the vehicle and ask for help. Why dramatize this beyond what is warranted.

+1 to that, honestly i felt the same. This could happen to any motorcycle and more importantly i felt that the topic was very misleading. I probably thought that an UCE Engine had died down when it was actually some wiring issue.

tharian · 3rd February 2014, 20:13

This could happen on any make of motorcyle, more so on an Enfield.

But, the rider who does a long trip on a two wheeler, needs to know his bike in and out. He should know what could go wrong on his bike in certain road/weather conditions.

In this case, if the rider had given his bike a thorough check before the trip, he would have found the ignition key set loose or shaky.
The fact that he did not have a tool kit on him makes me think that he is one of those guys who bought a Bullet because it is one and just set out on it without any preparation.

If the light conks off on a highway, either stop and check what is wrong , and if it cannot be fixed due to lack of spares/tools, one can always be extra cautious and ride on at a slow speed.

Good on your part for fixing his issue.

ArizonaJim · 4th February 2014, 00:49

I think it's strange that the rider didn't have a tool kit.

One came with my 500cc Royal Enfield UCE and it is stored in one of the side compartments.

Does not the 350cc models come with a tool kit, or is this a case of the rider not knowing his motorcycle has one?

As for loose connectors, these can happen to any brand of motorcycle, not just Royal Enfield. In fact, I seem to remember reading on the Forum that it has happened on the new KTM Dukes as well.
That's why it is a good idea to check out the wiring connectors on any motorcycle you get, new or used.

Yes, it may take an hour but when it is finished you can be confident that you will not have a problem like the rider in the original post.

a4anurag · 4th February 2014, 04:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

I think it's strange that the rider didn't have a tool kit.

One came with my 500cc Royal Enfield UCE and it is stored in one of the side compartments.

Does not the 350cc models come with a tool kit, or is this a case of the rider not knowing his motorcycle has one?

As for loose connectors, these can happen to any brand of motorcycle, not just Royal Enfield. In fact, I seem to remember reading on the Forum that it has happened on the new KTM Dukes as well.

That's why it is a good idea to check out the wiring connectors on any motorcycle you get, new or used.

Yes, it may take an hour but when it is finished you can be confident that you will not have a problem like the rider in the original post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ku69rd

You can't get insensitive with such a naive title.

+1 to you and ku69rd.

I can see more of the riders fault than the RE as he hasn't known the bike properly and what part is located where.

The title definitely is misleading and saying the UCE 350 engine fault but on reading it says wiring problem. Oops.

Mods, please change the title for proper justice to the thread and the poor UCE 350.

Anurag.

alpha1 · 4th February 2014, 09:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArizonaJim

Does not the 350cc models come with a tool kit, or is this a case of the rider not knowing his motorcycle has one?

Most probable.

Quote:

As for loose connectors, these can happen to any brand of motorcycle, not just Royal Enfield. In fact, I seem to remember reading on the Forum that it has happened on the new KTM Dukes as well.
That's why it is a good idea to check out the wiring connectors on any motorcycle you get, new or used.

Yes, it may take an hour but when it is finished you can be confident that you will not have a problem like the rider in the original post.

Well the point is that such things do not happen much on "commuter" bikes.
People simple twist the key and start riding the bike (in India). Yes you may have fused bulbs, but wiring+plug+socket issues because of vibrations? *shakes head*

If this is a common issue with KTMs then KTMs have indeed shown their European pedigree.

However the poor workmanship of Royal Enfields ... the lesser said the better.
I was under an impression that with the introduction of UCE, RE had tweaked its assembly line and QC.

adrian · 4th February 2014, 10:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpha1

I was under an impression that with the introduction of UCE, RE had tweaked its assembly line and QC.

Looks like the only thing Royal Enfield has done to meet the production demands was to increase the speed of the assembly line. I got my Bullet in 2011 just before the boom that took RE to the skies. My cousin got a Bullet last year and man you should see the difference between the two in terms of quality. Looks like the time a person on the assembly line can spend on one bullet has been cut down to meet the customer demand which would look like the following..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfw0KapQ3qw

As a bottom line I would not spend my hard earned money on a new bullet any more. The good times when a bullet was handcrafted like a gun is now bygone

regards adrian

Leepower · 4th February 2014, 11:47

By the way guys I had asked him if he had serviced the motorcycle before the ride, he said he did that a week back. The tangled mess of wiring was a site to behold when I opened up the headlight casing.
As I said earlier you should blame the rider also for going on this journey by blindly trusting the RE moto 'Trip' without even a tool kit.

a4anurag · 4th February 2014, 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leepower

As I said earlier you should blame the rider also for going on this journey by blindly trusting the RE moto 'Trip' without even a tool kit.

Generally one should service the bike before setting if for a long ride which will keep things at bay.

I agree that the rider is also equally at fault as much as RE is with their QC and bold quality but one thing I feel is that he would jumped into the RE from a conjurer bike that would have been reliable so he would have presumed the sane with the RE that is not the case.

I am not supporting the rider but just a thought that ask owners not on like we chaps here who are regular on Team-BHP XBHP.

I am also in pipeline to buy a RE TB 500 and I currently own a Karizma R. Not understanding about the purchase. In a confusion of buying since the money involved is high but the quality I would get is low. I will say RE is 'Skoda' of two-wheelers.

PS: NO OFFENCE to Skoda owners and RE owners. Just my feeling from heart. I want to own a RE before I die.

Anurag.

3rd February 2014, 14:52	#31
wanderluster BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 105 Thanked: 20 Times	Re: Royal Enfield : Unit Construction Engine (UCE) Standard Horror!!! These are the very reasons why i am considering junking my electra booking in favour of the Duke. I am only planning to take the bike for long trips and these quality issues are something that i just don't want to deal with.
	() Thanks

3rd February 2014, 16:13	#33
Mudhalaipatti BHPian Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Chennai Posts: 332 Thanked: 1,375 Times	Re: Royal Enfield : Unit Construction Engine (UCE) Standard Horror!!! Why is this case of human life and life threatening gimmicks played out here. The connection was loose and the guy was sensible to stop the vehicle and ask for help. Why dramatize this beyond what is warranted.
	() Thanks

3rd February 2014, 17:18	#35
Leepower BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Maharashtra Posts: 366 Thanked: 78 Times	This ain't no gimmick and I am no RE baiter... I own a 78 Bull and I bought an Electra UCE 350 with my hard-earned money for my brother.
	() Thanks

3rd February 2014, 20:13	#37
tharian Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: SBC Posts: 3,986 Thanked: 8,040 Times View My Garage	Re: Bullet 350 UCE Blues This could happen on any make of motorcyle, more so on an Enfield. But, the rider who does a long trip on a two wheeler, needs to know his bike in and out. He should know what could go wrong on his bike in certain road/weather conditions. In this case, if the rider had given his bike a thorough check before the trip, he would have found the ignition key set loose or shaky. The fact that he did not have a tool kit on him makes me think that he is one of those guys who bought a Bullet because it is one and just set out on it without any preparation. If the light conks off on a highway, either stop and check what is wrong , and if it cannot be fixed due to lack of spares/tools, one can always be extra cautious and ride on at a slow speed. Good on your part for fixing his issue.
	() Thanks

4th February 2014, 00:49	#38
ArizonaJim Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Phoenix, Ariz. Posts: 1,200 Thanked: 2,837 Times	Re: Bullet 350 UCE Blues I think it's strange that the rider didn't have a tool kit. One came with my 500cc Royal Enfield UCE and it is stored in one of the side compartments. Does not the 350cc models come with a tool kit, or is this a case of the rider not knowing his motorcycle has one? As for loose connectors, these can happen to any brand of motorcycle, not just Royal Enfield. In fact, I seem to remember reading on the Forum that it has happened on the new KTM Dukes as well. That's why it is a good idea to check out the wiring connectors on any motorcycle you get, new or used. Yes, it may take an hour but when it is finished you can be confident that you will not have a problem like the rider in the original post.
	() Thanks

4th February 2014, 11:47	#42
Leepower BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Maharashtra Posts: 366 Thanked: 78 Times	By the way guys I had asked him if he had serviced the motorcycle before the ride, he said he did that a week back. The tangled mess of wiring was a site to behold when I opened up the headlight casing. As I said earlier you should blame the rider also for going on this journey by blindly trusting the RE moto 'Trip' without even a tool kit.
	() Thanks