My Royal Enfield needs engine work; should I repair or sell

The bike is exclusively used for trips with minimal city riding. Due to this and Covid, usage over almost last 2 years has been very low.

BHPian warrioraks recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The backdrop:

I have an RE Electra. The bike has served me well over the last 7 years - 50k kms and has been a fantastic companion on road trips. Few of the these are captured in this thread.

[Note to self - Need to update the thread with a few other memorable trips]

The bike is exclusively used for trips with minimal city riding. Due to this and Covid, usage over almost last 2 years has been very low. Recently, I took the bike for service in anticipation of a trip. The FNG told me something's wrong with crank shaft assembly and gave me a quote of Rs 20k to fix it. Although the guy is super-reliable, I still took the bike to RE service center for second opinion. Got the same diagnosis and unsurprisingly got a much higher repair quote from them.

The dilemma:

Considering this is a 7 year old bike, I see two options in front of me:

• Option A: Give the bike to my FNG for an overhaul (including the engine). Thinking of getting a new seat, better headlamps, maybe a paint job. Tyres were already upgraded few months back to the maximum possible size within stock setup and I am super happy with the performance.
• Option B: Sell this bike and buy something newer. Rode my friend's Meteor recently and although the refinement stumped me, I did not get the same feel as I get from my bike. Might be because of the emotional connect or I maybe because I am still stuck in the 90s. If I had to pick something today, most probably would buy something like a Himalayan, KTM ADV 390, GS 310. I have been very happy with my current bike and don't track new launches a lot. So practically I am not even sure of what I should be upgrading to. But I think it's a good problem to have considering the options available in the market today.

The monkey mind analysis:

• Option B is going to cost me atleast 6-10X of option A.
• Option B provides me with a modern bike and would require lesser trips to the garage.
• Option A allows me to hold on to my dear bike for longer. It can also give me a flavor of owning something custom with minimal downside. Both my FNG and RE mechanic confirmed that the bike is in good shape except for the engine crank shaft assembly [I never change things from stock setup in my cars and bikes except a few functional accessories here or there]
• Option A saves significant money.

The catch:

There is an imminent relocation (within India) lurking for me once we are past the pandemic and my bike trips might actually reduce as I move to a new city. My riding let's say 2022 onwards will depend on whether I am able to find folks who are equally interested in bike trips and at the same time ride bikes that shoot as slow as my Bullet Electra.

The decision:

Need to finalize on what to do in this situation. At this point, I am inclined towards Option A. Primarily because of less cost and ambiguity around the future trips.
What do you guys think? Is there another option out there that is not considered? Thanks in advance.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Would go for repairs, since you clearly love your bike. More reasoning in a thread I wrote for cars, but the points are applicable here as well.

Here's what BHPian tharian had to say on the matter:

Go with option A and keep the bike since you enjoy riding it and later down the line, pick up a faster bike and keep the Electra for city use.

From the looks of it, I think the main bearing or the big end bearing is what they are referring to as crankshaft repairs. It is not a big deal from what I know of the same work carried out on few AVL's and CI 500's. The engine should be good for a long while after that is fixed.

Here's what BHPian abhishek46 had to say on the matter:

Option A, Eyes Closed. Just look at the prices of new RE bikes currently!

Get the engine overhauled, and enjoy the ride.

I would personally prefer the service center for engine overhauling (original parts, warranty on the work etc.).

Here's what BHPian SidharthaN had to say on the matter:

Repair and keep the Electra. The push-rod, long stroke is a gem and legacy. They just keep running. I have a UCE TB 2015 running strong at 1,17,000Kms with the engine untouched. I would say as long as you don't think something is wrong, something might actually not be wrong. I never ask the mech if something is wrong, unless I feel personally there is an issue. Hence my TB still marches on and does 90kmph with ease. Give a thought to what makes you think the engine needs work.

And any day the old school RE's can tour the world, yes a bit slow, but definitely with confidence. So to think you actually do not need a new bike for touring, if you are okay to chug along at 80kmph, it will keep munching the miles. I am keeping the TB till it falls apart in the next 9 years...which I know it wont since the old RE's just keeping running.

Here's what BHPian ashwinprakas had to say on the matter:

Even before taking the plunge myself I always used to admit that a Pushrod engine is legendary in its own right, when even traditional brands like Harley Davidson is shifting to OHC and EV only RE is offering the privilege of owning a OHV in 2021! And that too for peanuts in comparison.

After you've clocked a couple of lakhs the CC fanaticism goes for a toss and you start to appreciate the finer things in life and that is when one really appreciates a pushrod.

So trust you me, DO NOT SELL THE PUSHROD! Especially not for a OHC that is like trading in a Citizen Eagle 7 for a Modern Retro Casio, only the less informed participate in such blasphemy!

P.S. Are you really sure your motorcycle needs a rebuild? I would not trust any mechanic, best to consult with a fellow BHPian who knows his motorcycles and isn't hesitant of getting his hands dirty.

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