Royal Enfields

[canthai55]

9 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

 I've always appreciated through history the bike builders, engine builders and tuners who took on the big boys, built something that was not meant to go THAT fast, nor win.

Because they could.

And at the pinnacle of this breed - a guy who built his own engine, and the bike it went into - John Britten

[thaiguzzi]

8 hours ago, canthai55 said:

And at the pinnacle of this breed - a guy who built his own engine, and the bike it went into - John Britten

Yeah, indeed, him too. I forgot Britten, how could i?

And there's more too if i could rack my brains, but going off topic.

[thaiguzzi]

On 08/07/2017 at 9:37 AM, Goanna said:

Found the thing. 10 or so photos on their facebook page. 290 000 baht.

 

I just don't get it.

Cannot comprehend it.

They are charging 50k more to ruin a fairly decent motorcycle by putting hipster fat tyres on WITH THAT TREAD PATTERN that basically everyone inc Harley stopped using in the 50's, apart from people who run sidecars, in which case - great.

My rigid Triumph outfit back in the UK ran those tyres but 18", nothing better. But on a two wheeler, especially on the front wheel, - rather you or the next person than me....

[Goanna]

Not for me either. If I wanted a modded bike, I would buy standard and mod it myself.

But I don't. Happy just to plod about. I'll put a different silencer on mine, and a k&n filter . Breathing is always a problem with rego compliance. But I need to research the controller/ chip or whatever to keep the tune ok. The Indians are all over it. 

 

Edit...actually, I have similar tyres, but they are on my car. Haha.

 

I don't get the thai scooter mod thing. Sure, limited finances, small stature etc. Our daughter has the thin seat on her honda wave. And the skinny tyres. The ride is rough. Why? Pffft. Got me tricked.

Edited July 9, 2017 by Goanna

[thaiguzzi]

10 hours ago, canthai55 said:

And at the pinnacle of this breed - a guy who built his own engine, and the bike it went into - John Britten

No frame.

Look at the front end.

Check those pipes out - that's a v-twin, so two ex ports per cylinder.

Look at his age when he built it.

Guy was from another planet... RIP...

[canthai55]

Him too. Not my style of bike, but can not doubt his vision ...

 

 

[CMKiwi]

On 09/07/2017 at 0:26 PM, thaiguzzi said:

No frame.

Look at the front end.

Check those pipes out - that's a v-twin, so two ex ports per cylinder.

Look at his age when he built it.

Guy was from another planet... RIP...

 

John Britten was certainly before his time....his bike was way out there and blew most other competitors away too.  So sad he died when he still had a lot more to give.  

 

From what I read his bike had so much power but great handling to match.  Its a weird looking machine but I like it.

[thaiguzzi]

On 09/07/2017 at 8:00 PM, canthai55 said:

Him too. Not my style of bike, but can not doubt his vision ...

 

 

Eric.

Could you not have posted a better pic?

Those early tubular framed S1 Lightnings et al are one of my favourite bikes. Used to eat early M900 Monsters for breakfast.

Still might buy a Buell 'fore i die.

Seen some S1's on HD Playground legal with a book with all the right bits on for 320-340k...

 Don't particularly like the late FI alloy perimeter framed ones.

[thaiguzzi]

On 09/07/2017 at 10:55 AM, Goanna said:

Not for me either. If I wanted a modded bike, I would buy standard and mod it myself.

But I don't. Happy just to plod about. I'll put a different silencer on mine, and a k&n filter . Breathing is always a problem with rego compliance. But I need to research the controller/ chip or whatever to keep the tune ok. The Indians are all over it. 

 

Edit...actually, I have similar tyres, but they are on my car. Haha.

 

I don't get the thai scooter mod thing. Sure, limited finances, small stature etc. Our daughter has the thin seat on her honda wave. And the skinny tyres. The ride is rough. Why? Pffft. Got me tricked.

Check out Hitchcock's in the UK.

Apparently the stock header pipe is restrictive too, hence the whole exhaust needs changing.

Power Commander V is £200 odd quid.

£715 plus exhaust pipe will get you 37% more power and torque, still completely streetable.

That's the PC V, K&N air filter, new UK made valves, guides, springs and keepers, cams and pushrods.

Not too shabby for the money.

[Neilly]

On ‎11‎/‎07‎/‎2017 at 1:07 PM, thaiguzzi said:

Apparently the stock header pipe is restrictive too, hence the whole exhaust needs changing

This ought to fix that...

 

 

 

http://www.returnofthecaferacers.com/2016/11/Royalenfield-turbo-GT.html

[thaiguzzi]

9 minutes ago, Neilly said:

This ought to fix that...

 

 

 

http://www.returnofthecaferacers.com/2016/11/Royalenfield-turbo-GT.html

THAT IS PROPER ! (had to use capital letters)...

[GARYZX6R]

Shame no sign of the Euro 4 spec / abs model yet . Maybe next year ?

[thaiguzzi]

Just more stuff to go wrong.

More smog stuff to slow it down (it aint fast as it is).

Who needs ABS with a top speed of 110 kmph and cruising at 90.

[GARYZX6R]

Just seen the large Yamaha dealer in the center of Udon Thani has 4 Royal Enfields in stock. Its getting me tempted again as didnt want to travel miles to buy one and have it  serviced.

Its good to have a choice now.

[thaiguzzi]

On 8/11/2017 at 10:02 PM, GARYZX6R said:

Just seen the large Yamaha dealer in the center of Udon Thani has 4 Royal Enfields in stock. Its getting me tempted again as didnt want to travel miles to buy one and have it  serviced.

Its good to have a choice now.

Gary, where is the Udon Yamaha dealers please?

[AllanB]

Just been given an Enfield to restore, have to collect it from the UK and take it to my place in Portugal next year, where I have a workshop. My friend is too busy to sort it and it has been gathering dust for about 10 years. He did make a start and should be able to tell me what parts I need to do it, take them back too.

 

Ordered a bunch of parts from the US for my Honda Shadow NV400 to take to Thailand and get that sorted this winter, building a small workshop there too, but with Air-con.

[GARYZX6R]

Stacks of parts available Alan for the Enfields in the UK and India ,sounds like fun.

[AllanB]

On 17/08/2017 at 1:48 PM, GARYZX6R said:

Stacks of parts available Alan for the Enfields in the UK and India ,sounds like fun.

The Enfield looks right up my street for restoration, really easy to work on and that wonderfully simple Amal  carb, plus cheap to insure too, with my NCB all used up on the Vespa.  Since I hate cleaning chrome and polished ally, the finish will be army "drab sand", hand painted. I Had a Landrover I sprayed in about an hour with that, looked really good. When it got scratched a quick dab of paint.

 

It has RHS gear-change but I am told there is a conversion kit, anyway I want to order all the bits from the UK and pick them up with the bike.

 

One thing I would like to source is the super-stretchy seat fabric, sat on one in Laos, it was fantastic.

[AllanB]

Been reading up on the list of faults with the Enfield and the only one that bothers me is this vibration problem at 80kph.  I think it is down to crank balance (imbalance), there are companies in the UK that can do this and I assume it is not huge bucks.

 

Looking at some of the practices in India it is little wonder they have problems and the 500 was one the Rockers used to do the ton, so it was inherently a capable bike.

 

Be interested to hear if there is another reason.

Edited August 19, 2017 by AllanB

[CMKiwi]

On 8/18/2017 at 10:21 PM, AllanB said:

The Enfield looks right up my street for restoration, really easy to work on and that wonderfully simple Amal  carb, plus cheap to insure too, with my NCB all used up on the Vespa.  Since I hate cleaning chrome and polished ally, the finish will be army "drab sand", hand painted. I Had a Landrover I sprayed in about an hour with that, looked really good. When it got scratched a quick dab of paint.

 

It has RHS gear-change but I am told there is a conversion kit, anyway I want to order all the bits from the UK and pick them up with the bike.

 

One thing I would like to source is the super-stretchy seat fabric, sat on one in Laos, it was fantastic.

 

Allan, those super stretchy seat covers that I think you are referring to are easy to obtain here in Thailand.  I pay 160 baht for the xxl size and they are great for the hot months.  One thing I must say is that generally they need a few extra stitches where the velcro is sewn onto the seat material.  Otherwise they can 'pull' away at that join.

 

Supaih Panich in Chiang Mai has lots of stock in red, blue or black and sizes  S ,M, L, XL, and XXL.  The XXL size is for seats like the PCX or Forza. L or XL are fine on a bike like a CRF.

[thaiguzzi]

7 hours ago, AllanB said:

Been reading up on the list of faults with the Enfield and the only one that bothers me is this vibration problem at 80kph.  I think it is down to crank balance (imbalance), there are companies in the UK that can do this and I assume it is not huge bucks.

 

Looking at some of the practices in India it is little wonder they have problems and the 500 was one the Rockers used to do the ton, so it was inherently a capable bike.

 

Be interested to hear if there is another reason.

Static balance = not huge bucks.

Dynamic balance = huge bucks.

Either way, it's a full motor strip down and rebuild. Which will be huge bucks if you don't do the labour yourself.

I'd ride it as is, don't believe everything you read in road tests. Or you cruise at 76 kph or 84 kph. Problem solved.

As stated previously check Hitchcock's website out.

[AllanB]

1 hour ago, thaiguzzi said:

Static balance = not huge bucks.

Dynamic balance = huge bucks.

Either way, it's a full motor strip down and rebuild. Which will be huge bucks if you don't do the labour yourself.

I'd ride it as is, don't believe everything you read in road tests. Or you cruise at 76 kph or 84 kph. Problem solved.

As stated previously check Hitchcock's website out.

It was a simple static balance I had in mind, since this is a low revving engine and yes I would do the strip myself, very easy by all accounts. Here in Europe I need to be able to cruise at 100/110 kpa to keep the trucks at bay, I learned that riding the Vespa down through the UK and Spain. The 125 topped out at 90 kpa two up with luggage..on the flat.

 

I think this bike has been in the UK for most of it's life, if not all, after leaving the factory, since 1991 is when they began importing them in earnest. This will be good news since Indian mechanics appear to use some pretty shady practices, including doing the rebuild on a dirty floor, using crap tools, with no sign of a torque wrench. They even come on Youtube and show you how to do this, really makes you cringe.

 

The rebuild is a planned part of the exercise, done a lot of car engines in my youth and have a good set of tools here now. If I can take the "Indian" part out of the equation the bike will be good.

 

With regards to the seat cover, I meant the material, I am sure it is available and can upholster myself, even have an industrial sewing machine in the UK too.

 

We used to say the best 4x4 by far is the Landover...one you built yourself.

Edited August 20, 2017 by AllanB

[AllanB]

A couple of very interesting videos I found 

 

And...

 

[naboo]

On 6/6/2017 at 6:17 PM, BBJ said:

 

 

4. The adventure tourer

The adventure tourer scoffs at daily city commutes in stop-and-go traffic. For them, that is not real riding. On the other hand, real riding in real “outdoor-sy” environments requires versatile skills behind the handlebars to match the versatile nature of their chosen ride. Unless you're a fellow adventure tourer, it's highly unlikely you'll ever see this rider anywhere – your life is simply too urban, too lifestyle for the two to meet. Such an adventurous persona needs a bike that can go almost anywhere - when ridden by a skilled rider such as yourself, of course. If you fall into this category, you should take a look at bikes that have been made specifically for adventure riding and touring, offering both off-road capabilities and long-distance comfort.

Bringing together 60 years of riding experiences in the Himalayas, with a completely ground-up design and powered by a new LS 410 engine, the Royal Enfield Himalayan paves the way for a purer, non-extreme and more accessible form of adventure touring. Designed with proper off-road capabilities at heart, it is adept at riding though potholed urban jungles as it is over treacherous mountain trails. This very special motorcycle will be available in Thailand later this year.

Farangmoto

Is this available yet? If so, what price? And where can I get to see one?

 

This is, on first look, the bike I want. its on the Royal Enfield Thai website, but I can't find the answers to the questions above yet.

[AllanB]

I have a "cunning plan" for spring next year.

 

I already mentioned that a mate of mine is giving me his 1991 500 bullet, currently in bits, so will buy a trailer and pick that up in the UK. Then, at the same time find another there, at around £1500, a good runner and bring both back to Portugal.

 

I will check out the runner getting everything working and then start on the bitsa. I can temporarily rob parts to get it running too, ordering anything I need, all delivered in one shot and make some parts too.

 

There are a few rusty parts on the bitsa, so shock-blast the lot and powder coat, either silver or black. Things like wheels and whatnot, don't appear to be cheap..besides I hate cleaning chrome, so PC is rather PC for me.

 

Now there is a reason for having two Enfields.

 

This mate who is giving me his had a retirement plan to turbo charge it and then ride it across the States, but has now decided to continue working until 70, or longer. So I thought I might entice him to take a few days off and fly out and ride some European roads instead, get him out of his laboratory and blow off the cobwebs.

 

Secondly I have another biker friend who is married to a Thai lady and we ride together in Thailand when he is there. He has also decided to work on past 65, so he could fly over and ride here too.

 

Now the onus will be on me to get everything tickety-boo, but I have the time, tools and a big cool workshop.....and bugga all else to do apart from writing my memoirs. Keep me from getting under the wife's feet.

[thaiguzzi]

On ‎8‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 4:46 PM, AllanB said:

A couple of very interesting videos I found 

 

And...

 

Those are the new unit construction EFI Enfields. Completely different motor, let alone bike to the pre 2009 Enfields, which is what you have, hence they will both not have the same problems, and vice versa, each type of bike will have different problems and different benefits.

Apparently the 350 is a better and smoother motor for road use than the bigger 500.

Me personally, I actually prefer the earlier bikes.

[AllanB]

3 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Those are the new unit construction EFI Enfields. Completely different motor, let alone bike to the pre 2009 Enfields, which is what you have, hence they will both not have the same problems, and vice versa, each type of bike will have different problems and different benefits.

Apparently the 350 is a better and smoother motor for road use than the bigger 500.

Me personally, I actually prefer the earlier bikes.

Yeh, I heard that too, still thinking about a 350, but we ride two up and like mountain roads , thought it may struggle with only 20 horses. Although I realise torque is the key factor, but the 350 is much lower there too.

 

I am not really interested in the newer bikes either, or the polishing involved, just want to get out and ride, a little bit of shabby never hurt anyone...it matches my clothes.

[Bung]

I'm trying to get my head around that guys claim that running in an engine a certain way can somehow make it vibrate less.  The vibes come from its long stroke design and lack of balancer shaft(s). 

[AllanB]

Yes, this is the bike for me.. I already have my own a hammer.

 

 

 

Try doing this on a Beama.GS.

 

In reply to Bung's point, vibration and the attenuation there of, comes from a number issues. Yes the long stroke single is one and perhaps the crank balance too, but the the bore surface too, this is further exasperated by all the steel on the bike. Handlebars are the number one culprit, which can be dampened.. and as Guzzie mentioned, it can vary from bike to bike. 

 

Not sure these guys noticed it much....now that's an adventure bike.

Edited September 3, 2017 by AllanB

[CMKiwi]

Gd video and some amazing scenery. They spent a lot of time with their feet off the pegs...not sure I'd be doing that too often.

 

One loses a bit of control that way. Sure if you're crawling along and about to fall otherwise I'd prefer to do the trials type riding.

 

Amazing adventure and I take my hat off to them