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2003 Royal Enfield 500 Deluxe
- Thread starter Raymond
- Start date
Unbelievable - ordered yesterday, here at 8:30 this morning:
Comparison of the two pistons:
Have tried to show the two ginormous cooling slots on the cast OE piston behind the lowest ring and angled down towards the gudgeon pin. The British-made forged piston makes do with the more usual arrangement of a few holes.
Tops have been known to detach from the OE pistons. And if as is likely that happens when the engine is revving, the conrod gets in a panic and destroys the crankcases. So I feel the forged British-made piston gives some peace of mind at least in that regard . . .
Comparison of the two pistons:
Have tried to show the two ginormous cooling slots on the cast OE piston behind the lowest ring and angled down towards the gudgeon pin. The British-made forged piston makes do with the more usual arrangement of a few holes.
Tops have been known to detach from the OE pistons. And if as is likely that happens when the engine is revving, the conrod gets in a panic and destroys the crankcases. So I feel the forged British-made piston gives some peace of mind at least in that regard . . .
At our local RE shop I've seen several older 500's with the top of the piston broke loose. The mechanic said they undercut too much material under the rings... and as you stated over rev's will cause the damages. If ridden at 40-45 they're find but anything at 50 for a period of time they'll self-destruct. My 2010 Bullet can handle 55 all day long.... Shame they discontinued the model. 
Yes, @motormike you brought this issue to my attention a while back https://www.xs650.com/threads/2003-royal-enfield-500-deluxe.60842/post-718089At our local RE shop I've seen several older 500's with the top of the piston broke loose. The mechanic said they undercut too much material under the rings... and as you stated over rev's will cause the damages. If ridden at 40-45 they're find but anything at 50 for a period of time they'll self-destruct. My 2010 Bullet can handle 55 all day long.... Shame they discontinued the model.
Your dealer was perhaps being a bit over-safe stating a top speed of 45 mph? VNE to the aircraft people.
The mantra I've heard is the 500 Bullet will do:
60 - all day
70 - when needed
80 - once.
But definitely the reason I decided to take a look and if the OE piston was still in there, swap it out.
No progress to report on the Bullet - top end still dismantled, been too cold for me to summon enthusiasm and spend time in the garage.
But the news is, the bikes in that garage might be joined by another stablemate. Another Royal Enfield no less. Not saying too much just now, have given meself a night to sleep on it.
But the news is, the bikes in that garage might be joined by another stablemate. Another Royal Enfield no less. Not saying too much just now, have given meself a night to sleep on it.
How is RE for parts availability and price?
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The Royal Enfields which are currently manufactured in India have good parts availability and the pricing is reasonable in the UK.
Still not gone to bed. Need to sleep on the idea. All of my best decisions have been on an impulse. Then again, so have all the worst ones.
But, am leaning in a bit . . .
New or used?
Looks like a 650 twin. Only have heard good things about them.
This guy is doing a series. I picked it up at the beginning. He bought three motorcycles with the same budget for each. They are a Triumph Bonneville, a Moto Guzzi V7, and RE Interceptor. The Interceptor being the newest of them took the entire budget to buy it. He had no budget for improvements. The V7 was a theft recovery. I think I stated enough to qualify his decision in part.
The 650s get very good reviews. If I was still riding, that's what I'd get. And if my body couldn't handle it - the GT. You could have so much fun with either GT or Interceptor: Polishing all that ally to a mirror shine, custom exhausts, seat, side panels, bars, mudguards, black,paint, hot up parts. Who wants a stock bike? Not me.
Exactly!
Oh yeah Raymond! I thought long and hard about a nice chrome tank RE! Good stuff!
I test rode the 650 Interceptor last summer. It was a nice ride, and I want to try out the GT.
Gentlemen, Thank You for all your comments, very helpful.
@Jim, the bike is used. Two previous owners, first was a gent of 74 who bought the bike after forty years without riding and he found it too much for him so hardly used it. It's a 2019 bike with less than 2,000 miles. Current owner is a private seller and says he has six other bikes so needs to sell something - has just bought a Honda NX750 and reluctantly selling the RE. Pricewise, saves a lot on the new price. Found a dealership selling a very similar used bike, also under 2,000 miles, but £1300 more expensive. Plus the bike has a number of aftermarket extras, mostly ones you would want such as silencers, alloy mudguards and a comfy 'touring' seat, not shown in the photos. The original parts are all included in what looks like a good deal.
@jetmechmarty, glad you posted that video. The guy appears genuine in trying to give a helpful picture to prospective buyers and I'd say the points he makes are balanced. So I watched right through. Obviously his major points on the downside are finish and reliability. The other points about price, remaining budget and dealerships are to an extent particular to him and the self-imposed constraints of his video series. It certainly seems true that the RE dealer network in N America has been problematic for years.
Reviews in Britain have noted that the finish on RE 650s lags a bit behind Kawasaki W800 and Triumph, which therefore means you need to keep on top of cleaning. The REs are built down to price. However, not been many reliability issues have been reported - speedo cables replaced under warranty and loose head bearings on a few bikes were the main ones noted. In general, people say the new REs are reliable.
Having mentioned the better finish on Kawasakis, my W800 which I have used & abused for ten years, is starting to show its age. If I buy the RE, it will be my main summer ride and the W800 will be in effect a bad weather/Winter bike. I really should put the W800 up on the lift and give it a good seeing-to. Grease s/arm, lube hinges, try and deal with rust on the frame and so on. But that's another story.
And if I buy the RE I will need to get rid of at least one other bike. Four bikes in the garage is too many in my view, three is OK but my long term aim is two.
Think about that and the implications for Miss November don't need to be spelled out.
Even after a night, still have thinking to do. I would like to buy the Interceptor and maybe that's because I'm more a rider than a mechanic? Plus at our age, got to think, how many more summers of riding have I got left? And on the money side, Mrs points out that you can't take it with you.
So, still thinking.
Have said I will call the seller today. Meantime, more photos for you chaps:
@Adamc, if I buy it, might start a thread.
@Jim, the bike is used. Two previous owners, first was a gent of 74 who bought the bike after forty years without riding and he found it too much for him so hardly used it. It's a 2019 bike with less than 2,000 miles. Current owner is a private seller and says he has six other bikes so needs to sell something - has just bought a Honda NX750 and reluctantly selling the RE. Pricewise, saves a lot on the new price. Found a dealership selling a very similar used bike, also under 2,000 miles, but £1300 more expensive. Plus the bike has a number of aftermarket extras, mostly ones you would want such as silencers, alloy mudguards and a comfy 'touring' seat, not shown in the photos. The original parts are all included in what looks like a good deal.
@jetmechmarty, glad you posted that video. The guy appears genuine in trying to give a helpful picture to prospective buyers and I'd say the points he makes are balanced. So I watched right through. Obviously his major points on the downside are finish and reliability. The other points about price, remaining budget and dealerships are to an extent particular to him and the self-imposed constraints of his video series. It certainly seems true that the RE dealer network in N America has been problematic for years.
Reviews in Britain have noted that the finish on RE 650s lags a bit behind Kawasaki W800 and Triumph, which therefore means you need to keep on top of cleaning. The REs are built down to price. However, not been many reliability issues have been reported - speedo cables replaced under warranty and loose head bearings on a few bikes were the main ones noted. In general, people say the new REs are reliable.
Having mentioned the better finish on Kawasakis, my W800 which I have used & abused for ten years, is starting to show its age. If I buy the RE, it will be my main summer ride and the W800 will be in effect a bad weather/Winter bike. I really should put the W800 up on the lift and give it a good seeing-to. Grease s/arm, lube hinges, try and deal with rust on the frame and so on. But that's another story.
And if I buy the RE I will need to get rid of at least one other bike. Four bikes in the garage is too many in my view, three is OK but my long term aim is two.
Think about that and the implications for Miss November don't need to be spelled out.
Even after a night, still have thinking to do. I would like to buy the Interceptor and maybe that's because I'm more a rider than a mechanic? Plus at our age, got to think, how many more summers of riding have I got left? And on the money side, Mrs points out that you can't take it with you.
So, still thinking.
Have said I will call the seller today. Meantime, more photos for you chaps:
@Adamc, if I buy it, might start a thread.