2003 Royal Enfield 500 Deluxe

Sittin waitin for all the stuff I injudiciously bought on Monday from ebay.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372820779652?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322835261046?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370956698653?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Think I said in post #7 was going to look for more antique looking switchgear? Those switches are metal and might be more appropriate than the Suzuki-made plastic items on the bike? But the r/h switch does not appear to have provision for a throttle, so bought the second item above. Seller says it's a replica of the ones fitted to most British iron back in the day - BSA, Triumph and Royal Enfield.

And the l/h switch has no decompressor, so bought the third item. Don't know how it will fit along with the switch but hey sometimes you just gotta try sumfink out?

Found out yesterday that RE Bullet uses AC to power the headlamp, side lights and tail lamp. And uses rectified DC for the ignition and charging. Hoping that as I explore the wiring it might become clear whether my Bullet still uses AC for the lights. There's a wee black box under the seat, one Red and one Red/Yellow wire, which might be an AC regulator? But the PO who fitted the Boyer Power Box might have converted the bike to DC for everything?

Getting to know you . . .
 
A lot of guys suggest that you use the compression release to kill the engine instead of the ignition switch. Reason being it keeps the engine from trying to turn backwards when it hits compression when the ignition is off. The engine turning backwards will destroy the sprag gear for the electric start.
Also it is suggested after stopping the engine to put the piston on TDC. Somehow that helps keep it from wet sumping.
 
I really like the look of all those new components! They have a quality look to them. I didn’t realize your bike had a compression release on it.
Thank you, Bob. You need the decompressor to kick start the bike. It's a little ritual, says he who has only started the bike half-a-dozen times the day it arrived.

You switch the ignition on and note that the ammeter swings left. Fold out the kickstart and push, the engine comes up to compression and stops - you could probably stand on the lever. Use the decompressor and move it just a little way past TDC - the ammeter needle centres and that's taken as the telltale. Bring the kickstart back to top and give it a gentle full stroke and the bike chuffs into life. Most satisfying.

Word is the e-start is unreliable and the sprag clutch self-destructs. As Greg says, the preferred way to stop the engine is de-compress.

I haven't used the e-start and will probably continue to avoid. No problem as I normally kick start Miss November, except a couple of times when I've stalled in traffic, and the Bullet is easier to start than an XS650.

Still thinking about how far to go in simplifying the electrical side. Definitely remove silly things like the clutch interconnect. I could just avoid pressing the e-start button. Or could remove all associated wiring. Or could also remove the starter motor, the troublesome starter clutch, and fit a blanking plug at the front of the chain-case. Or could even buy a new inner chain-case and do away with the lump ahead of the engine - that's bit drastic but the case is available for about £45 plus a gasket and a few screws.

Dilemma.

Thank you for your kind words, RC4man, it has been said the Bullet is a time-machine, a portal back to the 1940/50s. Another gratuitous dealership picture of the bike:

royal-enfield-bullet-500-e.jpg
 
Fine-looking chrome decompressor lever and cheap alloy switch gear have arrived:

PICT2762.JPG

To my surprise, the r/h switch does have provision for throttle cable - this was neither mentioned in the seller's description nor visible in the ebay photos.

But don't hold your breath to see them fitted. I need to plot out the present wiring and fink about what I'll change or remove before I'll get around to fitting.
 
Slow progress, gradually pulling the wiring apart one wire at a time.

Last night had one of them 3 am moments. Thought for a moment I could understand how the bike has an AC headlamp and DC everything else - ignition, charging, sidelights, horn, brake lights. Even came up with the idea of putting wires from the switches through the handlebars. But it's a lot of work for minor gain and a pain if you need to disturb anything, such fitting new brake or clutch lever. Finally got back to sleep.
 
Actually Lights are one of those things that doesn't care if voltage is AC or DC, they'll work regardless
Yeah, I get that. But I couldn't see how it would work until I thunk they gotta be completely separate circuits so the side lights and instrument lights run off the battery & rectifier but the headlamp runs straight off the alternator. Until now I just thought lights is lights and the wiring system is just one system. A bit like we have just one nervous system. But the Enfield is schizophrenic in that analogy. Well, not exactly but . . . never mind, it works.
 
Would like to tap into the vast fund of knowledge of XS650.com, although this ain't an XS650 question.

I think the Enfield might have been dropped at some time. On the right. The brake lever is slightly scraped and the bracket - perch? - is slightly loose, like the jaws have opened up a tad. Not a big issue, could try some gentle force to squeeze the jaws back. But been looking at levers available and there's two main classes. There's modern - using the word loosely - dog-leg levers with provision for a brake-light switch:

s-l1600.jpg


and there's classic levers like these:

replica-amal-control-levers-501-p.jpg

available in chromed steel or in alloy, but don't have any obvious way to fit a switch.

Now, being awkward by nature, I would like some stylish, alloy or chrome, levers with a brake light switch. ⅞" handlebar. Anybody know if such exist?
 
Thank you Marty but the Bullet has a 7" drum complete with what the rockers used to call bacon slicers - see post #85 above.
I had hoped you had hydraulic assist hidden in there. How about using a late model XS650 clutch perch upside down on the right bar. I believe '81 to '83 have a clutch switch, so repurpose that for the brake?
 
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Similar suggestion - how about a Yamaha perch and lever from one of their drum front brake models like the "budget" XS360-2D ?

https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/yamaha/motorcycle/1977/xs360-2d/handle-wire

It has a brake light switch and uses the "classic" style lever. For a matching lever type clutch perch assembly, you might try my 650 go-to, a Kawasaki perch and lever. I use these because of the very wide lever pivot. No worries about this one "egging" out and the pivot hole wearing oval .....

phDcC2H.jpg


7AfMbyK.jpg


wYZL2DZ.jpg
 
We're in Winter's icy grip, so not much getting out on salty roads. But try to head into the garage for at least part of every day. About half-an-hour at a time then head back to house for warming cuppa.

At the mo, trying to make sense of the new switches. There's no diagram with them and obviously the colours don't match anything. So today's plan was pull the switches apart, hack the connector blocks, separate the wires and attempt to see which ones are linked at each switch position. Work in progress:

PICT2763.JPG



Hoping this will prove to be a valid approach . . .
 
Early fruits of my labours suggest I might have encountered a snag:

PICT2765.JPG

Top diagram is connectivity of old switch, below for the new switch.

Now, I don't mind the colours being different but I don't know how to deal with the different logic. On the old switch, the AC and DC circuits are kept separate but I can't see how to do that with the new switch.

Will it matter? I expect it will. Suggestions?

No smoke comin' outa my ears yet, Bob . . .
 
Early fruits of my labours suggest I might have encountered a snag:

View attachment 203010

Top diagram is connectivity of old switch, below for the new switch.

Now, I don't mind the colours being different but I don't know how to deal with the different logic. On the old switch, the AC and DC circuits are kept separate but I can't see how to do that with the new switch.

Will it matter? I expect it will. Suggestions?

No smoke comin' outa my ears yet, Bob . . .

You don't want smoke coming out of your switch either!
 
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