2003 Royal Enfield 500 Deluxe

Thank you for all the interest.

@Jan_P, that is a beauty - true classic! Love its stance, sit-up-and-beg handlebar.

Obviously, what the new bikes are trying to echo, IMHO much better than some retro/pastiche on offer from other manufacturers. Just compare that image with the one @650Skull put up - I think the new bikes capture the spirit of the old ones? Helps if you mentally turn the engine t'other way round.

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@TX650A Van Islander that bike really suits its fork gaiters - stop spending my pocket money!

Gonna start a new thread, then this can revert to the tale of the Bullet. Might wait till I have the bike here though.
 
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This post is related to one in that new thread https://www.xs650.com/threads/royal-enfield-interceptor-2019.65852/post-835174

@jetmechmarty asked whether I favour the W800 or the Interceptor and I was explaining that's a difficult question. Favouritism plays a part with the bikes and the 500 Bullet has its own unique charms - but describing them not relevant on that thread.

2002 RE Bullet 500 - nuffin' else in the garage looks like it should be in a shed with a collection of old Matchless's and AJS's, or has that classic single cylinder simplicity, or has nearly as much involvement just to ride it, or makes me laff out loud on every trip.

Involvement? Wheel it outside, turn the petrol tap on, swing a leg over, flick the hinged end of the kicker out, gently push down until it stops solid, use the manual decompressor to ease the piston just past TDC, hear the engine breathe in and out as you do, bring the kickstart back up again, push the lever on the carb down for a rich mixture, but don't switch on yet, give a long, slow kick. Repeat finding TDC and the long, slow kick two or three times - this is to prime the engine, only needed for a cold start. Now you're ready to switch ignition ON, pull the enrichener lever up for normal mixture, find TDC, another long, slow kick, the engine chuffs into life, fold the kick start in, settle onto the sprung seat, holding enough throttle to keep the engine running without choke.

And off we go, pull the clutch, toe of right foot under the gear lever, lift the gear lever to snick into first, ease the clutch in and off we jolly well go. Not much time to relax - time to engage second? Right foot and move lever down to engage second, down again for third and fourth.* And remember brake is left foot. Changing down is of course up for fourth to third etc. But the RE also gives you the facility to go directly to neutral from fourth, third or second with a special lever for that purpose. I always have to look down to find the neutral lever. Still feels a bit weird to coast up to stop signs in neutral.

Cruising along, top gear, 50-60 mph, engine bopping away, bike feels very steady, weight low, you wobble and bounce a bit in that sprung saddle but all's well with the World.

* It's usually about this moment I find meself laughing.
 
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bosco659 said:
Looked like a fairly small bike - good beginners bike?
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I’ve been following this RE phenomenon to some degree, particularly on YouTube. I believe, to many enthusiasts the RE 350 is a forever bike. I had a coworker several years ago who was long time owner of a 350 Bullet. I myself bought an XS650 as my first motorcycle. Over 40 years later I don’t seem to have grown tired of it.
 
Raymond said:
Involvement? Wheel it outside, turn the petrol tap on, swing a leg over, flick the hinged end of the kicker out, gently push down until it stops solid, use the manual decompressor to ease the piston just past TDC, hear the engine breathe in and out as you do, bring the kickstart back up again, push the lever on the carb down for a rich mixture, but don't switch on yet, give a long, slow kick. Repeat finding TDC and the long, slow kick two or three times - this is to prime the engine, only needed for a cold start. Now you're ready to switch ignition ON, pull the enrichener lever up for normal mixture, find TDC, another long, slow kick, the engine chuffs into life, fold the kick start in, settle onto the sprung seat, holding enough throttle to keep the engine running without choke.
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I’ve had a few kick start only bikes, most were not too particular about following any kind of procedure, but what you described right there reminds me very much of my old Triumph Bonneville. If you did every thing right, it was a one kick bike, but if you thought you could just fold the kick lever out and stomp it? Well….you were in for a frustrating experience. Sometimes I would meet up with some friends who were riding new bikes and it always amused them that I had to turn my gas on, tickle the Amals and get my kick starter in just the right place, while they sat there and watched me with their bikes already idling. 😄
 
Mailman said:
I’ve had a few kick start only bikes, most were not too particular about following any kind of procedure, but what you described right there reminds me very much of my old Triumph Bonneville. If you did every thing right, it was a one kick bike, but if you thought you could just fold the kick lever out and stomp it? Well….you were in for a frustrating experience. Sometimes I would meet up with some friends who were riding new bikes and it always amused them that I had to turn my gas on, tickle the Amals and get my kick starter in just the right place, while they sat there and watched me with their bikes already idling. 😄
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Quite true about proper procedure for kick starting a bike. On my old 2 strokes it didn’t matter so much. Kick like a bugger and eventually it would start. On a 4 stroke engine it’s different. I never looked but do they tell you in the owners manual, the proper starting procedure for an XS?
 
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bosco659 said:
Quite true about proper starting procedure for kick starting a bike. On my old 2 strokes it didn’t matter so much. Kick like a bugger and eventually it would start. On a 4 stroke engine it’s different. I never looked but do they tell you in the owners manual, the proper starting procedure fir an XS?
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image.jpg

I don’t know if you can read that as my camera is on the Fritz. This from the ‘79 OM. No details as to kick start process.
 
Mailman said:
I’ve had a few kick start only bikes, most were not too particular about following any kind of procedure, but what you described right there reminds me very much of my old Triumph Bonneville. If you did every thing right, it was a one kick bike, but if you thought you could just fold the kick lever out and stomp it? Well….you were in for a frustrating experience. Sometimes I would meet up with some friends who were riding new bikes and it always amused them that I had to turn my gas on, tickle the Amals and get my kick starter in just the right place, while they sat there and watched me with their bikes already idling. 😄
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What you describe is a big part of the charm that I enjoy, and part of the reason I did weighted lunges and squats last night until I was about to cry.
 
bosco659 said:
Nothing like your bikes, but at a local motorcycle show last weekend, I saw a 350 Meteor in person. Looked like a fairly small bike - good beginners bike?

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As well as the Meteors, RE now have the retro-style Bullet on the same 350 platform. Looks similar to an old iron barrel but without the aggravation/character, depending how you look at it.

I love chuffin' around on a low-power, heavy-flywheel single but never ridden one of the new ones so cannot make any comparison.
 
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