Looks like a dark grey paste on the magnetic plug in my experience.
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2003 Royal Enfield 500 Deluxe
- Thread starter Raymond
- Start date
Congrats on your transmission success Raymond. You are the most patient man on the planet! The bike looks fantastic!
Mrs would most strongly disagree! But thank you for your kind words.
Hmm. Maybe what I have would look like that grey paste that's on magnetic drain plugs, but held in suspension? Might be due to residual old fluid left on the chain and clutch plates which might make the new oil look deceptively polluted. Or might be something wearing but I don't know what. When I rebuild the primary t'other day, spent a little bit of time trying to ensure a 6 thou feeler would fit at all points between stator and rotor but it's probably tighter in some spots so it could be them rubbing on each other? Hoping not.
Hopefully it's just a little dirty from being opened up. If it were me, I'd put about the same amount of miles on the fresh ATF and have a look to see if it improves.
Last few days, the wee Bullet has been a daily rider. Gets pulled out for errands and shopping trips. Done over a hundred miles since the gearbox work and if anything shifting gears is better than before. Hardly a missed gear now. Changes down the box 4-3 3-2 and even 2-1 all feel more +ve. Adjusted the neutral finder too, seems to have cured a tendency to over-shift and occasionally go into first.
So there's less trepidation now heading into town. Riding in traffic, even light traffic, with less than full confidence in being able to select a gear at short notice is, uhm, not a great feeling.
The eagle-eyed might spot the side-stand and its bracket are missing. Took to the engineers in Netherdale yesterday.
The bike has always leaned too far on the side-stand and it's been getting worse. One problem, the stand is a loose fit on its bracket, second the hole in the bracket has worn and is now a loose oval and third, the bracket has worn down at the front - the bit that the stand stops against has worn down allowing the stand to rotate much too far forward.
I've asked Rob the welder to build up the worn part of the bracket. We discussed the stand being loose. I have been using a washer to take up some of the space. Asked Rob about filling the screw hole with weld, building up bracket to make it thicker and re-drilling the hole. Instead, Rob suggested welding on a washer with an 8mm hole - he thinks this will build up thickness and leave the screw less room to shuffle around.
Rob said, put it on the side-stand repair pile - he also has one for a Moto Guzzi with similar leans-too-far issues.
Collect Friday.
And at the moment, no oil dripping from engine, primary or gearbox . . . shhh.
So there's less trepidation now heading into town. Riding in traffic, even light traffic, with less than full confidence in being able to select a gear at short notice is, uhm, not a great feeling.
The eagle-eyed might spot the side-stand and its bracket are missing. Took to the engineers in Netherdale yesterday.
The bike has always leaned too far on the side-stand and it's been getting worse. One problem, the stand is a loose fit on its bracket, second the hole in the bracket has worn and is now a loose oval and third, the bracket has worn down at the front - the bit that the stand stops against has worn down allowing the stand to rotate much too far forward.
I've asked Rob the welder to build up the worn part of the bracket. We discussed the stand being loose. I have been using a washer to take up some of the space. Asked Rob about filling the screw hole with weld, building up bracket to make it thicker and re-drilling the hole. Instead, Rob suggested welding on a washer with an 8mm hole - he thinks this will build up thickness and leave the screw less room to shuffle around.
Rob said, put it on the side-stand repair pile - he also has one for a Moto Guzzi with similar leans-too-far issues.
Collect Friday.
And at the moment, no oil dripping from engine, primary or gearbox . . . shhh.
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Sounds like a great result with the gears. And you have a tame welder in your midst.
Sounds like the surgery is a huge success. What's you impression of the new gear ratios, Raymond?
Well, as noted earlier, 1st, 2nd & 3rd are noticeably higher and 4th is unchanged.
Setting off up the street it takes a couple extra yards to let the clutch out and the bike is going faster by then. I was asked on the RE Community forum if that takes the edge of the acceleration but TBH on such a low power machine it's hardly a relevant question.
Most villages and town centres in Scotland are now 20mph limits and 2nd feels happy at 20 or indeed accelerating to 30 or so. 3rd feels happy from 20-odd to about 50 when you change into 4th without the calamitous drop in revs that was there before. My gear change points on country roads are different. On some bendy sections it's just more comfortable to stay in 3rd than putter along in 4th. Not saying 'we now attack bends one gear lower' but I have found the ratios are better, the spacing more natural.
I won't be the first to say it, all Bullets should be made like this.
Just back from the dentist - usual drill, see me again in twelve months. Was a 9 am appointment and I was happy enough to take the Slug.
Must admit, there's just a slight frisson taking a 1940s motorcycle into town, rush hour traffic, with a deadline to meet. Especially with the W800 available. But it were fine, of course, and we had enough time to fill the tank before meeting the dentist.
Giving about 76 mpg. That's our Imperial gallons, about 61 miles per US gallon.
Must admit, there's just a slight frisson taking a 1940s motorcycle into town, rush hour traffic, with a deadline to meet. Especially with the W800 available. But it were fine, of course, and we had enough time to fill the tank before meeting the dentist.
Giving about 76 mpg. That's our Imperial gallons, about 61 miles per US gallon.
Collected the Samrat side-stand from the welder - Rob has built up and ground back the working area, plus now has better fitting bolt-hole, and he's added weld in front of where the stand goes so it can't get ahead of itself. He's also given me a screw with a longer shank.
So this morning, fit back on the bike. Oh, if only it were so easy.
Not too bad getting this far. Back off the brake and lower the pedal, of course, but then find the mounting plate won't push on. It needs to go behind the primary drive, but can't get past it, see? Could of course remove the whole damn primary, again. What I did was tap the long bolt at top right, a long double-threaded stud, push it in a little way. Slide tube at front of mount over the footpeg bar, leave it hanging down, move it in past the chain-case, tight but goes, then swivel the mount so the r/h hole goes over the pushed-in stud. So far so good.
But an issue arises when you try to tighten the hardware on that r/h stud. Two nuts, the first has a short sleeve that fits inside the Samrat mount to locate it, then a plain common or garden nut. But as soon as the first nut starts to get past finger tight, the whole effin stud turns.
This is what it looks like at the other end - threaded stud and its nut are visible just left of the kicker. As well as holding the side-stand mount, it secures two engine/gearbox mounting plates to the frame so it's, uhm, fairly important.
Asking an assistant - not Mrs this time, she has very sensibly gone to visit her sister - to hold at that end only results in the nut being pulled further on to the stud. There is not enough stud at that end to fit a second nut and hold it like that.
A bit stumped right now. Have cleaned the stud and put a drop of Loctite 243 - the blue non-hardening type, maybe should've tried red Loctite 271 which goes solid but I don't have any. Maybe should remove the stud and ask Rob to weld the nut on, but don't really want to do that. I don't know why Enfield use the double-threaded stud instead of a long bolt?
I'll have another go in while, when the threadlock has had a bit of time.
Ho hum.
So this morning, fit back on the bike. Oh, if only it were so easy.
Not too bad getting this far. Back off the brake and lower the pedal, of course, but then find the mounting plate won't push on. It needs to go behind the primary drive, but can't get past it, see? Could of course remove the whole damn primary, again. What I did was tap the long bolt at top right, a long double-threaded stud, push it in a little way. Slide tube at front of mount over the footpeg bar, leave it hanging down, move it in past the chain-case, tight but goes, then swivel the mount so the r/h hole goes over the pushed-in stud. So far so good.
But an issue arises when you try to tighten the hardware on that r/h stud. Two nuts, the first has a short sleeve that fits inside the Samrat mount to locate it, then a plain common or garden nut. But as soon as the first nut starts to get past finger tight, the whole effin stud turns.
This is what it looks like at the other end - threaded stud and its nut are visible just left of the kicker. As well as holding the side-stand mount, it secures two engine/gearbox mounting plates to the frame so it's, uhm, fairly important.
Asking an assistant - not Mrs this time, she has very sensibly gone to visit her sister - to hold at that end only results in the nut being pulled further on to the stud. There is not enough stud at that end to fit a second nut and hold it like that.
A bit stumped right now. Have cleaned the stud and put a drop of Loctite 243 - the blue non-hardening type, maybe should've tried red Loctite 271 which goes solid but I don't have any. Maybe should remove the stud and ask Rob to weld the nut on, but don't really want to do that. I don't know why Enfield use the double-threaded stud instead of a long bolt?
I'll have another go in while, when the threadlock has had a bit of time.
Ho hum.
Expletives deleted got there in the end. No, it's not right. Yes, it'll do. For now.
After struggling with the double ended stud and trying to come up wiv a better solution, I settled - took nut off far side, knocked the flaming stud out this way slightly, wound the sleeve nut on as far as it would go before the stud turned, wound the plain nut on and tightened the two together. Then put the nut back on the other end and tightened it all up, using the double nut this end to hold it.
Below shows the double nut just aft the Samrat logo - you will see the outer nut is not fully on the threaded stud BUT for now that as good as I can do.
I reckinn it's about 80% engaged - you might settle for that with a girlfriend as long as you get the hoped-for benefits? In this case what I wuz looking for was the bike not leaning soo far and it's a helluva lot better.
The ground favours it, slopes very slightly up to the left, but that's not bad at all. It had got to the point the lean was ridiculous.
You might see on first picture the stand is too far back - definitely needs to go a little bit further forward for more security. If parked on a downhill, the poor wee Bullet would roll forward off the stand and come to grief. But I prefer to park 'em facing uphill anyway, and the mount can be fine-tuned by filing some metal off the new welded bit.
Longer term, might ask the welder to fix the far-end nut in place. Or, less likely, source a long, thin bolt?
Strewth, best part of today used up just to whack the side-stand back on . . .
After struggling with the double ended stud and trying to come up wiv a better solution, I settled - took nut off far side, knocked the flaming stud out this way slightly, wound the sleeve nut on as far as it would go before the stud turned, wound the plain nut on and tightened the two together. Then put the nut back on the other end and tightened it all up, using the double nut this end to hold it.
Below shows the double nut just aft the Samrat logo - you will see the outer nut is not fully on the threaded stud BUT for now that as good as I can do.
I reckinn it's about 80% engaged - you might settle for that with a girlfriend as long as you get the hoped-for benefits? In this case what I wuz looking for was the bike not leaning soo far and it's a helluva lot better.
The ground favours it, slopes very slightly up to the left, but that's not bad at all. It had got to the point the lean was ridiculous.
You might see on first picture the stand is too far back - definitely needs to go a little bit further forward for more security. If parked on a downhill, the poor wee Bullet would roll forward off the stand and come to grief. But I prefer to park 'em facing uphill anyway, and the mount can be fine-tuned by filing some metal off the new welded bit.
Longer term, might ask the welder to fix the far-end nut in place. Or, less likely, source a long, thin bolt?
Strewth, best part of today used up just to whack the side-stand back on . . .
To further improve the side-stand pivot, fitted plastic shim. Cut some strips of plastic from a milk carton, clamped them between two thin pieces of wood and drilled an 8mm hole.
Snipped with scissors to roughly circular - they won't be seen. Well, hardly.
And finally, fitted at the side-stand pivot. One fairly easy to fit, two would not go. So one it was.
Eagle eyed might see the top edge of the shim? As said before, hardly seen. BTW, after this test fitting, the bolt was fitted with its spring washer and torqued up to, ooh, that feels tight enough.
Side stand has less wiggle room now. If I decide to do it again, will use slightly thicker plastic rather than trying to get two in position, shove the stand over and pass the bolt through the lot.
Getting better at fitting stand springs. No more grabbing the end of the spring with pliers and trying to stretch it over like wot I used to do years ago. Long ago grew fed up with the frustration and injured fingers that go with that approach.
I have an old screwdriver, must have bought it in the 1970s, and down the years it has been 'promoted' from driving screws to being a poking, levering and generally useful tool. In last photo, you can perhaps see the anchor point on the side- stand? Place end of 'general tool' under that, hold the tool at an angle up towards the brake pivot, engage end of spring over the shank and pull down - the spring slides down along the shank and kind of grabs on to the anchor point. It really is easy-peasy.
Snipped with scissors to roughly circular - they won't be seen. Well, hardly.
And finally, fitted at the side-stand pivot. One fairly easy to fit, two would not go. So one it was.
Eagle eyed might see the top edge of the shim? As said before, hardly seen. BTW, after this test fitting, the bolt was fitted with its spring washer and torqued up to, ooh, that feels tight enough.
Side stand has less wiggle room now. If I decide to do it again, will use slightly thicker plastic rather than trying to get two in position, shove the stand over and pass the bolt through the lot.
Getting better at fitting stand springs. No more grabbing the end of the spring with pliers and trying to stretch it over like wot I used to do years ago. Long ago grew fed up with the frustration and injured fingers that go with that approach.
I have an old screwdriver, must have bought it in the 1970s, and down the years it has been 'promoted' from driving screws to being a poking, levering and generally useful tool. In last photo, you can perhaps see the anchor point on the side- stand? Place end of 'general tool' under that, hold the tool at an angle up towards the brake pivot, engage end of spring over the shank and pull down - the spring slides down along the shank and kind of grabs on to the anchor point. It really is easy-peasy.
Nice little video of a bloke making copper oil feed for his iron-barrel Bullet:
Informative and somehow heartwarming too. Must be the dog.
Now, how would shiny copper pipework look on the Slug . . .
Informative and somehow heartwarming too. Must be the dog.
Now, how would shiny copper pipework look on the Slug . . .
Copper tubing and brass fittings lend a really classy look to a vintage bike
Today, will take the Slug to the village m/c engineer and see if he will do an MOT inspection.
Yesterday, fetched the pegs back from the welder. Blob added to the hinged part so they don't droop. Just took a little bit of filing the blobs to get them to this - slightly jaunty but for me that's better than the sad hanging down look. See post #1072 for comparison.
Yesterday, fetched the pegs back from the welder. Blob added to the hinged part so they don't droop. Just took a little bit of filing the blobs to get them to this - slightly jaunty but for me that's better than the sad hanging down look. See post #1072 for comparison.
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Successful outcome, no advisories, Tosh pointed out one minor defect, not-MOT related.
Next, tyres.
Could just buy a new Avon Speedmaster for the rear, the ribbed front one still has plenty tread. But I'd like to try sommat else.
Avon Roadriders, which I run on the W800 and XS650 are an expensive option, and they are tubeless tyres which will be very stiff to get on and off, so I've rather cooled towards those. Also been looking at things like Heidenau and Mitas.
M&P offer a good deal for a pair of Anlas NR-14s which look fine, semi-block tread which would suit the style of the Bullet, but I have no idea about the quality, grip, longevity or whatever and there's a paucity of reviews.
Heidenau K34s are in pole position right now . . .
Could just buy a new Avon Speedmaster for the rear, the ribbed front one still has plenty tread. But I'd like to try sommat else.
Avon Roadriders, which I run on the W800 and XS650 are an expensive option, and they are tubeless tyres which will be very stiff to get on and off, so I've rather cooled towards those. Also been looking at things like Heidenau and Mitas.
M&P offer a good deal for a pair of Anlas NR-14s which look fine, semi-block tread which would suit the style of the Bullet, but I have no idea about the quality, grip, longevity or whatever and there's a paucity of reviews.
Heidenau K34s are in pole position right now . . .
The Heidenau race tires on my XS2 were the hardest tires to mount I've ever had. But, that's my only experience we with Heidenau tires.
After much cogitation and with my brain gradually coming to the boil, plumped for two Mitas tyres, 3.5x19 and 3.25x19.
The rear looks a bit like this
The rear looks a bit like this
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