Thumper Club Forum
Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: fraggle850 on February 23, 2007, 11:28:38 PM
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Particularly real Indian ones, that have been bought to the UK as parallel imports. Are they manufatured to the same standards?
Are they high maintenance compared to Jap bikes?
Do they break more frequently?
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Particularly real Indian ones, that have been bought to the UK as parallel imports. Are they manufactured to the same standards?
Are they high maintenance compared to Jap bikes?
Do they break more frequently?
I have done a couple of tours on the Indian Enfields and depending on what you want from a bike they are OK. I believe the later ones have electric start and disc brake on the front. If you see the roads we went over and the abuse we gave them and no major problems. The suspension is quiet soft but for riding at a leisurely pace they are fine.
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As far as I know even the new ones with the X-series engine are still prone to mechanical whims, so a parallel will be less reliable. But as long as you don't mind a fettling session every weekend they're a joy to own for many. The Owner's Club is one of the very best too and will give great advice freely and may even go as far as lending out any special tools you may need.
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Thanks guys, it's the 'fettling every weekend' bit that concerns me. It's not likely to happen so I guess it's not the bike for me.
Heart v Head is always difficult when deciding on a bike...
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Yes, they are OK. Cheap, good support and realtively reliable. Avoid the pre 2002 bikes as quality control improved after 2001.
Big smile factor but lots of scare stories from those who don't understand them. I own a 2002 Clubmans and it makes me smile because it is a machine that demands a relationship with the owner but I enjoy tinkering.
A few years ago, two guys rode theirs back from India, no dramas caused by the bikes and they arrived safe and sound.
Tim Hale
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my 350 is an indian home marekt model from 1992, so all in all the one with the worst finish.
'official' imports are tidied up by the importers before resale, but i've seen parallel imports and now there isn't any difference in the finish.
official ones have different tyres, and a few other bits to make them 'legal' over here.
in terms of the 'engineered' parts thery are all finished to the same standard. i've seen inside my engine (rebore) and i saw nothing any better or worse than any other brit bike. many of the enfield parts are ahead of their time.
unit construction, oil filter, cush drive and swing-arm suspension in 1948! one piece aluminium chain case means no swinging the gearbox about to tension the primary chain. also with enfield you have the advantage that it hasn't had 40 years of ham fisted owners bodging it up.
i use mine every weekend and i set the points and timing about once every two months, adjusting the primiry chain every four months. i have only had to adjust the tappets once and that was when i put it back together after a rebore. i give it far more abuse than i've given any other brit bike and its lasted over two years in my hands. it starts first kick hot and second kick cold if it hasn't been used for a week or two.
i use it off-road which is probably the quickest way to kill any bike. i've dropped it over 10 times in a day before now and had it stuck 18" deep in mud. it's been through a river crossing that came to the top of the kickstart, and its done third gear rolling burnouts on a green lane covered in wet leaves.
if you're gentle with the gearbox it jumps out of gear (worn selector mech and off-road abuse) and the clutch usually drags a bit. the rear brake is crap and the front is even worse.
don't believe any one who says they're no good.
half of the brit bike owners hate them and the other half are generally indifferent to them. abuse it as much as you want but do not let it reach high revs. mine has lasted because i cruise it at 45mph (350cc only), even though i gun it away from every set of lights. these bikes need maintainence but not half as much as you'd think. the only thing apart from oils that needs looking after is the timing. as you ride the bike you can tell when it needs adjusting and it takes only two minutes. they are better than any other 'basic' british single and are 100% oil tight (no, seriously).
all parts are available mail order. who else can get six oil filters for £14, with the importers selling 4 indicators for £6???
if you like bikes that are bursting with character and involve you in every ride then get one, if you want knee-down zero-maintainence licence-shredders then don't.
just think of it as a brit single with 100% spares availability, which for a little extra fettling will provide masses of fun- all for under a grand for a nice one.
350bullet
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Not thinking of getting an Enfield but thought I would congratulate bullet350 on his excellent analysis. For any potencial Enfield buyers its worth the membership fee alone, and just the sort of friendly and informed advise we believe in.
Good on ya!
BB
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Indeed, thank you very much bullet350. That is most insightfull and highly tempting.
The bike I'm looking at is on ebay at the moment and has had a lot of mod's by someone who sounds like he knows what he's doing.
I guess having added electronic ignition rules out setting the points?
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To use an americanism Bullets TOTALLY ROCK!!
I have a 500 and you just get to love fiddling with them and buying them little presents. Wonderful wonderful little bikes that repay all the fuss in the first two minutes of riding them - totally charming! To me they have more character than any and all the bikes I have ridden put together with the possible exception of the MZs but that's different...it's a 2T thing. more of a disease than anything else
2p worth
Steffan
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I Like them !
Bought one brand new 500 De Luxe in '92 spent a load of time and money on it.Quality was CRAP !Rebuilt several times and thrashed the nuts of it.Would do a genuine Ton when I finished with it.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.Got rid of it for something more reliable as it was my only transport.
Bought another '92 500 a few years ago.
Rebuilt the whole thing from the crank up.Using lots of goodies from Hitchcocks.
Looks scruffy as hell,sounds wonderful,great fun and thrash the nuts off it.
Not as fast as my first,but built it more for robustness...still would like to do a few things to it to make it more traffic friendly.
Can be hard work in the dark,pouring rain during my 40mile trip to and from Cardiff.
Great on the open road popping along at 70-75 then pootling along country lanes admiring the scenery.
Its just right for the weekend potter,loads of character.
The later ones are much better quality.
They did have two production lines one for home market and the other for export.
Generally better build and tyres,lights etc for the export models.
Jethro
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To use an americanism Bullets TOTALLY ROCK!!
I have a 500 and you just get to love fiddling with them and buying them little presents. Wonderful wonderful little bikes that repay all the fuss in the first two minutes of riding them - totally charming! To me they have more character than any and all the bikes I have ridden put together with the possible exception of the MZs but that's different...it's a 2T thing. more of a disease than anything else
2p worth
Steffan
Just to add my 2P worth, I think the above is totally right and while I don't want to rain on anyones parade, they have limits. This is what lead me to go from the Bullet 500 to an MZ 2T.
Limit 1 is the basic fact of what you can do with 18 HP coming from a cast iron engine in a heavy frame. Go on the motorway and you have three choices, be scared, be bored or be worried. These bikes were never designed for modern traffic, so you need to switch where you ride or switch what you ride.
Limit 2 is the maintenance requirements. In a bad week I can do 250 miles and work 40 hours. In a worse week I can do zero bike miles and work 45 hours. MZ's and modern Triumphs with 6000 service intervals do this just fine, be it monday morning or sunday afternoon you just hop on and go and plan service work with weeks to spare. Having a Bullet with a rattle on a push rod because you didn't get time to adjust it is the way to book a ride on the RAC truck. You just need the time available to keep on top of 1940's technology. It's simple and fun to do, but skimp on it and they bite.
Limit 3 is the unpredictable failure bit. Mine used to eat clutch cables (now traced and fixed I think?). On a Sunday morning in June, fitting the spare at a bike cafe shows you are a real biker and leads to some great banter. Pushing the ****er home in a snow storm in January so you can go to work on the Triumph is less fun. There will be a constant stream of such things with any Bullet, they come with some out of the box and others develop as you go. Knowing your bike and having time for it makes it fun not a chore.
Quality is not that bad. If you treat it like a classic it'll behave like a good classic. They are cheap enough to run and great fun. I used one as a commuter for I forget how long and I think I was late once and walked home and back once. Even misused in this way it sure was nice to go the long way to work on summer mornings.
Andy
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Thanks, I'm no regular maintenance guy. Like AndyM, hours at work and other commitments too great and not really inclined to fiddling when I could be riding.
My heart is still saying 'Do it, do it' or it could just be the imp of the perverse sitting on my shoulder and pretending to be my heart...
I'm not after a motorway blaster; I've my Yammy Tedium for that and I prefer to thrash that down a leafy B road given the opportunity. Why do a bike journey in half an hour when you could do it in two and take in some pleasantly challenging classic English roads?
Thanks for all the advice; my heart may still win. My good lady thinks the Enfield looks good so that may be a decider.
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the 500 can cruise at 55 which makes dual carriageways possible, and although there will probably be some 'road-side servicing' they make a fantastic second bike. its quite unlikely it will leave you stranded anywhere, a couple of times i've ridden home with it running like a dog, but look after it and you'll get hundreds of miles of warnings before anything seroius happens.
it is also very satisfying to 'tinker' with it and keep it running well. i know how you're thinking as i keep thinking the same about a sportster (could be my ideal bike, or could end in tears).
look at it this way:
zero depreciation!
if you don't like it, or it lets you down sell it for within £20 of what it cost you. i bought mine as a stop-gap between BSA's. 2 1/2 years later and i've still got it and still love it, meanwhile as soon as my 650ss norton is rebuilt i'm selling it.
btw where abouts are you?
350 bullet
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Thanks, I'm no regular maintenance guy. Like AndyM, hours at work and other commitments too great and not really inclined to fiddling when I could be riding.
That comment may be a mistake because the Bullet demands your attention but repays your affection with reliability so ignore the Bullet at your peril.
Having said that, I actually reap a great deal of satisfaction fettling the Bullet, a tin a Brasso sits on the workbench and gets put to use whenever I can afford to waste a quarter of a hour just polishing all that lovely alloy.
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A less restrictive silencer and carb. rejet,the Bullet will improve its performance quite a bit.
Both mid range and top end.To the point of fitting a larger G/Box sprocket.
You can do a little more as in aif filter and or a 30mm Amal and then its very noticeable.
Mine will cruise quite easily at an indicated 70mph.
Jethro
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btw where abouts are you?
350 bullet
Brumagem
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I've decided against; many thanks for all the info. The bike I was watching on Ebay is into the realms of silly money with less than an hour to go.
Thanks for all of the helpful info to all of the contributors to this post
My dreams of single ownership may be realised soon though, I'm to look at a C reg XBR this weekend. (I'll be driving you all nuts with questions about that soon no doubt!)