My Royal Enfield Continental GT 535

[xbally]

With the slightly better weather I've now put a few miles on my bike and overall I'm very pleased with it. I had to revert to the OE silencer which is a bit heavy and cumbersome as the after market one that a PO had fitted was just TOO LOUD for me and I couldn't easily see how to quieten it down easily. It has lots of character, is good on fuel and handles and brakes quite well. There's just enough performance to make it interesting and involved if you want. It's not too heavy and there are lots of mods you can do if that's your thing. While it's nothing like the XBR500 I sold to buy it ,it's as good a bike in a different way. It's only done 2.5K miles so although it's approaching 7 years old it still feels like a much newer bike. Although it was a bit manky when I got it (cheaply as it was damaged cosmetically and written off by the insurers but free to be put back on the road after another PO had spent a small fortune on NOS parts that were scratched or bent) it's cleaned up very well so a big thumbs up to the Indian build quality.

[spooky]

how fast is it mister ?

[Moto63]

Sounds good Martin (see what I did there 🤦) glad you like it. Just wait till the lovely warm weather kicks in, you’ll be out scratching those foot pegs just like when you were 18 yrs old. 👍👍😉
Cheers, Michael

[Moto63]

how fast is it mister ?

Ahh yes and don’t forget the classic  “pull us a wheelie mister” 😉

[Ian]

Can we see "before" and "after" photos?

[mthee]

I'm right up for a look at any pics, too! 😎

[xbally]

Here is a link (if it works) to the original fleabay ad'   https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384607889753
Bike looks OK in the pics but when it landed I could see that it had been languishing unloved for some time. Lots of detritus on most surfaces.
I got some paperwork showing what the PO had paid to the salvage co and what he spent on new parts-handlebars,indicators,gear change / linkage, footrests etc-the damage was mostly confined to the left side and the tank is a little scratched with a minor dent or two  and there are some scratches but i've polished some out and painted over a few so while it's by no means pristine it's now a clean bike I'm not frightened to use.
I polished up the paintwork and ali as best I could and the wheels have come up like new so I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.
I changed the oil and filter and the bike was good to go.
It has some extras which would have cost a few quid.
I know the previous history will reduce its re-sale value but who cares? I got a bike I've wanted since they first came out at a price I could afford to pay and I now intend to use it.
On checking- I don't have any proper "after" photos-the ones I have were taken following the first clean. I'll take some more when I get the chance and maybe post up later.
Here's one of my EFI as well.

[mthee]

I like your philosophy. Life is short. Looks great and thanks for the pics!

[Moto63]

Looking good Martin, are the handlebars standard? Don’t know why but I thought they were more clip on style. Forecast for this coming weekend is excellent (so far🤞) so hopefully you’ll be able to get out and put some more miles on it 👍. I hoping to finally get out on the new trident at last on Sunday 🤞
Cheers, Michael

[xbally]

Looking good Martin, are the handlebars standard? Don’t know why but I thought they were more clip on style. Forecast for this coming weekend is excellent (so far🤞) so hopefully you’ll be able to get out and put some more miles on it 👍. I hoping to finally get out on the new trident at last on Sunday 🤞
Cheers, Michael

Hi Michael. I was wondering whether you have ventured out on your new bike yet.
The standard bars are clip ons yes. The bar conversion is one of the mods I mentioned. They do make it a more comfortable ride.
Let's hope we can get in a few good rides in the coming week / months.
Even the fuel price is said to be coming down...but I won't be holding my breath!

[Moto63]

Looking good Martin, are the handlebars standard? Don’t know why but I thought they were more clip on style. Forecast for this coming weekend is excellent (so far🤞) so hopefully you’ll be able to get out and put some more miles on it 👍. I hoping to finally get out on the new trident at last on Sunday 🤞
Cheers, Michael

Let's hope we can get in a few good rides in the coming week / months.
Even the fuel price is said to be coming down...but I won't be holding my breath!

Hhmm, some how I don’t think it will drop back to where it was. As I said in another post, the only up shot is that the roads might be a little quieter 🤷🤞

[Ian]

Thanks for showing the photos. Although not my bag, I have lots of biker friends who won't ride anything other than REs. Many happy miles riding Martin.
As an (almost unrelated) addendum, I went out on the SRX 3 times in the last couple of weeks. It feels good but totally different from the scooter (another thumper!). Manual v automatic.

[CrazyFrog]

Looks really great!

[xbally]

Well thanks to all. This is the positive side of biking life -whereas my Kawasaki KZ clutch thread is the opposite-such is the way of these things .If I can get the Kawa clutch fixed however then all will be well.
I think any RE single should be welcomed into this forum  as they are IMHO great bikes with a lot of merit.
Very different to the Jap singles which also have their plus points.
To my mind there's not that much difference between  them as they are all great to  ride.

[Moto63]

Well thanks to all.
I think any RE single should be welcomed into this forum  as they are IMHO great bikes with a lot of merit.
Very different to the Jap singles

Absolutely they should Martin, especially when you consider that the Enfield is technically more of a THUMPER than the vast majority of jap singles 👍
Cheers, Michael