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
