The Royal Enfield Bullet Blog
Saturday, November 22, 2003
First Memory, Presidents, and Motorcycles
Forty years ago today, about the same time of day I'm writing this, John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas Texas at Dealy Plaza. At about 12:28 pm today, within moments of the time he was attacked, I finished a phone call to my mother.
I asked her "Mom, what were you doing 40 years ago when you heard that President Kennedy had been shot?"
"I had just picked you up from daycare, we had come home, and the next door neighbor at our appartment complex was standing on the stair landing looking pretty dazed. He said 'Come in and look at my tv -- you won't believe what has just happened."
Apparently we went into his appartment and watched the black and white news footage of Kennedy's assassination as it played, over and over, on special bulletins from NBC and other stations. I was two and a half years old.
Those chaotic images are the earliest memory I have. No incident comes before it in my recollection: I remember black and white chaos, policemen on motorcycles. Motorcycles and tires, men and women running, grainy flickering.
For years I tried to place when I had seen those images -- we didn't own a TV until I was 5 or six, several years after the assassination. I always assumed that I had seen that footage on some TV special later in life. In fact, I saw it the day it happened, but I didn't know that until today, 40 years later, when I asked my mom what she was doing when she first heard Kennedy had been shot. I asked her on a lark: it's commonplace to read that people of that time almost universally remember what they were doing at that particular moment, where they were, who they were with.
I don't remember the neighbor or my mom from that time. I do remember chaotic images of cars and motorcycles.
Police motorcycles.
A week or so ago one of my classmates in my motorcycle engine class said "Hey, your Enfield looks like a police motorcycle."
In fact, my bullet is white and does look like a police motorcycle.
And where did I buy it?
I bought it in Dallas, Texas, about 3 blocks from the X that marks the spot in the middle lane of the street in Dealy Plaza (now Texas Historical Plaza) where JFK was fatally hit on November 22, 1963, at about 12:28 pm.
I asked her "Mom, what were you doing 40 years ago when you heard that President Kennedy had been shot?"
"I had just picked you up from daycare, we had come home, and the next door neighbor at our appartment complex was standing on the stair landing looking pretty dazed. He said 'Come in and look at my tv -- you won't believe what has just happened."
Apparently we went into his appartment and watched the black and white news footage of Kennedy's assassination as it played, over and over, on special bulletins from NBC and other stations. I was two and a half years old.
Those chaotic images are the earliest memory I have. No incident comes before it in my recollection: I remember black and white chaos, policemen on motorcycles. Motorcycles and tires, men and women running, grainy flickering.
For years I tried to place when I had seen those images -- we didn't own a TV until I was 5 or six, several years after the assassination. I always assumed that I had seen that footage on some TV special later in life. In fact, I saw it the day it happened, but I didn't know that until today, 40 years later, when I asked my mom what she was doing when she first heard Kennedy had been shot. I asked her on a lark: it's commonplace to read that people of that time almost universally remember what they were doing at that particular moment, where they were, who they were with.
I don't remember the neighbor or my mom from that time. I do remember chaotic images of cars and motorcycles.
Police motorcycles.
A week or so ago one of my classmates in my motorcycle engine class said "Hey, your Enfield looks like a police motorcycle."
In fact, my bullet is white and does look like a police motorcycle.
And where did I buy it?
I bought it in Dallas, Texas, about 3 blocks from the X that marks the spot in the middle lane of the street in Dealy Plaza (now Texas Historical Plaza) where JFK was fatally hit on November 22, 1963, at about 12:28 pm.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
One-Kick Starting
I replaced the air filter. A simple job.
Since purchasing my Bullet I've had to give quite a few kicks before it would start. This continued after draining the (overflowing) crankcase-breather-oil-catch-tank.
Whew, what an ugly extended noun object. I mean in a US model there's a tank under the battery that collects oil blown out of the crankcase during operation. For those who don't know, because the piston(s) move up and down in a motor, air gets moved around or pressure increases or decreases where the crankshaft is located. Two stroke engines use this fact to suck fuel in from the intake, push it into the cylinder, and then subsequently, after burn, it gets pushed out the exit holes. A four stroke single cylinder like the Enfield would suffer great HP loss if the crankcase were sealed, therefore it is not. EPA regulations in the US stipulate that the oil blown out during engine operation through the vent hole be caught in a tank.
My little tank was completely full, and the hose going from the tank to the air filter box had gobs of dark looking oil in it. The original owner probably never drained it, it was overflowing at 500 miles for certain, and maybe before that.
The bottom line is that starting my bullet was a pain. I had to kick 8, 10, 12, 20 times to get it running. Okay. Maybe not 20. But it often would cough and die, and I'd have to kick some more.
Oil from the crankcase had routed into the oil filter -- soaking it, making the air not get through as well, thus making the fuel richer (plus adding in whatever hydrocarbons were evaporating from the partly saturated filter). It has the same effect as using a choke when it's not needed. In fact before I changed the filter if I used the choke the engine would immediately die.
With the duckbill breather hose and a new air filter my baby started on the first kick.
Ah, true satisfaction.
I went out for about a 45 minute ride along twisty, hilly, mostly empty Austin city streets. The shifter is getting easier, as easy as a Japanese bike, though the travel remains longer than I'm used to. I think the shifting held well until the last 10 minutes of the ride, when it became too stiff again. I will tighten the clutch cable a little more, since the clutch seems to be expanding out a little once heated up to its normal operating temperature.
Anyway if your Enfield Bullet is having trouble starting, and it's a problem that has gradually built up over time, make sure you don't have oil filled up in your tank. If you do, drain it and replace the air filter (or at least inspect the air filter, it might even be cleanable, but I just dumped my old one).
You ought to be back to one kick starting again when you're done.
Since purchasing my Bullet I've had to give quite a few kicks before it would start. This continued after draining the (overflowing) crankcase-breather-oil-catch-tank.
Whew, what an ugly extended noun object. I mean in a US model there's a tank under the battery that collects oil blown out of the crankcase during operation. For those who don't know, because the piston(s) move up and down in a motor, air gets moved around or pressure increases or decreases where the crankshaft is located. Two stroke engines use this fact to suck fuel in from the intake, push it into the cylinder, and then subsequently, after burn, it gets pushed out the exit holes. A four stroke single cylinder like the Enfield would suffer great HP loss if the crankcase were sealed, therefore it is not. EPA regulations in the US stipulate that the oil blown out during engine operation through the vent hole be caught in a tank.
My little tank was completely full, and the hose going from the tank to the air filter box had gobs of dark looking oil in it. The original owner probably never drained it, it was overflowing at 500 miles for certain, and maybe before that.
The bottom line is that starting my bullet was a pain. I had to kick 8, 10, 12, 20 times to get it running. Okay. Maybe not 20. But it often would cough and die, and I'd have to kick some more.
Oil from the crankcase had routed into the oil filter -- soaking it, making the air not get through as well, thus making the fuel richer (plus adding in whatever hydrocarbons were evaporating from the partly saturated filter). It has the same effect as using a choke when it's not needed. In fact before I changed the filter if I used the choke the engine would immediately die.
With the duckbill breather hose and a new air filter my baby started on the first kick.
Ah, true satisfaction.
I went out for about a 45 minute ride along twisty, hilly, mostly empty Austin city streets. The shifter is getting easier, as easy as a Japanese bike, though the travel remains longer than I'm used to. I think the shifting held well until the last 10 minutes of the ride, when it became too stiff again. I will tighten the clutch cable a little more, since the clutch seems to be expanding out a little once heated up to its normal operating temperature.
Anyway if your Enfield Bullet is having trouble starting, and it's a problem that has gradually built up over time, make sure you don't have oil filled up in your tank. If you do, drain it and replace the air filter (or at least inspect the air filter, it might even be cleanable, but I just dumped my old one).
You ought to be back to one kick starting again when you're done.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
I've been having a blast on my Bullet.
The last two evenings after work and my family obligations I've taken her out for a bit of test riding. For the first ride the night before last I adjusted the clutch cable again. It was chilly and took me quite a few kicks to get it started, even after the recommended 4 or 5 kicks with the decompressor on to prime the system. You can't use the choke at all on my Bullet at present. I think it's already over-rich at start and probably while running. The reason is that the crankcase breather tube dumps into an oil catch tank. That catch tank, when over-full, sends oil into the air filter box, where it gunks up the filter and gets sucked into the air-fuel mixture. That makes for hard starting, apparently.
Anyway I rode maybe 10 miles, all around Austin, out 2222 a little way past loop 360, then back up 2222 again, turning onto Mount Bonnell Road following it over back to 38th Street, then back up Shoal Creek and home.
The gears were shifting much easier because the clutch cable had been further tightened. However right at the end of the ride the shifting became unbearably stiff again, and when I pulled into my driveway the bike wanted to move forward in first even with the clutch lever pulled up tight against the grip. Ah, more adjustments necessary.
The next evening I emptied the crankcase-breather oil tank. I removed all that hosiery and put on a duckbilled crankcase breather, which will oil the chain for me and develop something of a vacuum in the crankcase at the same time. Not much vacuum, but with a single cylinder motor you can imagine that there would be more compression in the crankcase than a twin or 4 cylinder motor. The duckbilled breather lets air pressure out easier than it lets air back in.
I also wanted to lube my cables. Well. I got a lesson in how easy it is to break simple things: when I removed the pinion screw that the lever rotates on, it sheared in half.
At first I thought "Great, no ride tonight."
And dammit no ride till I get a new pinion bolt (if you can even buy such a thing).
I went ahead and lubed the cable with a cable luber (I got it from DRS Cycles as both the lub and the lube tool -- worth the price). Lubing the cable made the action much better. I'm going to lube the rest of the cables soon. But maybe only after I buy some extra pinion bolts!
Anyway I refused to be defeated. In my garage there was an old mountain bike that I've had since 1987. I thought, well, maybe ...
Sure enough the pinion bolt that held the bicycle rear brake lever fit right into the Royal Enfield brake lever pinion hole -- same diameter, same threading, and just a little shorter, but long enough for the bottom bolt. Now of course it was too loose because the Enfield pinion has a thicker diameter at the part the lever rotates on, but after tightening up the cables to pull in the slack it worked as good as the original. Actually better, since the shifting wasn't as stiff (better clutch disengagement from drive shaft) and the lever action was smoother (lubrication).
Heh.
I took a ride down to the Posse East and got there a hamburger and a coke.
I rode home taking my time. What a nice feeling. Surely the Bullet is best for those who wish to tinker or do big work and then ride. And best of all, you can Jerry-rig it in a pinch!
The last two evenings after work and my family obligations I've taken her out for a bit of test riding. For the first ride the night before last I adjusted the clutch cable again. It was chilly and took me quite a few kicks to get it started, even after the recommended 4 or 5 kicks with the decompressor on to prime the system. You can't use the choke at all on my Bullet at present. I think it's already over-rich at start and probably while running. The reason is that the crankcase breather tube dumps into an oil catch tank. That catch tank, when over-full, sends oil into the air filter box, where it gunks up the filter and gets sucked into the air-fuel mixture. That makes for hard starting, apparently.
Anyway I rode maybe 10 miles, all around Austin, out 2222 a little way past loop 360, then back up 2222 again, turning onto Mount Bonnell Road following it over back to 38th Street, then back up Shoal Creek and home.
The gears were shifting much easier because the clutch cable had been further tightened. However right at the end of the ride the shifting became unbearably stiff again, and when I pulled into my driveway the bike wanted to move forward in first even with the clutch lever pulled up tight against the grip. Ah, more adjustments necessary.
The next evening I emptied the crankcase-breather oil tank. I removed all that hosiery and put on a duckbilled crankcase breather, which will oil the chain for me and develop something of a vacuum in the crankcase at the same time. Not much vacuum, but with a single cylinder motor you can imagine that there would be more compression in the crankcase than a twin or 4 cylinder motor. The duckbilled breather lets air pressure out easier than it lets air back in.
I also wanted to lube my cables. Well. I got a lesson in how easy it is to break simple things: when I removed the pinion screw that the lever rotates on, it sheared in half.
At first I thought "Great, no ride tonight."
And dammit no ride till I get a new pinion bolt (if you can even buy such a thing).
I went ahead and lubed the cable with a cable luber (I got it from DRS Cycles as both the lub and the lube tool -- worth the price). Lubing the cable made the action much better. I'm going to lube the rest of the cables soon. But maybe only after I buy some extra pinion bolts!
Anyway I refused to be defeated. In my garage there was an old mountain bike that I've had since 1987. I thought, well, maybe ...
Sure enough the pinion bolt that held the bicycle rear brake lever fit right into the Royal Enfield brake lever pinion hole -- same diameter, same threading, and just a little shorter, but long enough for the bottom bolt. Now of course it was too loose because the Enfield pinion has a thicker diameter at the part the lever rotates on, but after tightening up the cables to pull in the slack it worked as good as the original. Actually better, since the shifting wasn't as stiff (better clutch disengagement from drive shaft) and the lever action was smoother (lubrication).
Heh.
I took a ride down to the Posse East and got there a hamburger and a coke.
I rode home taking my time. What a nice feeling. Surely the Bullet is best for those who wish to tinker or do big work and then ride. And best of all, you can Jerry-rig it in a pinch!
Thursday, November 06, 2003
I've done 3 test rides.
Miles indicated.
506 - 512: Wet streets. Daytime. No adjustments made. Could only get it into 3rd twice.
512 - 518: Dry streets. Daytime. Adjusted front brake cable (at lever and at wheel), and clutch cable (at lever). Clutch and brake were too loose. After adjustments I could shift into third regularly. Sometimes gearbox sits in neutral between 2nd and 3rd -- you have to shift up again.
518 - 528: Dry streets. No adjustments made. Shifted often into 3rd. Was easier, but still too much travel in the shift mechanism. I got a nice raw upper foot near the toes. Late in ride 3rd became difficult again. Clutch cable probably needs better adjustment.
To help alleviate the shifting difficulties I ordered a shift bushing from DRS Cycles. I also ordered other parts to be able to perform 500 mile maintenance from them and also from Classic Motorworks.
Miles indicated.
506 - 512: Wet streets. Daytime. No adjustments made. Could only get it into 3rd twice.
512 - 518: Dry streets. Daytime. Adjusted front brake cable (at lever and at wheel), and clutch cable (at lever). Clutch and brake were too loose. After adjustments I could shift into third regularly. Sometimes gearbox sits in neutral between 2nd and 3rd -- you have to shift up again.
518 - 528: Dry streets. No adjustments made. Shifted often into 3rd. Was easier, but still too much travel in the shift mechanism. I got a nice raw upper foot near the toes. Late in ride 3rd became difficult again. Clutch cable probably needs better adjustment.
To help alleviate the shifting difficulties I ordered a shift bushing from DRS Cycles. I also ordered other parts to be able to perform 500 mile maintenance from them and also from Classic Motorworks.
A Beginning
Here are two pictures of the Bullet I purchased. The first just before transit. Note that this is NOT the best way to tie down a motorcycle. I should have put a tie on the front end and tightened the front wheel to the front trailer wall. As it is, the bike slid around a little on the trailer -- I discovered after getting where I was going. Yikes!
The second picture is off the trailer at the outpost
These are the details of my Bullet as near as I can reconstruct them:
VIN
MBFFSV2261M5XXXXX (die letzte feunf Nummern sind privat ...)
Year
2001
First Owner
BMW of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX.
aka
Perry's Motorcycles & Sidecars
816 S. Sylvania
Forth Worth, TX 76111
( 817)429-9922
Fax: (817) 338-1353
Mileage when sold to second owner (in December 2002):
206
Mileage when sold to Bullet (November 2003):
506
The warranty is no longer in effect. This Bullet has reached its break-in maintenence check mileage. I've talked to the mechanic at Perry's at length about the Enfield and I highly recommend their store. If I had bought a new bike, I would have gone to them, as his honest answers to ALL my many questions about Enfield mechanical aspects made me feel confident they would properly prepare the motorcycle and help me with any maintenance issues long after the warranty expired.
From the paperwork I possess this Bullet was probably used as a demo model at Perry's and then sold to the first owner in December last year. That owner rarely used it, and probably only at very low speed, as the transmission state (extremely stiff transition from 2-3rd) implies. The transmission hasn't been shifted much into the upper gears.
Here's what is supposed to be done for the break-in maintennence of a Bullet at 500 miles:
Change engine oil
Change oil filter
Change primary chaincase oil
Change gearbox oil
Clean airfilter element
Check and adjust primary chain tension
Check and adjust clutch free play
Check and adjust front and rear break play/operation
Lubricate hand level hinges and gear shift linkage
Check throttle operation
Check battery fluid levels and clean terminals
Check all switches for operation, front and rear brake switch, engine kill switch, head lamp beam knob and horn
Check wheel alignment
Check tire pressure and inspect tread condition
Check rear swing arm stud nut tightness
Check and adjust rear chain tension
Check carburator fuel line for cracks or leaks
Check and adjust head lamp aim if needed
Road test
Well, I've already performed a pretty good road test. The transmission is so stiff at present that it is very difficult to get into third gear. The road surface was wet and the road I had available too short to get up into 4th gear. The neutral finder is not adjusted correctly. It looks as though the shifter mechanism might be hitting the rear drive chain when lifted high enough while searching for third and possibly forth. Oil has entered overflow tube which seems to drain into the air box. There are oil leaks at the bottom of the primary drive chain case (minor), and engine oil leaks from the tube mentioned above, which is not firmly clamped to what looks to be an oil overflow tank (just under the battery).
Here's what I plan to do to the bike first:
Do all the maintenance outlined above.
Install the bushing kit developed by DRS Cycles up in Indiana
Get a high capacity oil pump and install it
The Bullet I bought also had a Goldstar unbaffled exhaust pipe. I wish to put that on just to hear how loud it is. The mechanic at Perry's suggested it would be louder than a Hog out on the highway. Heh. But I will wait until I'm ready to rejet the carburator and all that will happen only after I've gotten the bike properly registered and inspected.
The second picture is off the trailer at the outpost
These are the details of my Bullet as near as I can reconstruct them:
VIN
MBFFSV2261M5XXXXX (die letzte feunf Nummern sind privat ...)
Year
2001
First Owner
BMW of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX.
aka
Perry's Motorcycles & Sidecars
816 S. Sylvania
Forth Worth, TX 76111
( 817)429-9922
Fax: (817) 338-1353
Mileage when sold to second owner (in December 2002):
206
Mileage when sold to Bullet (November 2003):
506
The warranty is no longer in effect. This Bullet has reached its break-in maintenence check mileage. I've talked to the mechanic at Perry's at length about the Enfield and I highly recommend their store. If I had bought a new bike, I would have gone to them, as his honest answers to ALL my many questions about Enfield mechanical aspects made me feel confident they would properly prepare the motorcycle and help me with any maintenance issues long after the warranty expired.
From the paperwork I possess this Bullet was probably used as a demo model at Perry's and then sold to the first owner in December last year. That owner rarely used it, and probably only at very low speed, as the transmission state (extremely stiff transition from 2-3rd) implies. The transmission hasn't been shifted much into the upper gears.
Here's what is supposed to be done for the break-in maintennence of a Bullet at 500 miles:
Change engine oil
Change oil filter
Change primary chaincase oil
Change gearbox oil
Clean airfilter element
Check and adjust primary chain tension
Check and adjust clutch free play
Check and adjust front and rear break play/operation
Lubricate hand level hinges and gear shift linkage
Check throttle operation
Check battery fluid levels and clean terminals
Check all switches for operation, front and rear brake switch, engine kill switch, head lamp beam knob and horn
Check wheel alignment
Check tire pressure and inspect tread condition
Check rear swing arm stud nut tightness
Check and adjust rear chain tension
Check carburator fuel line for cracks or leaks
Check and adjust head lamp aim if needed
Road test
Well, I've already performed a pretty good road test. The transmission is so stiff at present that it is very difficult to get into third gear. The road surface was wet and the road I had available too short to get up into 4th gear. The neutral finder is not adjusted correctly. It looks as though the shifter mechanism might be hitting the rear drive chain when lifted high enough while searching for third and possibly forth. Oil has entered overflow tube which seems to drain into the air box. There are oil leaks at the bottom of the primary drive chain case (minor), and engine oil leaks from the tube mentioned above, which is not firmly clamped to what looks to be an oil overflow tank (just under the battery).
Here's what I plan to do to the bike first:
Do all the maintenance outlined above.
Install the bushing kit developed by DRS Cycles up in Indiana
Get a high capacity oil pump and install it
The Bullet I bought also had a Goldstar unbaffled exhaust pipe. I wish to put that on just to hear how loud it is. The mechanic at Perry's suggested it would be louder than a Hog out on the highway. Heh. But I will wait until I'm ready to rejet the carburator and all that will happen only after I've gotten the bike properly registered and inspected.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
Hah. Got it.
She's pretty. A white 500cc kick start. 506 miles.
Shifting is a painful experience. It's a good reason to get to take the assembly apart and check it out. DRS cycle has a little gizmo that helps with that. The linkage may be hitting the chain on its upper travel, which is probably hindering the shifting.
She's pretty. A white 500cc kick start. 506 miles.
Shifting is a painful experience. It's a good reason to get to take the assembly apart and check it out. DRS cycle has a little gizmo that helps with that. The linkage may be hitting the chain on its upper travel, which is probably hindering the shifting.
Tuesday, November 04, 2003
I have made arrangements to pick up a bike tomorrow.
I don't want to jinx myself, so I will make no predictions nor will I write about it further.
I did update the look of The Bullet Blog, mostly with some links to mechanical topics specific to the Royal Enfield Bullet that will be filled in as time goes along. Plus a sidebar item labeled "Ride Errors" which will link to anectdotes about ride errors I've done myself, seen others do, or hear about.
I don't want to jinx myself, so I will make no predictions nor will I write about it further.
I did update the look of The Bullet Blog, mostly with some links to mechanical topics specific to the Royal Enfield Bullet that will be filled in as time goes along. Plus a sidebar item labeled "Ride Errors" which will link to anectdotes about ride errors I've done myself, seen others do, or hear about.
Saturday, November 01, 2003
This morning I took a look at a used Enfield that is for sale. It was in good shape and I made an offer on it. It was accepted. However the owner was out of town and hadn't signed the title so I will have to wait for later in the week to see about payment and the title and, well, who knows.
If it is destined to be then it shall be.
On a tangential note I purchased Mari Sandoz' biography of Crazy Horse yesterday. Its narrative is third person from a Teton Sioux perspective, a style I appreciate. I suppose the more academic would complain such a narrative approach has no place in biography because it of necessity requires some fictional element. I reject that argument and will enjoy this book.
More on the Enfield later, I'm keeping details about it private for the time being.
If it is destined to be then it shall be.
On a tangential note I purchased Mari Sandoz' biography of Crazy Horse yesterday. Its narrative is third person from a Teton Sioux perspective, a style I appreciate. I suppose the more academic would complain such a narrative approach has no place in biography because it of necessity requires some fictional element. I reject that argument and will enjoy this book.
More on the Enfield later, I'm keeping details about it private for the time being.
