Royal Enfield

[scumdog]

Watching TV Travel Channel (25) and seeing those dudes on Royal Enfileds.
I like the 'olde school' looks of them

Anybody had any experience with them (the 'new updated' models!).

Any good and are they semi-reliable??

[98tls]

Couple of English blokes on the TL site have bought new ones for a bit of fun/go to work on etc etc,both have had plenty of problems.

[Ocean1]

are they semi-reliable??


plenty of problems.

Sounds authentic.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I talked to a young dude who had one of the army ones (the latest model EFI one) He had had no issues in six months from new he said.

But some other dude I was talking to said the metallurgy something something blah blah issues dont go there.

For the same money I think I would just buy an SR400.

[Grumph]

I talked to a young dude who had one of the army ones (the latest model EFI one) He had had no issues in six months from new he said.

But some other dude I was talking to said the metallurgy something something blah blah issues dont go there.

For the same money I think I would just buy an SR400.

The SR400 would be faster and way more reliable...
About 7 years back I was asked to go through a 500 which had been bought in India, ridden there then brought home to NZ. After extensive work including considerable remachining and a shitload of thread inserts, plus the fitting of an electronic ignition trigger - to get around the wandering timing caused by the points shaft bearing bush wearing rapidly....We had a pretty good 500. Started reliably, ran nicely, didn't leak much oil...
However at the same time I had a 1950/51 Norton ES2 500 here....which was one complete gear faster. Both on standard gearing, the ES2 was as fast in third as the Enfield was flat out in top....

[Tazz]

However at the same time I had a 1950/51 Norton ES2 500 here....which was one complete gear faster. Both on standard gearing, the ES2 was as fast in third as the Enfield was flat out in top....

I think anyone who buys a Royal Enfield for performance has been seriously mislead at some stage :laugh:

[ellipsis]

...of the five or six bikes I have stopped to help and if I had a trailer on, give a lift home over the last few years, three have been R.E's with oil hemorrhages...coincidental?...maybe...

[JimO]

scummy rides a harley so shoud be used to trailers

[pete376403]

The new RE is a whole new engine that just looks a bit like the old 1950s one.
http://www.royalenfield.co.nz/continental

[scumdog]

scummy rides a harley so shoud be used to trailers
True.

Once for a really-buggered battery. (Went instantly flatter-than-a-flat-thing after it started the bike OK only 15 minutes before)
Once for a broken chain.
Once for a front pulley coming loose (Got me home from Nelson though)

So yeah, pretty bad for only 20 years of Harley ownership...

[Flip]

True.

Once for a really-buggered battery. (Went instantly flatter-than-a-flat-thing after it started the bike OK only 15 minutes before)
Once for a broken chain.
Once for a front pulley coming loose (Got me home from Nelson though)

So yeah, pretty bad for only 20 years of Harley ownership...

100,000 km on mine. One damaged belt that I had to limp home on slowly. Other than that no probs.

[Laava]

100,000 km on mine. One damaged belt that I had to limp home on slowly. Other than that no probs.

Wow! I bet you wore the arse outa your chaps!

[Paul in NZ]

Pretty much wot he said.

You will at some point pull it to bits to build it up properly.

They are NOT designed for speed - an original RE from early 60's is probably faster but you can fix almost anything and make it bigger/faster to boot. A rung up from a Ural in development and quality but its still a bloody long ladder to get up to HD.

Had a mate with one that was tweaked - a 650 triumph could just get away from it but he was really trying and the 650 was merely a bit shocked to find a poxy old single on his tail...

[Laava]

Am amused watching Guy Martin negotiate his way around India on one at the moment on Choice.

[puddytat]

Yeah,that was cool.
Next week he's gunna race one:shit:

[awayatc]

The R.E. cafe racer is a red dot special allright....

brembo brakes,

Italian suspension....

great looks....

[husaberg]

Watching TV Travel Channel (25) and seeing those dudes on Royal Enfileds.
I like the 'olde school' looks of them

Anybody had any experience with them (the 'new updated' models!).

Any good and are they semi-reliable??

An extra few grand gets you a real BSA Gold Star
Faster, cooler, cheaper rego and is an appreciating asset.

[pete376403]

An Enfield is about $10K new. Please show me where I could get a genuine Goldie for $13K.

BTW theres a documentary on Choice tonight 7;30 (so you've just missed it) Guy Martin in India riding an old style Enfield. Second part on next week

[husaberg]

An Enfield is about $10K new. Please show me where I could get a genuine Goldie for $13K.

BTW theres a documentary on Choice tonight 7;30 (so you've just missed it) Guy Martin in India riding an old style Enfield. Second part on next week

the list price is 10000 but you still have the rest of the hidden stuff say $500. rego is dearer too.
Just looked only two on tm are race bikes at 15k there was a tasty clubman one on a while back.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/SearchResults.aspx?&cid=1255&searchType=&searchString=gold+star&x=0&y=0&searchregion=60&type=Search&sort_order=&redirectFromAll=False&rptpath=1-&generalSearch_keypresses=4&generalSearch_suggested=9&generalSearch_suggestedCategory=

[Muskrat]

Yep, I log about 600 km every week commuting to work on a 2013 Classic. Had a lot of problems at the beginning, but seem to have ridden all of them out after about 15,000 km or so. I'm about to hit 30,000 km with no problems (knock on wood). Let me know if you have any specific questions.

"Anybody had any experience with them (the 'new updated' models!).

"Any good and are they semi-reliable??"

[jamuels]

Knew a guy with an original 1975. Ported polished, balanced, lightened and a bigger carb.

26HP on dyno before mods, 29hp after mods.
Reckon he would have got more if he took the windscreen off.
Had a sheepskin cover for the seat as it took him twice as long to get anywhere so it had to be comfortable. Saw they light and brought one of those black sporties.

Value from a bike built in India using old borrowed technology - you get what you pay for.
If it blows your hair back and makes you feel good then fine ( tuck your hair in though and you might reach the speed limit ).

[Takataka]

I rode from Karnataka to Himachal Pradesh on a 1977 350 bullet with my girl friend a few years back.

I wasn't intending to buy a bike but ran into someone desperate to sell one. I bought it for US$350, threw our backpacks on the racks and set off the next day on a 4000km trip. Zero preparation. Had a blast!

At one point we blew second gear so had the gearbox rebuilt by a mechanic and Enfield enthusiast in his 60s. Total price for work was NZ$70

I also explained to him that the battery was slowly running down when the headlight was on. He removed the magnets from the magneto and stuck them to a big electro magnet in his workshop for half an hour. Problem solved :)

When I first arrived at his workshop he started the bike and listened to it for about 20 seconds at various revs. He then gave me a run down on the condition of piston, rings, big and small end bearings.

Every part is available for the bike in every town, including a huge range of aftermarket accessories.

THIS is the awesome situation when you only have 4 or 5 models of bike in a country.

The best place to ride an Enfield is in India.

....I must admit though there was the odd time I wished I had my XLV750:yeah:

[Voltaire]

Three more weeks and off to India for 3 weeks of RE riding :woohoo:

[Takataka]

Three more weeks and off to India for 3 weeks of RE riding :woohoo:

:woohoo: Have a great time

[J.A.W.]

Full credit to Steve Linsdell for his achievements with getting super-performance from his R-E machines, but I doubt much Indian stuff was involved..

The Indian Enfield I rode was distinctly uninspiring, & very much of the awful old 'grey porridge' ilk - that was justly swept away by Nippon machnes in the `60s..

[Voltaire]

Went for a spin on a Royal Enfield 500 single today, bit of knack to starting with the decompressor, gear shift is same as Commando so no issues there, front drum brake was next to useless.
The one in India will have a disc I'm told.
Rode it about 20 minutes on gravel and it seemed ok at 80kmph, missus thought it was comfortable enough. Roll on October 10 I say.

[EoinC]

I've had a 1974 500 Bullet for the last 18 years. No major problems. Crappy chrome and plastic bitz, but that's of no concern to me. Crappy brakes (even with twin-leading), but they're well matched to the acceleration and top speed.

I haven't ridden any of the newer ones, so can't comment on them.

[GrayWolf]

The R.E. cafe racer is a red dot special allright....

brembo brakes,

Italian suspension....

great looks....

Rode the old bullet in the UK, rode the 'indian' Enfield in the '80's' {350} and ridden the classic and the Conti for a reasonable 'test ride'.
Over the Paekakariki Hill, there were a couple of guys in BMW 650 singles behind me, the handling of the Conti was spot on, even they commented it was clipping along; Just surf torque and they are pretty reasonable.

SR400 Vs Conti? Top speed is within km's of eachother, and on looks alone? WHY would you go SR400?

Was SERIOUSLY thinking of a Conti, BUT, rumour is, the new 750 twin will be going in the Conti as the 'Interceptor'. I'm holding odd to see if.

[Bass]

Not long back from 2 weeks in Northern India amongst the Himalayan foothills, 2 up on a 500 Bullet.
Knock 100 h.p. off my Beemer for starters and then halve the remainder for operation up to 18,000 feet. Basic suspension and rudimentary brakes BUT!!!!! it was amazing where it would willingly go. Some really rough roads and loose surfaces - even deep and exceedingly fine dust.
About half the bike weight must be flywheel because it would smoothly pull from steam engine rev's with really good traction as a consequence.

[GrayWolf]

Not long back from 2 weeks in Northern India amongst the Himalayan foothills, 2 up on a 500 Bullet.
Knock 100 h.p. off my Beemer for starters and then halve the remainder for operation up to 18,000 feet. Basic suspension and rudimentary brakes BUT!!!!! it was amazing where it would willingly go. Some really rough roads and loose surfaces - even deep and exceedingly fine dust.
About half the bike weight must be flywheel because it would smoothly pull from steam engine rev's with really good traction as a consequence.

back in the 70's know an old fart { my age now} lol, who had a 500 bullet {original} with a double adult chair... it chugged along quite steady