Royal Enfield

**scumdog** · 12th June 2015, 19:40

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** · 12th June 2015, 20:30

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** · 12th June 2015, 20:59

Originally Posted by scumdog

are they semi-reliable??

Originally Posted by 98tls

plenty of problems.

Sounds authentic.

**HenryDorsetCase** · 12th June 2015, 22:22

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** · 13th June 2015, 05:55

Originally Posted by 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.

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** · 13th June 2015, 10:52

Originally Posted by Grumph

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

**ellipsis** · 13th June 2015, 11:12

...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** · 13th June 2015, 12:17

scummy rides a harley so shoud be used to trailers

**pete376403** · 13th June 2015, 15:06

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** · 13th June 2015, 16:29

Originally Posted by JimO

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** · 15th June 2015, 12:37

Originally Posted by scumdog

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** · 15th June 2015, 13:50

Originally Posted by Flip

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** · 15th June 2015, 15:44

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...