Enfield MOT...

...passed, no advisories :-)

New clocks

Since the original speedo thought Enf was capable of 80mph and wobbled wildly, I treated her to a new one. Can't quite stretch to a Smiths digital jobbie, so went cheap with a refaced Indian replacement. More readable, much cleaner with bigger numbers, and reports a speed vaguely in the same ballpark as what the bike is doing. 

Only downside is that cheap comes at a price - the odometer is in Kilometres, rather than miles. Not a huge problem, just adds another step to my MPG calculation at the pump. 

Speaking of which, today's fillup comes out at 47.5 MPG. This would be horrendous, if I didn't take into consideration that I'd left the fuel tap on one night and came back to a petrol pond in a fume filled garage. God knows how much I'd lost.

Also added a small clock to the handlebar, so I know exactly how late I am for work. This may be relocated to where the light switch is on the instrument cluster, and have a simpler switch in the front of the left toolbox.

I thought she felt tight...

So, when I bought Enf she had just under 15k on the clock. I was told that she'd had a rebuild done around 10k - there was a receipt for £750 from the previous previous owner, but was just listed as "parts and labour", with no breakdown of what work was carried out.

I contacted the previous previous owner from the address on the V5 copy, and yesterday got a letter back with a phone number, so I've just had a chat. The oil pump had originally failed, so new pumps and spindles were installed, and whilst it was being done they did main bearings, big and little end and rings. He couldn't remember the mileage when this was done, but said that he'd MOT'd it at the same time.

I've just checked the MOTs, and it shows the same mileage as when I bought it, so essentially the guy I bought it from hadn't even put a mile on it since the rebuild!

This fills me with both joy and dread, since I have (a) got a freshly rebuilt engine, and (b) ridden a freshly rebuilt engine with no hint of an attempt at running it in :-)

Luckily I ride like a granny with a load in her knickers, so she hasn't been thrashed too harshly, but I now know to take it easier for the next few hundred miles until she loosens up a bit, and throw lots of fresh oil at her in the meantime.

Royal Enfield meet at CooperB Motorcycles, Easton Maudit

A couple of interesting Enfields at the CooperB meet today. Soaking wet, but there was tea and cake :-)

Why yes, the middle one IS mine :-)

Speedo is now playing up, apparently I can do 80 in second. Did a GPS run though, and it looks like she hits 55 with the valves starting to dance in 3rd, but changing to 4th doesn't pull much more. I can feel an Amal carb conversion coming on sooner than I thought.

A bit of work...

Swapped the seat, included the electrics cover, added the crash bars, adjusted the levers so that they're inline with my hands, and installed a main beam idiot light in the headlamp shell.

Couldn't do the LED indicators as the dedicated LED flasher doesn't, and couldn't do the rack as the bolts are 10mm but the holes are 3/8" (which is 9.5mm) and I don't have a small round file, a 10mm drill nor longer 3/8" bolts. Time to pop to the shops :-)

Seat is part 91475, From Hitchcocks :-

http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/accessory-frame-seats#part_4421

1998 Royal Enfield Bullet 350cc Superstar

To replace the stolen Electra, I bought a classic iron head 350 Bullet. The engine and frame numbers indicate it was made in '92, so probably sat in a crate for its first 6 years of life :-) This is how I bought it, not keen on the seat so it will be swapped for a single jobby with an accompanying rack :-

2010 Yamaha YBR 125 Custom

To replace the stolen YBR I got another as my daily runner, but this time a Custom :-