Agreed! ☺️

Yes I like that too - sometimes simple is best!

Great stuff Gerald, thanks for sharing your experiences with us - glad to hear you're having fun on the RE, as you say a great fun bike. All the best - TMF

...wonder what the import duty and delivery times would be - great idea though!

...good job I'm in England then! :0)

Import from India - many of the indian ebay outlets have warehousing in the UK, pretty quick and no duty to faff about with. However many of the after market bits are pretty low quality. For example british cables are very much better than the RE originals, as are oils and brake fluid.

hey could you tell me more about the exhaust in your enfield

Great fun - congratulations, if you don't mind me asking how much did you pay for a new Euro 4 one??

TheMissendenFlyer £4,899, £200 more than the non-chrome colours

Thanks for that - £200 well spent I reckon, I love the look of the chrome machines....enjoy (and let me know how you get on, these are still very much on my radar)....cheers - TMF

No comment then ;0)

Astra la Vista baby

Great stuff Robin - enjoy...

+taketimeout2 Thank you for watching!

I think you were very cold when making this vid. But I enjoyed the ride. That's what I like about your vids. Guessing where you are and wishing I was there!

Yes I know they have a fabulous reputation for keeping going - they use them to ride across the Himalayas so they must be good! WHat are you riding now??

Sold my last one a month ago: 1980 Honda CB 900C. I must say your interests in the bikes matches mine more or less. I am hoping to get a dirt bike and Triumph Street Triple this year. Staying tuned for your review of the new 2017 Triple :)

Did you see the launch?

TheMissendenFlyer yeah. Looks sweet, esp glad they refreshed the console. no mention of the cruise control though.

...I was a little underwhelmed - was hoping for radical new styling but it looks basically the same....so the jury is out for me 'til I get to ride one....I'm sure it will ride fine...

Yes proper old school motorcycling....

Completely agree with that....thanks for watching!

Just remember , those pegs don't have sparklers on um and are more solid than any of your body parts . Now that's fun .

Yes the pegs are just welded on as far as I can see!

Big bolts. The indians use bloody great hammers and bricks to straighten them. They're deliberately softer than the frame and cheap to replace.

Bolted onto the frame

Nice....

👍

Ohh really...that would be a great news for India..love from India bro

A old friend have a re build as a chopper, Old parts no new on that, Sören is handy so it is al his ovn work.

That's great - I love a bit of enthusiasm!

I love 'em! A proper classic...and I agree, that sound is amazing....

Thank you!

Thank you Graeme and congratulations on the new bike - let me know how you get on with it?

Hayballs are a really good dealership. That bike you rode with only 118 miles on it was far from run-in, that takes 1000 miles, after which they vibrate even less. They still thump though, it's a big single, but they lose the tingle as they bed in. Many riders new to RE ride them in too high a gear. I think TMS was doing that in 3rd at 50mph. It will pull that but it prefers to be cruising in top then. Usual first mod is to dump that ugly exhaust. A free-flow with the baffles removed or a straight-through like TMS had will give you more top end but not the low mid range from having the baffles in. And low to mid is where this motor lives.

Thanks for watching Dylan!

Nice...

Sure is! Almost worth going to Bangalore and riding one home....

Nice one :0)

Lovely machine Rob! How have you found the chrome finish stands up to the weather? Any rust???

TheMissendenFlyer if you keep it oiled not to bad go a little bit on the bottom of the spokes actual body work has been fine only thing I found is on the stock exhaust the heat shield will rattle lose if you don't lock tight the bolts in

Understood - thanks for that....

Yeah, if you "keep to the speed limit" it is very happy at A-road speeds of 45-70. There's enough in reserve to waft past cages. If you have to get on a motorway d/c then it will cruise up at 80. One of the things about a big single is they're happy holding near-maximum revs for ages. But note - the motor needs to practise at high revs to bed it in, the first few times it will tingle. After running-in these motors need to use high revs to bed them in. Do it 'naturally' during riding, don't just thrash it. The vibration tingle reduces and the motor produces quite a bit more power, and a willingness to go over 4800rpm. This is something that needs to be done with this motor, after running-in.

The chrome can get rust spots. The spoke nipples had some from new - that was disappeared the next day with Rimwax. It appeas on the rims from time to time and the exhaust gets mucky. Smartwax Rimwax and ACF50 and Muc-Off MO94 all seem to work nicely. Rimwax works on the silenceer, the sprays seem to cook. Nothing much works on the hot down pipe, just gets washed and wiped. Elbow grease and oily rag work but attracts dirt and dust. The paint could be tougher. Stone chips on the black frame can be spotted with black Smoothrite or Vauxhall black (black is very difficult to match). Touchup paint can be had from RE dealers. It is paint on metal, not plastic panels. Clean and car wax the paintwork from new and it will stay good. Do Not use a car "polish" like AG SRP because all "polishes" are abrasive! I clay-barred the paint, treated it with a professional paint sealant (rust inhibitors) and then waxed with (AG High Definition) carnauba. Result is a tough finish and dirt wipes off.

+Steve Thackery Thanks for the tip Steve!

I'd love to do that...

Oh I would love to Derek, I watch a lot of Kiwi Vloggers and am always envious of your stunning scenery...and at the moment your summer too!

Thanks for watching! Stay tuned for an updated review on this bike soon!

TheMissendenFlyer looking forward to seeing it!! Thanks again.

Hehehe, that Church where I stopped was a corker wasn't it - as you say very English...and all that was within 2 miles of central Watford all within the M25....

Glad you like it David - thanks for watching.

Totally agree, I love the styling of the Classic, the new 650s way less so.

RE METEOR 650 IS ON IT'S WAY .

Yes agreed 100% - The bullet is basically the same bike with some cosmetic changes (I prefer the look of the classic) - the very friendly guys at the dealer in Watford are going to let me ride the new Euro 4 compliant Bullet when that comes in...so stay tuned!

Cool I’ll look forward to that then. I was looking at bullets quite a long time ago and I think that one thing that put me off was a complete lack of an electric start. I couldn't go back to kick starts at this stage of my life. I'm guessing these new builds will have an electric start though.

Yes, even the current one has an electric start - think they added that a few years back...

Yes good electric start, an override for the injector to allow cold starts, and for some reason my bike ticks over on the side stand but the brake light comes on!

You have a wiring fault but it is normal to disconnect the side stand switch, it just unplugs back of the battery.

Thank you Thomas, my problem is I like all bikes - in particular I appreciate the engineering in the classic machines - and the RE has something about it. Yes it's a bit of a dog to ride but once you've mastered it (takes about ten minutes) it's hugely fun and very rewarding....I love 'em...

My pleasure. If you enjoyed riding this you should try a Matchless 500 single from about 1945. I talked a mate into buying one once then helped rebuild it. A very simple job. It was a pleasure unlike any modern bike as it plodded down the road beating every once in a while. If you liked this then the Matchless would blow your mind.

+Martin Cvitkovich Agreed! Thanks for watching - TMF

Yes the finish of the paint on these is lovely....hand painted coach lines too....

The bike is not hand painted. Only the stripes on some editions are hand painted.

@@nolinchitnis yes it is hand painted come to Royal Enfield manufacturing plant oragadam, Chennai, India. there you will find whether it is hand-painted or not

@@harikirandev The entire paint job is not hand painted . Only the pinstripes on the fuel tank of the Bullet 350, 500 and the Classic Chrome 500s. These are also called as Madras Stripes and is still done by the members of the same family who started it in 1957 and today a few others do it too

Sounds as if somebody fired a bullet from a gun

Thanks for the kind words InspectorGadget - I'm very tempted to get one myself, a great fun bike...let me know if you get one and how you get on? All the best - TMF

Cheers Stan - and thanks for popping by!

Yes it does come with a removable passenger perch I believe, so the footpegs are there for good reason :0)

As I said - these are the real deal not "old" or "retro" so you'd not break your own rule :0)

I don't usually even like the looks of old bikes but I think this looks the nuts in the green. A 500cc beauty for what I paid for my MT125.

Exactly - bargain central!

Don't forget the optional tool kit and use it . You'll be fine . Thanks all

Well that's the thing. You get an old 50's vintage bike that's brand new with all the bad bits fixed with modern stuff. The tool kit is standard not option but the spanners are made of cheese. Loctite, you need Loctite

I agree, nice looking too!

Yes a very comfy bike - thanks for watching - TMF

Good to hear that Paul!

yes these do sound the business don't they :0)

Had a chap on a GSX thingy pull along side and say, "that sounds really nice", right before we went under a railway bridge. Mwahahaha!

Correct....

@@TheMissendenFlyer can you tell me which one he put on please ?

....but they would look great on a new RE!

Good Point, They are in Mint condition...

Bob, I have arthritis in every joint and spondylolysis in stuff that aren't joints. I have zero problems riding the Classic. The clutch is light and the front disc doesn't require painful effort. Adjustable levers are available. The handling is nimble and forgiving, you can correct easily. You won't be putting a knee down on this one, you'll ground the brake pedal and the centre stand first.

Hi Jeff. many Thanks for your feedback Much appreciated. Bob

I am 58 and have severe arthritis. But a big part of my reason for buying a RE was the vibration. I grew up riding Japanese bikes and have had about 40 of them. They have just become too quiet and refined for me. I want a MOTORcycle, and I want to be able to hear and feel that motor. I went back and forth on buying a used H-D Sportster or a new Royal Enfield. I finally chose the Enfield because I love British bikes, and once owned a '66 Bonneville. Sportsters are everywhere. Everybody thinks my RE is a restored vintage British bike. I converted it from EFI to an Amal carb, and put a louder muffler on it, and now it is perfect.

Agreed.....

Its a bit like meditation :)

@@anuragsharma04 Instead of Om chant is Dug Dug. I used to hate RE but started to love them, wonderful machine.

No problem to change the gearing for motor way speed, but then you drop torque.

Cheers VileVeil - I was very keen to ride one of these and I have to say it surpassed my expectations on the smile per mile front...

He Peter - great to hear from you again, and yes, those random conversations would be part of the appeal for me!

....I think it comes down to class, taste, empire!

Right Said Fred .

As an American who cant stand the Harley / gotta be big loud and fast culture here, it only makes me want one even more, cause i know how much they would stand out in my hipster city of Austin. Absolutely beautiful piece of machinery, I only ride British bikes so i may be biased. Long story short, couldn't agree more my friend.

I get the thumbs up from plenty of Harley riders in my area. I have put it back to original style almost as much as I care to. I have a performance exhaust that makes the ground shake and it just thumps! I can't go anywhere without having to answer questions about my bike. 535cc, upped compression, flatside carburetor with pancake air cleaner, electronic ignition, performance exhaust. Loud. Not a lot of horsepower but already strong torque is just now incredible. Torque is where it's at. Will never be a freeway capable bike as the oiling is rudimentary.I have "performance" oil pumps that have me at maybe 6 psi ( that's right, 6 psi) But I can cruise at 50mph all day long and hills are like they don't exist until I get up in the mountains. All that said, they require constant attention.

Jon, what year-model? If EFI then you may have reduced bhp with the carb. The stock oil pumps on the EFI are something like 11 litres per minute, that's so much that the motor is effectively oil cooled. These can cruise at 70+mph all day long. Usual pottering speed is 40-60mph. Careful with the oil pressure, the motor is wet sump, you don't want it to dry-sump. Correction - I managed to type that back to front. The Enfield motors are dry-sump and do not like running wet-sump. There's only one hill approaching mountain size around here but approach is 1 in 3 - goes up on top. I mentioned tuning to 34bhp and 54Nm, but that was before I "fixed" the HT on the ignition and got another big wodge of torque. No, I wouldn't say they need constant attention. I think that's us, there's something about the bike that makes us want to fiddle with it.

I know the feeling Spike! Keep at it - I'm sure your time will come!!

Its a beast and u should buy it. Best of luck

Thanks for watching and for stopping by! All the best - TMF

Thanks Alex - got to fill my time with something ;0)

It produces 41Nm which can easily be tweaked to over 50Nm, that open silencer will help, and that puts it up into Guzzi V7 territory. The front brake is a 280mm Brembo copy so it's more than adequate. The rear is the tried and tested RE SLS drum but for some bizarre reason RE paint the cam/bush to the plate (incorrectly assembled), that can be fixed. Noise is 96dB but it's a pleasant proper rumble, the neighbours like it. Suspension is a lot better than earlier models, the rear are adjustable gas Paoli copies, front is compound spring progressive damping but the indian fork oil may be wanting. Handling is relaxed and forgiving, ride is comfortable, can be ridden for hours and hours. Range at 70mpg about 350 miles. Likes lanes but will eat motorway.

My rear drum is very spongy, think that may be the prob Jeff? Is it just a case of undoing the 2 nuts, applying the brake and re tightening to centre the cam?

zedcharlie - It's not that simple, you have to completely disassemble the rear brake. If you ever played with a Meccano set it won't be difficult. The wheel is quick-release and the chain wheel lifts out of the chain without breaking the chain or taking the chain guard off. Remove the cam/bush from the back plate, two lock nuts and two little screws, but the cam/bush is painted to the back plate use mallet. Remove the cam/bush and sand the paint smooth. Clean everything up clean room spotless and smear a tiny tiny amount of copper grease on the cam/bush to backplate, reassemble. Now the slide adjustment on the cam/bush is on the inside of the brake drum - I found the two small screws had to be just-nipped up and the the lock nuts fastened on the outside, tightened enough so that you cannot slide it by hand at the back plate but can when you apply full force by foot from the brake lever. It took some trial and error to get the tension right. Reassemble the lot back onto the bike. Put the brake arm on further back its splines than it was so that when the brake is fully applied it is at 90° to the brake rod (maximum effort), put the return spring on before attaching the brake rod. Now as the shoes bed in again they should centralise as you apply force to the brake pedal, you will need to adjust the brake rod nut to take up slack. If the two little screws are not set tight enough the cam/bush will move and not stay in the right place, if they are too tight the shoes will not centralise. The cam/bush was designed to slide, which is why it has lock nuts. This brake was designed pre-war and supplied by RE to practically all the other british bike manufacturers, it is very well known and I have no idea why they paint it in place in India, that is an assembly error. When you pull the wheel there are a number of spacers that will drop and roll across the floor, I took pics to aid putting stuff back in the right places, one of the little screws is longer than the other, springs, etc

Found a vid, So will def be doing that Jeff , Will let you know how it goes, cheers

Thanks Aswin....and wow, that sounds like quite a trip, good thing these RE's are fuel injected these days eh? How long (in miles) was the trip???

It indeed was one of the best times in my life. Lots of culture, nice people, rewarding route and enthusiastic fellow bikers on the way. The motorcycle I used was carburetor based old Standard model. EFI suffers a bit on the high altitude cold climate conditions so i went mechanical all the way. Did not break down once. The trip was slightly short of 800 miles. Spiti Valley and Ladakh from New Delhi.

What a trip - great stuff - I assumed Fuel Injection would be just the thing for high altitude/low temperatures so hats off to you....

It should have been but the RE EFI is far from perfect right now.

Isn't it!

They sell 100, 000 a year and the coach lining is done by 'only two brothers', are you sure.

Indeed!

Good to hear Soul Wagon, glad we concur, lovely machine - you're a lucky man!

Yes but it is easier to turn off your phone than to get your girlfriend off an idling 500!

Nice one - you enjoying it??

Nah, please don't take my comments the wrong way - compared to the super expensive tech laden bikes I normally ride (BMW GS, Ducati Panigale) the RE is in another world....but one which I really liked and I would be very happy to add one of these to my bike "collection" - thanks for watching Rahul - I'm honoured to have you along!

Don't worry, you should see this... kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jeBpZ5aVp5PVo6s.html

Haha, not a fan of the GT then! That speedo was hilarious....

In India, speaking truth about Royal Enfield means insulting a blind religion in a religious country. It gets me a lot of hatred, but... truth must be spoken without suger coating. Now, for Character, I would go to the V-twins.

oh dear, don't get me started! :0)

loendsti. Really? Never had a issue kick starting mine. On the other hand, I learned to kick start on a '78 Triumph Bonneville.

+Ajay Kumar Agreed Ajay, think it's a bit of a stretch to say it has nothing in common with the original bike but Kudos to the Indian team for taking the company on and keeping the Enfield brand well and truly alive...all the best - TMF

The Austrian design was the AVL "lean burn" engine. It was soon replaced by the Italian-designed UCE "unit construction engine".

Ajay kumar ......yeah, you deserve noble prize for this achievement .......

You are justifiably patriotic Ajay but apart from the frame, the swinging arm, the pre-war drum brake (which RE can't assemble properly), the casquette, the wheels, the mudguards, and the rest of it, it's a bit of a grandfather's axe, entirely original apart from two heads and three handles. ;) But is it so different from the british models that we can use new parts to fix up Redditch built ones ...

Enfields are designed / engineered in England again now - Royal Enfield bought a Harris Engineering in Leicestershire to do their R&D.

I've heard that before - it could be true! Although you could argue the vibes are what give it part of its charm....

I bet - chalk n cheese eh!?

@@TheMissendenFlyer Just a bit! That kick at 7 and a half thou surprised me!

Any vehicle with poor after sales and service availability, is gonna be bad for the vehicle but not bad about the vehicle Harley Davidsons have been affected india due to poor after sales and service availability.... But Harleys are good in themselves, aren't they?

Glad we concur Rohit!