Today's craigslist finds......

[MrBob]

Originally Posted by TheDudeAbides

I don't know Guzzis well, but that seems like a good deal.

I don't know if it lasted for even an hour on CL. I'd expect to see that bike listed for well over 2,000.00 unless something was seriously wrong with it.

[Lomax]

A silly thought ??

2001 Enfield Bullet for $1500 ????

http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/2990812065.html



Marc

[_CJ]

Originally Posted by Lomax

A silly thought ??

2001 Enfield Bullet for $1500 ????

Wow, those are pretty cool! What kind of reputation do they have? The wife seems to like the style and price.

[Lomax]

They are cool bikes but slow. Think a 2 wheel Ural type bike. I also understand that being a fair wrench helps also.

It is very tempting as a around town play bike.

Marc

[Graniteone]

I recently sat on one at a Scooter dealer in Denver who carries them. The one they had was kind of shorter than I thought it was going to be from looking at pictures. I could see you would need to probably be handy with a wrench to keep that bike in order. Kind of like buying an old BMW but a little needier. Could be fun for a bit.

[Blakebird]

The last couple model years of the Enfields have seen them get much more hands off and trouble free with the new unit-construction, EFI, Euro III motors.

Before that it pays to like to tinker.

[GravityDT]

Anyone looking to hit the trails aboard a really sweet and incredibly well outfitted and plated 200 XCW this summer? Yes, it is mine...
http://saltlakecity.craigslist.org/mcy/2983025255.html

[doc_ricketts]

Originally Posted by Blakebird

The last couple model years of the Enfields have seen them get much more hands off and trouble free with the new unit-construction, EFI, Euro III motors.

Before that it pays to like to tinker.

Aren't those made in India?

[Lomax]

Originally Posted by doc_ricketts

Aren't those made in India?

I think there is a dealer in Denver and one in ft Collins.

I found this tips section in a forum.

1) Sustained speeds over 50 mph can cause permanent damage to the engine from overheating. Slow down and go easy with it.
2) When you park the bike, make sure you kick the piston into starting position, just past top dead center to keep the engine from wet sumping while it is parked. See my Royal Enfield kick start video below to see how to get the piston to top dead center.
3) The motorcycle has to be in motion when you shift gears. If you try to shift gears when the motorcycle isn't moving, it will be difficult to do. Do your shifting when the bike is in motion.
4) Learn how to kick start it properly before you hurt yourself doing it wrong. Watch my video below.
5) Get a good manual and read it. The best one I've found is by Pete Snidall. He's very active on the Royal Enfield forums, and he wrote his own manual, which is more detailed than the factory manual. You can get it at http://www.enfield.20m.com/buynowb2.htm

Marc

[doc_ricketts]

Originally Posted by Lomax

I think there is a dealer in Denver and one in ft Collins.

I found this tips section in a forum.

1) Sustained speeds over 50 mph can cause permanent damage to the engine from overheating.
Marc

But the good news is, if you take it to India to ride, then there is a mechanic in the back of every curry shop.

[MrBob]

Originally Posted by Lomax

I love those Brit old school lines. I watched a pair of these attempt to ride up Pikes Peak a few years ago.
What were they thinking?

[Narsisco Lopez]

Not sure if anyone's seen this, but this guy built his own Royal Enfield-based twin... the guy is an artist.

[lkr57]

I used to own one. Mine was a 2003 with electric start. Great fun around town. Effective max cruising speed was about 55 mph on flat ground. Couldn't keep up with traffic on Hwy 93 between Boulder and Lyons. I used to commute from Longmont to Boulder on mine and it handled the Diagonal ok, but that was only because there are two lanes and I could stay in the right lane and let everyone go flying by on the left!

I was able to get mine up to an indicated 80 mph a few times, usually on the morning commute. It liked that cold dense morning air. If you run them hard for very long you'll blow up the motor though. Materials, workmanship and quality control are all poor. A lot of people on the Bullet owner's yahoo group broke pistons. A lot of main bearing failures too. And snapped conrods, usually following a piston seizure. That's what happens when you try to run them too hard. Keep it under 55 (except for short bursts) and you'll probably be ok.

Vibration is heavy over 50 mph. Parts break. Front fender stays, chainguard mounting bracket, gas tank mounting area are all problem areas. Keep an eye on the bolts and don't spare the loctite!

Shifting is really poor, partly due to the crossover linkage for the left-side shifting. There is a bushing kit for the linkage that helps quite a bit. Still doesn't shift very good even with the kit installed. Can be converted to right side shifting. The importer, Classic Motorworks, used to sell a kit for that. Maybe they still do.

Front brake was really weak also. A disk brake upgrade kit is available but doesn't have that "period correct" look.

This one is kick start only. Mine was kind of finicky about starting with the kicker. Sometimes it would fire right up with one or two kicks, other times not at all. I never did completely figure out the starting drill. I relied on the magic button.

In spite of all the problems I loved mine. If I wasn't maxed out, I'd probably be heading down right now to go get this one!

Debby

[arapaho]

Originally Posted by Lomax

A silly thought ??

2001 Enfield Bullet for $1500 ????

http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/2990812065.html



Marc

I had two when I lived in India. Mine below was a 1962. You will notice the similarity to this 2001 model above.



I swore I'd never buy another one. They're slow, they leak out of every orifice, and the suspension (at least on mine) was atrocious. And they are the best thing you can get in India, which says a lot.

But at $1500 I'm tempted just for the fun of it. Always bring a set of tools when you set off on one of these though.

[Hair]

Growing up on the farm all of my neighbors had harleys. Old harleys. They all leaked except for three of them. Those bikes were owned by one guy. They were parked in the same spot in his shed for years. He road them all. He also fixed all the leaks. There wasn't any oil under any of them. The last time that I look was in the 70s. So two of those bikes were 30 years old then.

If he could get a harley to stop leaking there is hope for the Enfield. I don't have any suggestions to keep all the parts from falling off. I will say that if it's a tail light assembly that is mounted directly to a fender Lock tight isn't the answer.