Query - '95 Royal Enfield WTB

I just spoke to the owner of an Indian-made 500cc Bullet (single cyl)
with 12k Km for sale; asking price Cdn$5000. Seller says he's babied
the bike since new and it's in good shape.

Ever since watching _The Motorcycle Diaries_ I've wanted a funky old
Brit thumper like La Poderosa.

I've been Googling for info, but has anyone here had one? What are
they like, especially the fun factor.

TIA, Sean_Q_

 

Yep, I had one.

Fun factor!
well TBH they are good fun, if you don't mind just plodding around.
Adrenaline rushes come regularly, though not through awesome acceleration,
as there isn't any, but from either trying to stop in a hurry, or from the
brown pants syndrome when you are confronted with a truck coming at you head
on whilst trying to overtake. It really is best to get used to slamming on
the stoppers in this scenario, and hope that the beast will slow enough, so
that you can hop back in behind the cage you have been trying to get past
for the last couple of miles.

Reliability is fair, parts [1] are easy to get hold of, many pattern parts
being better than OEM.

Top ends (OEM) have a reputation for not getting much past 10K miles. (16K
Km). Easy, but relatively costly to fix.

The 500 is certainly better tan the 350. Either let you have a good
leisurely look at the countryside.


[1] In the UK, plenty of Enf Specialists

--
Greybeard

FLHRCI -01 UK ( 95 cu-in Stg 2. Big Boy!)
Trumpet Trophy 1200 -96, (The Barge) for rainy days

ukrm@foxtails[dot]co[dot]uk


*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***

 

For £2500, he's taking the piss.

 

I've owned one for several years. They are fun in a nostalgic way around town
and on slower back roads but are too slow for traffic on US highways and
especially interstates. They'll barely do the speed limits and that's punishing
them. Remember, they are basically 1930's bikes. They wear things like rings
and valve out much faster than modern bikes but they are very easy to work on
and that is part of their nostalgic appeal. I'd sugget that the price ($5000CAD
= 4518USD) for a used bike is a bit high.

 

They don't sell them new in Canada so it'll be a personal import from
the US where they cost $4995 ($C5500)for the (ahem) highest spec version.

 

Still a rip-off.

 

Well, the highest spec model is about £4500 here, so that Yank price is
a bargain...if you like Enfields.

 

I meant the bike being sold is a rip-off, actually.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Sean

Just getting ready to lunch its big end then. DAMHIK,IJDOK?

<consults currency converter>

HOW MUCH?

It'd want to be gold plated.

They're fun in a slow kind of way. I really must get mine MOTd and ride
it up and down near Mups one day soon.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Anton Gijsen

*snort*

Is that what you're going to do "when you get your licence"?

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

You forgot to mention the trailer for all the spare parts, the
replacement engine, brakes and electricals..

Oh - and a mechanics workshop to reforge the parts that break would be
handy.

Phil

 

Lah, Lah, Lah I'm not listening...

<sticks fingers in ears>

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Mups

Mere fingers in ears are no defence against that exhaust, I'm afraid.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - Podium Placed Ducati Race Engineer

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

Aint dat de troof

 

And how to get a fanatic's bullet up your arse. I don't think there's
any safe overland route atm.
--
Dave
GS850x2 XS650 SE6a
Every post contains Nutri-Ceramide-R and Pre-Biotics
for your reading pleasure.
Folding@Home Team UKRM
http://vspx27.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=teampage&teamnum=47957

 

Not really. They are quite reliable if ridden to their capability. But they are
1930s bikes intended for 1930s roads, not modern highways so they suffer the
same as Brit cars did in America. They will do 65mph but not for an hour, let
alone hours on end. The electrics on US versions are modern, needed to meet our
laws.

 

I totally agree with this post.They are a good old design made better
by modern technology as per,

http://www.f2motorcycles.co.uk/

A,"Workman's" bike to get you to work and back.They look great and
sound great and get loads of looks parked up.

Last year I was working at,"Humberside Airport" in the UK and had to
cross the bridge to work and a guy had a mint condition one which I
suspect he must have got from the link above.I always passed him on
the way to work on me old CX500 most days but one day he was stopped
in the,"Layby" on the way to work so I pulled over just in case he had
a problem.

"Bike alright",I said.
"Yep she's a good-un" he said.
"Why you stopped?"
"Early for work,fancied a cig".
"Me too".
"Why that old style bugger?" I said.
"Had one when I was a nipper."

Conversation ended and I went to work happy(Which doesn't happen often
;-)

 

I had a friend who had one of the first series. It spent more time in
bits waiting for replacement bits than it actually did on the road. The
metal parts were incredibly poor quality metal and the electricals were
even worse than Italian..

Phil

 

The very early ones were like that. They, and all the "bits" were hand made
using 1930s Brit tooling and methods as quality varied alot more than in modern
robot-built bikes. Then the "QA" department seleted the good ones for home
consumption leaving the worst trash for export (no joke). These were sold for
under $1000 USD/each and the importers then dealers marked them up to over
$4000. However, the factory has since been sold and moved and I heard that the
new owner didn't tolerate that practice. Still do not buy one expecting Honda
quality.

 

With luck he'll be kidnapped by Islamic terrorists and he'll bore them
to death.