RUST in peace?

There is normally a great amount of heart (read emotion,affection) involved in choosing to buy a motorbike. I bought my Royal Enfield without riding or test riding a bullet even way back in 2002 despite hearing the usual scepticism and anti-thoughts of the Bullet. I took to it like fish to water. Probably you just know some things are right for you...

:)

Maintaining a bike is painstaking... and not easy as it appears. It does not matter even if you have a couple of servants to clean the bike. The 'U' factor is esential. How to maintain the bike is beyond scope of this article and rather how NOT to maintain is more that matters in this platinum page !

Some Dont do's. -

1. Dont leave the bike in the open - exposed to weather elements. A decent bike cover will cost only Rs. 200 (or 3 pounds or 4 dollars in India... ).

Alternatively imagine the cost for removing the rust and corroded metal and all the yuck! If you dont care about the bike better sell it for what you can get now than selling it as scrap later... U probably can get a few dollars more. "Penny wise, Bike foolish" - BT.copyRiGHT.


2.Don't leave the bike as is- If u are going away for a long time somewhere, sometime. Theres normally a procedure to follow in all bike service manuals so that vital parts stay fit n fine. Like you need to oil and service some parts before packing the bike safely away.Or disconnecting the battery. Even if u got a garage..dont leave it in the open.


3. Animals too luv ur bike... Cats n dogs like to sit on the seats of ur bike - covered or no cover. Beware, along with "sitting" they may do a nasty thing (like read the quote words by adding 'h' as the second alphabet to "sitting" ! Get it ? :)


4.Dont insult ur bike - give respect and u will definitely get respect.That doesnt mean motorbikes will never break down. Normally they won't. But then some electronic parts may not agree with the motorbike's heart all the time :)

Weak and soft hearted readers please exercise caution for below picture set. Strange way to maintain a bike cruelly found in pics sent by one of the readers... I wonder whats the intention of letting this classic Royal Enfield Bullet motorbike rust away.

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- "RUST in peace ? :-|
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.Some one has also covered the petrol cap with a small ice cream cup.
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Im lost for answers and full of wild guesses.On one end I did come across news in north india about some youth stealing Royal Enfield bikes for sheer joy of riding them alone and at the other end these scenes...and there are others who are still saving up to buy an enfield at least a good used one - but what kind of memories can be kept alive by letting a bike "RUST in peace" ? DON'T Do.

Guesses welcome.


Ride on and take care - both u and the bike!
Have a nice weekend!

BT
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Rust in Peace is also title of a studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth released in 1990.

Royal Enfield in Classic Superbikes

Honestly coming to the point, a major motivation for buying the "Classic Superbikes from Around the World" book by Mac McDiarmid is because it featured a Royal Enfield motorbike (which to me is irresistible as you may be knowing). This book has a selection of superbikes in a period of 25 years (1950-1975) which spanned major technological changes in motorcycle industry! A good read for the motorbike enthusiast.

What amazes me is the availability of so many huge cc bikes 1000cc, 750cc in the yesteryears and the lot though these days you don’t find enough manufacturers adventurous enough to compete manufacturing a 1000cc!



The Royal Enfield Constellation



Specifications:
Engine: air cooled 692cc OHV vertical twin
Horsepower: 51 bhp@6250 rpm
Transmission: 4 speed
Frame:Tubular steel cradle,single front downtube
Top speed:112 mph (180.246 km/hr)

- "Where Triumphs tended to do it on revs, the 'Conny' (Constellation) offered sheer punch"

- "The big Enfields enjoyed dynamically balanced cranks and prodigous torque"
Constellation production continued until 1962 and then the 736cc Interceptor was introduced.Neither bike was conspicously successful and sold its last bikes in 1968.A stranded shipment of engines were later used in the Rickman Interceptor. However the successful Enfield 350 and 500s still continues to be produced in India :)

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Another one of the interesting bikes featured in the book is Benelli's 750 SEI, the first production motorcycle to boast six cylinders!

Engine: air cooled 748cc SOHC
Horsepower: 71 bhp@8500rpm
Transmission: 5 speed
Frame:tubular twin cradle
Top speed: 114 mph (183.465 km/hr)



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This bikes performance was disappointing due to very high pumping losses.
This 100 odd page book is a good read for the enthusiast. It also features the Yamaha RD 350 and BSA Goldstar too!

I do plan to add a section to this blog explaining some terms like- 4 stroke twins,vee config,water cooling,fuel injection,camshaft,crankshaft,camshaft etc.

Have a nice week!
BT

Tea OR Biscuits

Would you have tea OR biscuits? That kind of offer would startle my mind for a second! I’m sure that statement from anyone would sound strange. Normally I would consider or offer Tea AND biscuits!

I had this quizzical effect when watching a program on TV. One of the automobile program TV hosts set out to compare a Royal Enfield motorbike with Harley Davidson bikes! What did he want to compare in the two bikes- cc? Torque? Style?, riding comfort ? I know Tea and Biscuits both are edible but comparison... is indigestible. Sorry mate.



I do agree that both motorbikes have a history of being used in the last two world wars as well as retaining their conservative designs in the new models too. But the buck stops there! The bikes are in a class of their own!

Things people do to fill up TV program time slots! Please don’t ask me more on this...you know the indigestion of Tea OR Biscuits has to wear off!

:D


BT

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Image source:Morning Tea By PSD
Under Creative commons license (http://www.flickr.com/photos/45581782@N00/3941959602/)

Amazing Enfield Bullet Stunts!

There have been so many stunts being performed on the Royal Enfield motorbikes in India.Simply awesome... I don't think Harley can stand up to all that ... ignore the japz for this exercise too :) . Indian Army team "Tornadoes" are a popular lot when it it comes to Stunts ... They are regular on Independance day(15th August) and Royal Enfield is the first and the BEST choice >>> check the lot !



Bow n arrow formation !



Below 54 guys on one Royal Enfield !









Thats a long jump.They some times jump over folks lying down too ! Ahem.. i prefer to be on the bike though :)




Water splash! If u havent had a bath or cleaned ur bike- Voila..golden opportunity! but do hold on to the bike. It will pass..what about you ?



And other amazing formations... see no aeroplane needed




Above is just the stunt dimension of the Royal Enfield. And you might have heard of Jacqui Furneaux world tour of 20 countries on the Enfield !


Should we say awesome? superb? amazing? or..... Just ENFIELD !

Tyre me please.....

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I changed my Bullet front tyre from the factory fitted original one after 8+ years:D

Gone are the days of manual twisting to get the soul( i mean tube) of the tyre out. There's this wonder apparatus which one can smoothly get the tyre out of the wheel rim . Its powered by a smooth motor! Hmmm. the west makes things easy or lazy for us!One just has to push the accelerator like pedals to get it rotating and the tyre is out :D

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For the Royal Enfield Bullet standard and electra wheel air - its 20 in the front and 30 in the rear wheel. The local tyrewallahs.. will try to push u for 30:40 !!!
Beware :)

Cheers!

BT

Royal Enfield Robot or Art ?

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I was at the Royal Enfield service station for a minor issue on my Bullet and was fascinated to see this amazing piece of art .. Robot Royal Enfield! I do not know if it is distributed by royal enfield to all showrooms!

If you observe closely, you can see its made of ... if i got it right - The Headlight with its small beady eyes + front forks + fuel tank + side boxes +exhausts + chain spock !

Correct me if im wrong!

Indeed the Enfield amazingly never ceases to amaze !

Cheers!

BT
pic taken by BT on LG Viewty

The Motorcycle God

Motorcycles have a grand following. Harley has its great worldwide fans.But seriously...not fan enough to have a shrine ! Well - On the Jodhpur highway, a few km from Pali there is - A shrine to the Bullet Baba!People offer prayers to the bike and its late owner Om Singh.
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Details can be had in the following links below.

http://sify.com/news/rev-up-those-prayers-at-bullet-baba-s-shrine-feature-news-national-kjikEcjgcba.html

Art and Royal Enfield milkman bike

Creation of Art is many times influenced by things around. Subodh Gupta , a renowned New Delhi based artist has made a art form of the Bullet in chrome n brass.He has rightly identified the iconic status of the Royal Enfield in India and turned it into a class art work.

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A Bullet is for ever- Lets hope we get to see more art on the Royal Enfield Bullet!

BT

Enfield view of the road

Motorbiking has not been too much regular these days ... some other things take priority! Some snaps from the weekend ride.I tried to get some sunshine on chrome.

Personification of an enfield. Imagine the enfield bike on the road- > What it sees on an Indian road -
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As thumping increases ... Oho a bus on the road..must overtake - here we go touching speedo 30 ! Oops a dog crosses the road - Brakes !Touch 0. ( Thought: Dog marathon on da road?)

Proceed...aha finally nearing 35 speedo- flying family wth kids crossing the road. Brakes again.Touch 0. (Thought:Can't ya stay@home)

Proceed ..speedo 10. Jam jam here comes tha man - Da policeman halting a jap crap rider for breaking the rulez.Touch 0.(Thought:Y not some other place. some other time)

Proceed. Speedo touching 40 ..yay ! Brakes. Stupid people crossing the road.||||| No zeBRA crossing... Brakes. Touch 0.(Thought:Do u guys need a bra !)

Proceed. Sluggish trafic. 20-30 speedo. 1st gear-2nd gear. Speed up again touch 40 -Brakkkkessss! - WoW - a CoW on the road* ! Brakes.Touch 0.(Thought:Holy cow!)

Im sure these are minor roadblocks on a city road in India. Exciting ? Whatever *&^%#.

Meanwhile - an Enfield on a road in england thinks

Proceed..speedo 60-70-80-90 -and on .... (Thought:WTF... when will ya stop - when the fuel is over or the piston ceases!) Whatever *&^%#.
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Nice weekend !
BT

*(Interesting comic -18+)
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Fly You Fools - Indian Comics about Life.

Ingenious contraption- Enfield it ?

Ingenuity is inborn in human beings to solve problems. Imagine you have to carry a lot of things to another place regularly. You can't afford a small pick up truck or auto!

What would happen if you cross a -> yamaha motorbike front wheel+fork with a bajaj scooter headlight/speedo console and tractor clutch plus a bajaj scooter engine and a simple cycle cart and cycle frame ?

Voila!
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--- You can see the small scooter engine underneath.




I'm sure you might have seen this in and around Delhi region! Legal aspect and certification ? ~Dayyumm it!

Admire the genious who made it and the daring who ride it ! I personally feel that this would be better with a Royal enfield engine - adding a thump to this contraption !


Cheers,
Have a nice week !

BT

--------------------------// Blogs of Note //

Washing your motorbike, the easy way -
Visit to a Royal Enfield garage in Berkeley/(Bristol,UK )-
Riding an enfield in land of Enfield
Ten commandments of the Royal Enfield Bullet

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Link to PlanetBT motorbike stuff