Royal Enfields From India, Anyone Had One? Any Good?

You're absolutely right of course @Don the Don but I can't deny that my inner miser feels like TTP are taking the P and wonders if it might be just as easy to mount a suitable piece of stainless steel tubing of a suitable length and thickness around the suspect boss for a few pennies.

 

You know all this talk about idler gear failures, kick-back etc. brings up a point that actually disappoints me a little. The lack of a kick-start on the Bonneville. Call me a weirdo, a freak and a throwback if you like but I really miss having a kickstart to start my bikes. It was always peace of mind too that, if that old battery wasn't playing the game you could always kick the beast into life.

 

Damn it if this idler gear thing hasn't wormed it's way into my head!
Went out on 'Britt' my 2001 Bonnie tonight. Started her on the centre stand with choke on, thought she probably didn't need it given how warm it was, and walked off to get togged up for a run. She conked out as I walked away. Got togged up, came back out and started her up again and she was lumpy and seemed like tickover was the problem so I adjusted the screw up 'til she was idling at 1000rpm. Went off just up to the Rest and Be Thankful to check out the landslide and back so around 16 miles. By the time I got home she was idling at around 1300 so adjusted back down but all through my run and my return home I am thinking "is my fecking idler boss going to fail and screw my bike?" "What's that noise, was it there before or is it the sound of broken alloy rattling around the system?" and, every time I stopped and went to start again I was prodding the starter like it was a Black Mamba or something! Jeez there are times when ignorance is bliss!

 

Ach I guess that I would have found out some time and I am always waiting for my bikes to fall apart on me anyway as the result of years of riding battered old heaps that couldn't be trusted.

 

Well I am starting to get worried that I made a big mistake in taking the jump of buying from Superbike Factory when I had read so many bad reports about them. I was told by email on the 8th of this month that the Bonnie would be delivered by the 18th at the latest (tomorrow) and that I would be contacted beforehand. So far I have not received any contact as to when it will be delivered and I enquired by three different channels today (online helpline and two different email addresses) and haven't received any update. Given that they charged me £100 more for delivery than the sellers of the other three bikes I have bought this year I am none too chuffed considering that they arrived promptly and with excellent service. I have received the logbook from the DVLA but that's it so far. If I have the logbook can I report the bike as stolen?

 

Well the Bonnie arrived today. My phone went at eight this morning and I was told that it would be with me in a few hours. The only problem now is that she is so nice that I don't know if I dare take her scrambling. Obviously been well taken care of, fitted with centre stand, chromed side casings, aftermarket exhausts (No idea what they are as they aren't marked but I don't think they are Norman Hyde togas), Screen, some battered Givi hard panniers, screen, brand new tyres, new battery, rectifier, fresh MOT and she has had the air injection removed. In one of the panniers was a spare output sprocket, spare new front brake pads and a new air filter plus all the components of the air injection system. The only negatives are some blistering under the paint of the front mudguard (metal on the 2001 model) and a couple of deep scratches in the tank just in front of the saddle. I think I got a good deal at three and a half grand for her. Much happier bunny now the Bonnie has landed.

 

OK here's a question for those in the know..... This idler gear 'safe start' jobby. Is there any way to tell if one is on a bike without taking the casing off? Reason I ask is that both of my 2001 Bonnie's have been well looked after and had plenty of extras, one with 8000 on the clocks and one with 15000 on the clocks. Given the level of care an attention that has been lavished on these bikes including TOR and Norman Hyde exhausts, centre stands, tacho's, chromed engine casings, air injection delete and TTP stage one tunes I would suspect there is a possibility that either one, the other or both have also had the 'safe start' gizmo fitted so I don't want to spend £216 on a pair of kits including the gaskets only to find that I don't need them. I can't think of a way to check myself but thought it might be worth a try to see if anyone else can. If anyone has one of these kits that hasn't been deployed and they want rid I may be prepared to take a pop too.

 

Well one has comprehensive history from it's first owner but not the second owner although I have emailed him to ask if he might have fitted one and the other bike only came with previous MOT certs although it has had an AI delete kit and stage one TTP tune installed.