Which Spare Parts for Cast Iron Electra 5s ?

If you own an older Bullet (cast iron 4/5 gear) and ride a lot (I mean a lot!), then being stranded on the road is probably not news for you. I have been stuck in the middle of nowhere, more times than you would have imagined. May it be because of a dead battery at Nubra Valley (way up north),  a broken kicker spring and a dying battery near Rameshwaram (way down south), or a broken rear wheel bearing on the way to Tawang (far east). Now you may ask "What about western India, haven't you faced any issues there?!?". Well, as of this date, I haven't yet set foot (tires!) in that part of our country, but am sure, I *might* come across some similar challenges there as well when I get a chance to ride to that region!:D Talk about surety. lol. So the point is, every time I had a breakdown that required a part to be replaced, I was away from a Royal Enfield workshop (obviously, being away from a city). And I had to call up the nearest (sometime 80-100Ks away) RE workshops to enquire if they have the part in stock. And 4 out of 5 times they would be confused with the part numbers because my motorcycle is a Cast Iron. Until a few years ago, it was still ok to not know the exact part numbers (from the RE service catalog) for iron barrel Bullets, as the RE mechanics or workshop staff used to figure it out based on the model number and year of manufacturing. But now things have changed drastically, especially after the UCE bikes have become the staple and RE has sold so many to be busy taking care of them. I won't be surprised if most of the new mechanics working at RE service centers have never really put their hands on an iron barrel engine, let alone know spare part details. So if you ever have to speak with such a staff/mechanic, they may be unable to help you with your road-side-emergency needs.

So what I am getting at is, how handy would it be if you (and I) have the list of part numbers specific to a model of a bike made available; which can act as a quick reference, not only in case of emergency scenarios during touring but also during self-maintenance/repair projects. So in this post I will try and do just that; list down the spare part name, OEM part number, and an image for reference. Initially, I will start filling in the details about the parts I can think of, keeping in mind their probability of replacement in a touring/maintenance scenario.

RE ELECTRA 5s (Electric Start, Disc Brake) / 2009 model:-

Sl#	Part Name	Brand	Part#	Cost in INR (appx)	Looks like.
1	Battery	Exide	Bikerz 12BI14L-A2	2600.00
2	K S (Kick Start) Spring	RE	146450/B	17.00
3	Clutch Cable	RE	PART-NUMBER	YYYY.ZZ	IMAGE-SRC
4	Throttle Cable	RE	145713/B	63.00	IMAGE-SRC
5	Air Filter	RE	143548/A	175.00
6	Spark Plug	RE (by Bosch)	141148	70.00	IMAGE-SRC
7	Front Disc Brake Pads	RE	PART-NUMBER	YYYY.ZZ	IMAGE-SRC
8	Rear Drum Brake Shoes	RE	PART-NUMBER	YYYY.ZZ	IMAGE-SRC
9	Oil Filter Element	RE	140029/6	28.00
10	Gasket Cylinder Head	RE	146843/B	108.00
11	Gasket Cylinder Base (STD)	RE	146545/B	64.00
12	Gasket Kit - Electra K/Start 5 Speed	RE	146947	457.00
13	Cap/Peak/Beak for Headlamp	RE	582657/A	109.00	IMAGE-SRC
999	XXX	BRAND	PART-NUMBER	YYYY.ZZ	IMAGE-SRC

If you have any suggestions or would like to contribute some content to this post, please feel free to leave it in the comments.


Ride Safe & Ride Far, 
 Sid

How to install side toolbox locks on bullet

Original lock sets (However I got a pair of SWISS branded locks, though from an original Royal Enfield spares shop)

My air-filter box lock has always been a nuisance, for as long as I could remember. It never opened or closed the way it should and I wasn't really patient with it either, while I operated it. So the end result was this.

The clip broke which keeps the air-filter box door shut.

The rusted clip has been through it all and finally gave up.

I had no other choice but to remove the remaining bit of the completely rusted lock and the nuts. The small Taparia plier I have in my toolkit got the job done without any fuss.

A small size plier is good enough to release the nut.

Once the lock is off the box, now was the time to find a replacement. So I just drove (?due to heavy rains the traffic has gotten crazy lately and my bike needs a thorough check-up before I put it to stop-n-go traffic!) to the Fixwell Royal Enfield spares shop at JC road. There seem to be 2 versions of the lock set; naturally one for the classic 350/500/newer models and one (thankfully!) for the older models like mine. The one they gave for my bullet was made by the SWISS brand and not Royal Enfield. When spares are manufactured by a third party rather than the manufacturer themselves are few signs that you my friend own a vintage motorcycle;)

A Set of 2 locks comes in a box. 

MRP on the box was 165 INR, and the store took 150 bucks. I was looking for just the clip which broke. But I forgot that we are living in the era of capitalism and we need to buy the whole lock set (of 2) and not just one tiny replacement clip anymore :/

Manufacturer details. So what you get are a set of 2 locks (with 2 flower washers and 2 nuts) and 2 keys.

Each lock kit has 3 parts (excluding the key).

The old clip which had broken on my bull was of much better quality (thicker and stronger) than the one in these new locks. So am not very sure of the life of these, if they are put to similar torture/use as the older ones.

Remove the nut and the washer, then put the lock from the outside in, aligning the notch with the groove on the side box cover (both visible in this pic)

A point to note while installing this is, the flower washer needs to be placed on the inside of the box and the petals (/teeth) should be facing up and away from the toolbox surface, i.e. towards the nut. This way, as you tighten the nut, the washer will flex to give the lock a firm grip without making it crack due to the pressure of tightening. So in simple terms, the sequence of items for the right-side toolbox should be like this:-

Nut > Flower Washer (teeth facing the nut) > Toolbox hole > Lock piece > Key!

The new lock is in place with the new key; gotta add *another* key to the bunch now! (eye roll)

Now as I said, the lock set was not from RE and hence there is some difference in its build quality compared to the original set of locks, which I replaced due to rusting/breakage. There is also a minor difference in the size/trim of the locking clips, which makes it a bit difficult to lock and unlock. For now, I have fitted them somehow with a few attempts and by bending the locking clip a little bit with the plier, but planning to get the edge of the clips trimmed a bit for a smoother and hassle-free fit. I will try and post an update here when I do that.

By the way, this lock replacement activity is part of my revival plans for my bull, which has been parked for more than six months now. Due to travel and work commitments, I haven't been able to ride it since February this year. And I am afraid if I leave it unmoved my (relatively) new front tire rubber might harden and that will be risky during a long trip. So I just decided to give it the much-needed attention and start working on it. The first step was to go out and shop for some spares and lubes. The next thing is to get the bike checked and serviced soon.

Goodies!!

As of now, I could only get the bike cleaned and polished. Next is an oil and air filter change (along with fresh oil of course). As time permits will check the condition of the clutch and valves, before thinking of a long ride. The rear tire is also on the brim of replacement so gotta drop by the tire shop too. Probably will get a Michelin for the rear this time, as the front one has done so well in the last few trips. Until then.

After dusting and a bit of pampering.. awaiting a service soon.

Ride Safe & Ride Far, 
 Sid

DIY - Replacing Amp Meter on Royal Enfield Electra 5s

Amp meter is mostly found on Iron Barrel (/Cast Iron) models of Royal Enfield. As the name says it shows the electric current flow/consumption in the motorcycle (wiring). 

Royal Enfield Amp Meter Grey, for Electra 5s

Now in the real world, the following are some of the use of the Amp meter, which I am aware of:

1. When the engine is running, it should lean towards the + sign (this means the battery is getting charged)
2. When any accessory (e.g. blinkers, headlight, horn, fog lamps, etc) is switched on, the meter needle dips towards the - sign, indicating power being consumed. Higher displacement of the needle to the left means more power is being drawn by that electronic accessory.
3. While kick-starting, if the needle dips towards the - sign, mean there is compression in the cylinder (first decompress the engine using the lever and give a half kick, and then try to start as usual)
4. [Update] If battery terminals are wrongly connected (reversed), the needle may dip to the -ve sign (This is just for info, plz do not try this one!)

Now am not sure if there is any other use for this thing. Feel free to leave a comment on this post if you know of any other use. So coming to my bike, it runs with an HID as the main light source and a set of halogens (55w x 2) for fog/rain, and on long tours, the phone (/gps) is wired to the charging port all the time. So I just keep an eye on the charging of the battery part, and hence have to rely on the amp meter from time to time. And of course, while kick-starting in the mornings. Anyway, now the amp meter on my bike had conked out a while ago and I had to get it replaced. Today I got some time to get my hands dirty. I had purchased a spare one for my Electra, so I just had to unplug the old one and put the new one in place. Yeah, its that easy, provided you have tool-friendly hands (meaning you know how to use tools without being all over the place and making dents and scratches on the bike).

Here are the steps to follow to get this job done.

Unplugging the old Amp meter from the main harness:

1. Ensure that your ignition is off and possibly take the key out for now
2. Get a feel of the set of cables, which is popping out from, below the amp meter, and see where its plugged into the motorcycle's wiring harness
3. If you can freely reach that plug from the side of the doom, then just try to unplug it (/detach) from the main harness by releasing the tiny plastic lock on one side
4. If you are not able to reach that connection/plug from the side of the doom, remove the doom from the head (do it carefully and keep it aside on the floor or on a cloth to avoid damaging it) and complete step 3

The female plug, is part of the motorcycle's wiring harness (notice the locking mechanism on the right side of the plug)

I had to open the headlight doom to reach the amp meter cable

Now the amp meter set is unplugged from the main harness, it is time to pull out the meter console from the head.

Removing the old Amp meter console:

1. Get a screwdriver and a piece of cloth (the one you keep for wiping your bike is also fine)
2. Now put the cloth on the handlebar, using it as a fulcrum, and with the flathead of the screwdriver try to slightly pry out the amp meter's ring from the head (do this slowly) 
3. Do the same thing from the front side as well and with each attempt try to lift the meter by half an mm and avoid being too hard on it
4. After a couple of attempts from front and back you should be able to pop out the meter (and maybe with the rubber sleeve around it out of the socket

Now as the old one is out, now the task is to fit the new meter in.

Fitting the new Amp meter console:

1. Put the new rubber sleeve into the slot, until it fits flush (as you can see in the images below)
2. Slowly put the cables inside the hole and work your way with the meter to sit in the slot perfectly
3. Slowly push the meter down until it fits in the slot and only the rim of the new rubber sleeve is visible below the metal edge of the meter
4. Now carefully take the meter cable route it around the speedo cable and plug it into the motorcycle's wiring harness ensuring that the plastic locking mechanism has slotted in properly
5. Move the handle from side to side and check the cable you just routed should not be getting pulled/stressed at any position of the handlebars

New amp meter without the rubber sleeve

First, put the new rubber sleeve in, then carefully slide in the amp meter cable followed by the meter console

Time to test the new setup before calling this DIY complete.

Testing the new Amp meter:

1. Put the ignition key in and switch it on
2. Switch on the blinkers and see if the needle flicks toward the -ve sign
3. Repeat step 2 for horns, headlights, fog lights, and any other accessories you wish to see the power consumption for
4. Now power up the bike using kick/self-start and see when it's idle, if the needle is leaning towards the + sign

That's it, the meter seems to be working fine. If you had to open the doom for this job, now you can fix it back.

 Amp meter needle in a neutral position : the ignition key is turned on, but the engine is not running

The engine is running and with a slight twist of the throttle the needle is going towards the + sign (in idle it still goes towards the + sign, albeit very less to capture in a photo)

Hope this DIY comes in handy when you are in need. For queries/suggestions, leave a comment below.

Cheers !!

Sid

RD350 Replica Handlebar Installation on Electra 5s (CI)

With greased hands, it's kinda tricky to take photos, still managed to get some essential ones. These are sufficient for anyone to know what to expect from this DIY task.

Allen Key #6 for the bar-end weights

Two screws and the left switchgear come apart. Notice the tiny hole on the handlebar, a plastic from the switchgear fits there. It restricts it from rotating around the bar when switches are pushed.

This I swear was the toughest part and was the least significant one in the grand scheme of things. So when it took more time than I was ready to spend for this, I went ahead and did this...

This!! Gotta get a new set of grips now :)

[Update: Try this for grip removal instead]

Loosen the adjustment tube at the end of the clutch cable near the handle bar and get the clutch cable out from its groove. Bit tricky for first-timers but have patience and don't damage the cable by any chance.

Right-side switch gear with the throttle assembly

Carefully remove the throttle cable from the hand grip slot.

I was lucky to have a neighbor lend me his size #17 spanner. I am gonna add it to my tool kit now.

RD350 (replica) handlebar compared to Electra 5s stock handlebar

These two bolts below the handlebar would need size #14 spanners and are fairly easy to take out or put in.

The groves which restrict the handlebar from rotating once tightened, are very faint on the RD350 black model. So I tried to use the saw blade from my Gerber to etch some lines. Later got some cut marks done by a mechanic on the roadside using a hammer and a chisel. Hope this holds up.

Before tightening all 4 screws, sit on the seat and adjust the bar to your preferred position.

Slide in the mirror and clutch assembly before putting on the switch gear.

Align the switch gear to stay exactly on the hole on the bar, the plastic bit should fit right inside.

Test all the switch operations once. Note: I had to remove the fuel tank to get access to the cables, which were required to be pulled by 2-3 inches more to fit this new extended handlebar.

First, put the small drum into the grove and then use some force (and pull and release trick) to bring the clutch cable to its path.

The adjuster screw seen here needs to be slotted in and then screwed into the lever hinge.

Final look. Yesss!!

Totally it took 2-3 hours to complete this. I am yet to add the zip ties, as I don't have black ones with me. That would complete the setup. In case you have any queries on this post/steps, feel free to post them in the comments.

Update [19/04/2015]: Here is a sneak preview of the new look:

Confidence comes from experience, so get your hands dirty in things you like.

Cheers !!,

Sid

Project: Enduro Type Handlebar

So far I have been really pleased with the stock handlebar on my Electra 5s (CI). However, during my Leh tour, there were times when I felt stress on my arms, mostly shoulders, and I faced difficulty in maneuvering my loaded bull on tricky mountain routes with stones and gravel. Though being 'fit n strong' (ahem!) helped me manage those patches, definitely I wouldn't like to keep stressing my limbs every time I ride through such terrains. As they increase the possibility of an injury. As the trip provided tons of first-hand experiences with pain being the least exciting of all, I almost forgot about it after coming back. After my return last year in August, I have done some serious off-roading, during my ride to Mandalpatti Peak. Where I and a buddy took a cycling trail through the mountains. It was a hell of fun doing off-roading(post coming soon). Only a few days back I was checking online for some touring mods on my ride and all the mental notes I had taken during the Leh trip came right back. And here I am with my first mod project: 'The Best Touring handlebar for RE Electra'.

Best Handlebars for Highway Cruising:

So far the comfiest bars I have used were on the big Harleys (partly the comfort was due to the punchy torque and comfy/plush seating). Among bulls, Thunderbird I believe has the comfiest handlebars as stock, as they keep your arms flexed at all times and hence add no stress on long hours of highway cruising. But there is a catch, the cruising bars are not confidence-inspiring for dirt/off-road/aggressive riding, as it provides a more pulled-back seating posture. This means it does not give you that forward-leaning stance, that off-road riding requires. Now coming to the looks of those bars, they mostly go well with laid-back cruiser-looking bikes like Thunderbird (or the mighty RE Lightning 535 of yesteryear). Electra however is a totally different deal. It comes as a retro-looking, blank canvas and it inspires imagination in stock form. Actually, the design is very basic and that is what excites buyers (mostly seasoned bikers), to think about how they can customize and make it unique. It can be given any look based on your taste. So far I have kept mine looking like a chromed cruiser with a bit of a vintage look and feel with the stock handlebars. However now after my extensive off-road riding (which is what most of the Leh-Ladakh route can be termed as), I am very much looking forward to trying out an enduro/rally setup on my bike. More on this setup in a later post. For now, let's stick to the project at hand. 

Best Handlebars for Adventure Touring (Cruising + Off-roading):

Now I did my search and read around to know which would be the best handlebar for my needs (touring + off-roading) at the moment. After digging around for a few days, I could zero in on the 'RD350' handlebar with a center rod. It's not the first time I am seeing or hearing about this particular design. It's been there since Enfields are being customized (which is like forever!). But what convinced me for this one is the fact that it's the most commonly used handlebar on all rally/trail fields, without exception.

DISCLAIMER: Images below are not mine and owned by their respective owners. I have used them here for reference only.

 I could guess the reason why. On mud/dirt/gravel this gives that upright stance to maneuver this heavy bike. And the center rod along with the bar-end weights takes care of the characteristic vibes generated by the bull. This bar I could feel is taller and a bit* wider than the stock handlebar, which will make cruising a bit more enjoyable am sure. Well, these all are my expectations, based on my experience with similar handlebars. After riding for a while with this new set, I will definitely post an update.

The Hunt:

For this mod, instead of me going out hunting for the accessories, I posted a query on one of the RE pages on FB. Though I wasn't expecting much, some people like Jijo, Hitesh, and Anirudh came forward with suggestions and their experience with the bars, etc, which turned out to be very informative. If you guys reading this post, a big 'Thank you'.

Keeping a copy of the thread in case you are walking the same path while modding your steed.

The Purchase:

Initially, I thought of visiting JC road with the bike and getting the job (purchase and fitting) done there. Then I got free from work a bit late and didn't have time to drop my car and pick up the bike to visit JC road. So directly drove there and picked up a mint-looking RD350 rally-type handlebar with center rod and end threaded holes (to fit bar-end weights) for 280 bucks. Seeing the (perceived) quality of the build of this bar, I would say I am impressed. It feels sturdier than I had expected and the fit and finish look good. Have a look for yourself.

Rider side (rear) view

Front side view

Hole with threading for fitting the bar-end weights

Plastic sheet wrapping on the whole bar to protect the paint and finish. Nice touch! :)

As tomorrow is a shutdown in the city ('Karnataka Bandh' due to the Kaveri water dispute), mostly all shops/garages will remain closed. I had to visit the bank for some work, but that's not gonna happen now. So why not get my hands dirty and get this rod fitted myself :) 

In the morning I will get to it and if possible will try recording the process and 'gotcha and will post the updates here. So stay tuned!!

Update [18/04/2015] : Today I swapped the handlebars. Quite a task but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Steps are available in a new post, which you can access here. This evening I finally took the bike out on the streets, both busy city roads (still much less than peak hour traffic though) as well as open roads where I rode a bit faster (within allowed limits of course). Here are my first impressions:

• Shoulder and arms quite relaxed all through the ride (compared to stock)
• It feels easy to filter through tight spaces between big vehicles moving slowly on city roads (this was difficult with stock handle, as when riding slow it use to take a lot of effort and strength to maneuver it)
• Due to this newfound agility and effortless maneuvering, I think I was riding a bit faster than usual and kinda aggressively (compared to my usual riding style). I am sure this is more due to the excitement of the new setup and will mild down as I get back to riding more.
• The bike no more feels like a cruiser from the rider's PoV. It looks and feels more like a dirt/enduro bike (not sure what else I was expecting here! lol)

I think a long trip would help me in evaluating the new setup in detail. Will try and update that when it happens.

Update [05/05/2015]: Completed a 1200 KMs trip through Tamilnadu and Kerala and could confirm the new handlebar is a gem. Lots of ghat section riding too and really happy with the way the motorcycle handles now with the new setup.

Ride Safe & Ride Far,

Sid