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

Replacing Front Tyre / Tube

Hi there,

Today I changed the front wheel rubber to a Ceat Secura ribbed type. While at it I thought it's kinda useful to make a post demonstrating how to remove the front wheel, tire, and tube on a CI Electra 5s with disc brake. 

While on the road, the most common scenario faced by riders is having a flat tire. In which case, all you need to do is remove the damaged tube and replace it with a new one (provided you carrying one, else put a patch! That too should be available to be used). This post will come in handy in that scenario as well.

Note the setup shown here is of my 2009 Royal Enfield Electra 5s, which has a front disc brake. Considering the exploding two-wheeler market (especially talking about the new UCE RE sells!) in India, there is a fair chance that your bike may be of a different make/model. In such cases please refer to your owner manual or workshop guide to avoid causing any damage to your bike.

So without further ado, let's get going:

A. REMOVING THE FRONT WHEEL:

1. Relax the Hex nut on the left side of the front wheel axle.

2. Now on the left-hand side of the axle, hold the nut underneath so that it stays put, and then open the Hex Bolt from the top using a spanner.

3. Once the bolt is out of the way, remove the Hex Nut from the left side of the axle.

NOTE: Put something underneath the main/center stand so that the front wheel can stay afloat, i.e. without any load on it. This makes it easy to remove the axle rod.

4. With a mild push (you can use a screwdriver or something similar to give it a few gentle knocks) make the axle rod (called spindle) pop out on the right-hand side. Like shown here.

BEWARE: Once the axle rod is removed, do the following without fail:

1. Slide out the front wheel and the brake disc smoothly from its slot without disturbing the disc brake pads.

2. While taking out the front wheel, two spacers from either side of the wheel will fall off. Keep them safely away from dust and dirt.

3. DO NOT OPERATE THE DISC BRAKE LEVER, when the disc is taken out (along with the wheel)

B. REMOVING THE TUBE/TYRE:

First, the valve needs to be removed to release the air. A special tool is required for this. Once the valve is taken out (keep it safe!), the remaining air from the tube leaks out.

Using firm and gentle push try to release the bonding of the tire wall from that of the rim edge. No hard work here, just make sure you don't exert too much pressure to affect the rim or spokes.

Tyre removal rods can be used to lift the tire edge (Bead Base) out of the rim. Do this carefully and make sure the rods must not cause any damage to the tube inside or even to the rims.

One rod is used to lock and hold the part of the bead base that pops out first.

The second rod is used to pop out the remaining part of the tire in a gradual manner.

25% through opening the tire.

One side wall (of one side) of the tire is out, push the TUBE VALVE into the rim, and then the tube can be taken out from the same side. The metal valve should be taken out first, followed by the remaining part of the tube.

IMPORTANT: (In case of a puncture)

In case there is a puncture, this is the best time to inspect the tube for the same. Also remove the other side of the tire completely, if there is a suspicion of multiple punctures. So that the inside of the tire can be felt with bare fingers for any sharp protrusion which may puncture the tube again. Make sure any nails are removed, and the inside surface of the tire is double-checked to be smooth and safe before putting a new/fixed tube inside. 

Once the above steps are executed insert one side of the tire side-wall into the rim. The steps that follow are just the reverse of what was done while removing.

FIRST, make sure the tube valve is seated in the hole on the rim correctly. Only then start inserting the remaining part of the tube.

Tube insertion halfway through.

The complete tube has been put inside the tire now. Now the rods can be used to tuck the tire's sidewall inside the rim.

IMPORTANT: 

Give a gentle push to the tire side walls (on both sides!) to ensure it's uniformly sitting on the rim edge. Do it on one side of the tire and then flip and repeat the same on the other side.

Clean up the axle, two spacers, and the axle nut with a clean cloth/rug to make sure there is no sand/dirt on them. If available apply little grease on the axle rod and spacers.

C. PUTTING THE FRONT WHEEL BACK:

Slowly put the axle rod through the following: Right suspension, right spacer, wheel hub, left spacer, and left suspension. Give it a few mild knocks to make it go through to the other side. DO NOT HIT HARD as it's done. Make sure the axle rod is gliding through all the components and not stuck midway due to any misalignment.

First, put the Bolt and Nut on the right side suspension, and then put the hex nut on the axle rod threads. 

Tighten the Hex Nut. 

This is how the left side of the wheel would look after you have done a good job.

and the right-hand side.

IMPORTANT: Fill the air until the front tire has the recommended air pressure.

BEWARE: Once the front wheel is fitted back, the front disc-brake lever would be depressed (as if there is no brake fluid inside the cylinder) for a while and the front brake will be completely "unusable" at this point. So be very careful as you take the bike off the center stand. The compression (/usability) of the front brake will slowly restore on its own as you ride/roll the bike. So I suggest- taking the bike on a flat road, at a low speed, and keep squeezing/gripping and releasing the front (disc) brake lever. Slowly you can feel the brake coming back to form. Do not ride fast until you have confirmed that the front brake is back to its original/usable form.

That's it. We are done replacing the front tire and tube.

Hope this post was useful and would come in handy in the future as well.

Ride safe & Ride far,

Sid

Motorcycle In The Parking Lot

Hi,

It's been more than a month since I switched to a car as my daily ride to work and the bike is resting in the building parking lot with a full tank of fuel and a dust cover. That's kinda ironic as it's in good shape to ride (except for the crankshaft bit which as per my mech, might require a replacement down the line), yet am not taking it out that much. Just to make up for the lost time together, I was playing around with the idea of doing the crankshaft replacement myself. I know it's no easy job and will take days (maybe a few weeks considering my limited availability at home and lack of experience at this level of task). Then again if it was easy for me, I wouldn't have shown interest to try it out in the first place:)

All said and done, am at work at the moment and after a busy (read 10-12 hours a day) work week, I am finally getting to relax a bit today and think about other things. So just to let my thoughts flow, I started writing this post. And so far with some soothing tracks from 'Cafe La Guitarra Vol 1' (thanks to my colleague/buddy Phalgun for the amazing tracks) playing over my HTC One through Bose headsets are doing a fabulous job at relaxing me. Yeah I know I might have sounded like bragging about the brands here, well. it's far from the actual intentions. All it meant was to highlight the clarity/quality of audio these two are pumping out for me at this very moment as I sit here peacefully and type these words, and I couldn't stop but appreciate and acknowledge them. After all, what is the point of having such equipment and not enjoying them:)

Now coming back to the motorcycle part, I am thinking to take my bull out for a spin on some open stretch of road and am currently in the process to extend the opportunity to a few of my other rider friends. I enjoy riding solo and alone but that would be selfish of me now, isn't it;) So let's hope to see a few more bulls tomorrow morning. Meanwhile when doing a picture search of motorcycles for this post I came across an interesting article on 'How To Ride More', the contents of which I am sharing below, hope you find it a good read as I did:)

1. Commute. Keep a weather radio in your bathroom. Install an indoor/outdoor thermometer in the bedroom. Leave a cover or lock at your job’s parking place. Carry a garage door opener or parking ramp card that’s usable without dismounting. Arrange security in advance and be willing to pay for it. Once a week take a longer than necessary route to work.

2. Arrange your gear by the door or garage. Separate out your trip and camping stuff. Have your gloves and boots set up for selection, depending on the day's destination and weather conditions?

3. Get a smaller size motorcycle. Modern small bikes can do what old big ones did, and are easier cheaper, and more fun to ride. Just like cars.

4. Ride in the rain. Go on purpose when nobody else is outdoors. Ride around for a look. If you get wet you won’t drown.

5. Ride at night. If you don’t have to get up for work the next morning there is nothing like enjoying a two am stop at a lonely all-night coffee shop, after a hundred miles of scary back roads. Full moons are best. Watch for deer and small animals.

6. Always have a way to haul stuff. Wear a Courier bag or backpack. Carry a bungee net, bungee buddy, an empty tank bag, or some bungee cords. As a last resort, leave saddlebags on all the time.

7. Get a ‘beater’ motorcycle. Or make your bike into one. True beaters can be interesting and fun to ride and don’t attract vandals or thieves. TT500s, Ascot’s, Sabres, Interceptors, Titans, GS, /5’s, etc... Like blue jeans, most cycles are better when they show some wear. (Too much bike polishing leads to idolatry. Moses shatters the original 10 commandments...)

8. Have two or three different helmets at the ready. An expensive full-coverage one for serious rides and an easy-to-use open or hinged chin bar type for everyday urban riding or use on super-hot days. Having several types of gloves, boots, jackets, etc...for different situations is also good.

9. Plan rides. One Sunday a month do an all-day local ride or an overnight. Invent some game of it. In cities, try riding only alleys or only to overlooks, or only across all the bridges. What is the longest continuous street in your city? Have you ever ridden it end to end? Put a marked map or list on the tank bag or in your pocket, and carry a compass. Out on the road, go to the smallest roads, to the small places.

10. Ride very early in the morning. Dawn rides can be the best hour of your day. No traffic, clean air, and good sights and sensations. A shower and breakfast after a sunrise ride are wonderful. This is best done when the days are the longest in June and July. It does not apply if your bike has open pipes, especially if you ride an H2 with chambers. Then, stay in bed.

10. Philosophy bonus A: Ignore what everyone else thinks. Riding is a better way to get around. Ride paranoid and keep your skills sharp

10. Philosophy bonus B: Ride with somebody better than you. You will pick up a handy trick or new skill just about every time you are out.

[Courtesy: http://www.aerostich.com/media/readings/2001Catalog/topten.html]

The cover raised a bit, just to check if the bike is still there :P Just like its master, it doesn't like to sit idle you know:)

See you in the morning ride tomorrow.

Update: 13/12/2014 : I did a long trip to Leh in August this year and before which during the thorough check-up of the bike, got to know the crank-shaft is perfectly fine and there is no need of touching it as of now. So ever since this post, the bike has covered thousands of miles (no seriously!), and starting this week I started taking it to work again :) Yay!! I am enjoying every bit of it and planning to make it a regular habit to keep switching between the bike and the car. Wish me luck:)

Ride Safe n Ride Long !!

Sid

Royal Enfield Maintenance - Replacing the Chain

Hi,
This post is to celebrate another not-so-big-but-it-does-matter-to-me kind of WIN, in my mission to maintain my own motorcycle. Trust me the pain and grease in the fingernails were worth the satisfaction and boost in confidence that I got from this task.

Recap:

My mech (whom I have not visited since I started doing the minor check-ups of my bullet myself) last told me that the chain and sprockets need replacement as they making unbearable noise while climbing up a slope. Which I too checked and was true. The interesting part is, even in that stage it rides perfectly well (i.e. without much noise) on usual/level roads, like the one I go to the office through. That's why I never realized that the chain/sprocket has been worn out. So after noticing the effects (loud unhealthy noise from a chain) I decided to replace it myself.

Pre-replacement Thoughts:

As a standard procedure, I was considering the replacement of both Chain and Sprockets, as a mismatch may cause more wear in the new component(whichever is new) and its life will reduce. Hence it's always advisable to replace both together. But after having a discussion with Nandan I decided to check the wear pattern first, which will be a great aid to understanding how chain/sprockets wear out and why they make noise.

Observation:

Sprocket seemed to be in rather a good condition. But the chain seems to have a play even when held tight against the rear sprocket. If you hold the chain snugly wrapped around the sprocket and try to pull one link (which is resting tightly on the sprocket teeth) away from the sprocket, it ideally shouldn't pull up. If it does, it shows that the chain has lost its form. Tightening the chain won't make any difference to such deformation of the chain.

Verdict:

Based on the above checks I concluded that the chain needs a replacement and the sprocket will roll for some more time to come. Now there are two types of chains for bullet:

1. O-ring type (OEM)
2. Normal Chain

The first one is a new O-ring type (now comes standard with every new Bullet) chain which has tiny rubber rings on both sides of the links and there is some grease stuffed in each link during manufacturing, hence doesn't require lubrication. On the contrary, the normal chain doesn't have such rings on links and needs minor lubrication as part of usual maintenance. Now the O-ring type isn't that great if you consider the few niggles that this concept of O-rings introduced. What I heard from Nandan is, these tiny rings sometimes cause the links to get temporarily stuck and hence not rotate freely.
 Again the rings don't really make that much of a difference and may give a slight increase in life, which really doesn't matter to me. As I don't (not yet!) maintain a journal for the spares I replace on my bike. So I decided to go for the normal chain (Simply Old School!!!), which costs a few bucks less than the O-ring type.

Spares / Tools Required:

• Standard Spanner - 24 (for the Castle nut which holds the rear wheel axle), 30(Nut which supports the toothed chain Adjuster on the left side of Electra)
• Ring Spanner - 18 (to open the nut which connects the rear hub with the left swing arm)
• Water Pump Plier (Really handy for any type of work. This will be used for removing and fixing the chain link)
• A new chain (Duh!)

Spanner, Ring Spanner and Plier

Optional:
A cloth to wipe the grease off hands (trust me, this you will remember for long)
A small stool to sit on while you work on the bike

O-ring type chain link, Water Pump Plier, which can easily remove or connect the link lock (3rd from left)

*** Steps ***

A) Remove the link from the bike chain using the plier (you may use any other tool if not a plier) [AFTER THIS YOUR BIKE CAN'T BE USED UNTIL YOU ARE DONE!]

B) Remove the link from the new chain (after unpacking)

C) Connect one end of the old chain (still on the bike) to one end of the new chain using the old link.

D) Turn the rear wheel to pull the new chain through the front sprocket area until one end is completely through

E) Remove the link and the old chain completely (i.e. disconnect from the new chain which is now through and resting on the rear sprocket)

F) Relax the rear hub and connect the link to the new chain

G) Align the wheel and adjust the chain tension maintaining recommended slackness [LAST CHECK POINT]

I won't spend time explaining how to do steps A, B, C, D, and E, as it's not on my agenda at the moment. This page is just to give you an idea of the process and to act as a future reference for me.

Step F can be done as follows: (RELAXING THE ADJUSTER)

---------------------------------------

1. Release the size 24 nut holding the rear wheel axle (This will also loosen the adjuster on the right side)

2. Release the size 18 (using ring spanner!) nut so that the rear wheel hub can be adjusted for the new chain

3. Loosen the size 30 not enough, so that the adjuster can be rotated

Left side view of rear wheel

Right-side view of the rear wheel

Note: You may release the rear brake rod if it makes the nuts more accessible. I released the brake rod as I found working on the rear hub easy when the brake rod was out of the way. If you happen to do the same, there could be two open ends expected as marked by the blue circles in the picture above.

Connecting the chain link:

The only thing to remember is, that connecting the link ensures there is no dirt/sand on the link or any part of the chain, as it may get inside the links, which is not a good thing in my opinion. Especially when the chain is brand new:) 

NOTE: Also the chain link lock should be on the OUTER side of the chain (i.e. facing towards you) and the connected side (not the disjoint side) should face the direction of rotation of the chain.

Step G can be done as follows: (ALIGNMENT)

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This is a trial and error process as per my knowledge. Size 18 nut is used to adjust the rear hub back or forth and the 'Adjuster' on both sides is used to ensure both sides of the hub/wheel are pushed back/forth equally. So you need to make use of these 3 (Size 18 nut and 2 adjusters on both sides) to achieve the following end result:

1. Chain MUST have at least 3 inches (thumb rule) of vertical (obvious:P) play

2. The gap between the tire and swingarms is the same (almost) on both sides (Use fingers to measure)

WARNING: Keeping the chain loose is ok and the only side effect would be a minor noise and the chain might slightly rub on the left swingarm. But if the chain is too tight, (when the bike is on the main stand) while the bike is running and the rear suspension is in play, the chain might snap.

Once you are happy with the alignment and all the nuts are tightened up, connect the brake rod and adjust the free play of the rear brake as per your needs.

THATS IT! You're done! Now slowly take the bike out of the garage and take a spin around the neighborhood to check how the rear wheel feels. Ride SLOW and observe for any unusual noise from a chain uphill (don't hit a mountain for this, the nearest road connecting to a high ground would suffice). Check for any weird feel while cornering. Which means the new setup may need a bit of adjustment.

Phew!! That was fun! And ya don't forget to wash your hands thoroughly as grease gonna take its own sweet time to come off the skin, especially the fingernails :D But being someone who loves motorcycles so much, I thoroughly enjoyed the work and looking forward to getting my hands dirty again.

Hope this helps you take care of your motorcycle well. Keep visiting for newer experiences;)

Ride Safe, Ride Long,

Sid