Motorcycle Ownership Experience Thread Approved.

@Pistonheadz: It would really be appreciated if you can downsize the pictures to 800x600 resolution, as that is what we, at xBhp recommend.

Hey.... Nice write up... Std 350 for me... Is one machine where u buy the bike for the emotional attachment or love you have for the bike more than what the bike has to offer technologically... It might not be the fastest, might not be the most reliable but nevertheless it brings a smile to your face whenver you ride it... Although i don own one myself... This is wat i felt with the few hours i got to spend with the std...

Nice bullet there... i have had my own experience with my bullet but what ever it was it is great feeling to ride it... though i plan to sell off or just store my bullet for some time now and will come back to it after a year of so.

Absolutely loved the way you have written it pistonheadz!!! Seriously amazing story man...

Mine is pretty similar - just that I test rode every bike in the market (despite having a pulsar 150 and X-Treme) and picked up the STD350 - my Black Stallion - on 16th March 2008!!!

Albiet work has not allowed me trips on her... but then ride it to work!! (have left the cage to my wife!!!). In fact the last two days had an amazing ride from Chennai to Bangalore and back...

I can fully understand and feel what ever you have written!!! It is an absolutely fabulous feeling that you get from riding her!!!

Cheers to her!!!

Dada - how about loaning that 1987 bull to me for the time you are planning to store it!!!

+1 he he he

There is something magical about the bullet and it can't not be described in words. Is it because of the lineage or the primitive nature of the engine or the sheer size or the thump or the comfort or the respect. It has a cult status and makes you feel you are the king. Everyone makes way for the bullet , literally

I love the bullet

Great thread started Ritwik. One more member joining the Bullet clan soon.

Another one bites the bug!! congrats on living your dream out man! exotic or not, the bullet is the last of the ones of a league of their own, and the std remains true to its root in this regard!!!

Very well written. Keep thumping!

Here goes the pics - My bike @ its latest avatar

Running in a new bullet - Standard 350

"Run in the bike properly, and it will never sieze".. the showroom guy told me. but what he could not tell me was the exact meaning of running in "properly". i was told to keep her below 60 kmph for the next 1,000 kms. better if i can stretch it to 2,000 kms. yeah right.. in your dreams.

i have been running motorcycles for a little over 14 years now, and never have i followed this famed fatwa about driving sedately for the first xxx kms. it does not also mean that i start rippin straight out of the showroom. none of my bikes have ever given me any engine trouble, infact i have recieved third person feedback that my bikes feel more punchy and eager than similar bikes.

running in a new bike is just like getting to know your partner. its all about establishing a channel of communication between man and machine. Trust me, this is the most exciting part of a lifelong journey called motorcycling !!

So, how do you do it ?

Rule 1 : Chuck the fear of engine seizure out of your mind.. you are here to enjoy the bike not get paranoid about it.

Rule 2 : A polite introduction - Drive "normally" for a couple of hundred kms. By "normally" i mean the way a 'normal' person would drive a 'normal' bike under 'normal' circumstances. in short : dont race - dont go slow either. and please stop looking at the speedo. it will spoil the whole fun. As you introduce each other, make a mental note of her behaviour. how the engine sounds when cold, how does it behave when hot, how does the clutch feel, are the brakes adequate etc etc.

Rule 3 : Your first date - this is where the fun begins. Please note that it is assumed that you are doing the followibg speeds in top gear only. Since the bullet does not have a rpm meter, we have to live withe the 4th gear rule. Yes, it is actually the rpm that is important, not the vehicle speed.

Ok, so you have already rode her for xxx kms and are now somewhat comfortable with the way she behaves. Now wake up early in the morning, get your helmet, jacket, boots and gloves. start her up and head for the nearest highway. take her slow at first (the oil will take some time to reach its optimum operating temperature in the cold morning temperature). Keep your speeds around 40ish as you cross the city roads towards the highway. As the bike warms up you will feel a change in the way she responds, the throttle response would have become more crisp, the sound would have become a bit more loud. You are now in an open highway. Now follow the following steps :
i. Take her up to 50 - hold her there for about 10-15 secs (plz dont look at your watch for accuracy, its just an approximation). Keep your ears on the engine note. everything seems normal. bring it back to 40. drive for around 30 secs at 40.
ii. Increase speed to 60 - Repeat procedure i.
iii. Increase speed to 70 - Repeat procedure i.
Similarly repeat the procedure i for all speed ranges you are comfortable in.
Keep on repeating the entire set of operations for a number of times as convenient for you. a short ride of 50-60 kms one way will suffice.
After you have successfully completed this exercise, your bike would have had a taste of running in all the rpm/speed ranges in short bursts. dont overwhelm her by continiously running at a constant speed.
Please note that there will be some speed / rpm ranges which will appear more rough than the rest. Although it is absolutely normal but still it is very irritating. people generally tend to avoid using that rpm range. but in reality, that is the rpm range where we should try and stick to for the major part of the running process. for eg : if you feel that your bike vibrates more at 60 (2.5k rpm) then make sure that you are riding at 60 more frequently and for longer periods. please avoid these method for higher speeds (>80). for smoothing out vibrations at higher speeds, we have a different method.

Ok, now you have travelled for 50 odd kms following the above routine. wat do you do next ? spot a chai-walla at the road side and gently coax to a stop. dont shut down the engine at that instant. listen to the idling. motorcycling is all about feeling the bike with your senses. how does she idle ? the thump appears distinctly loud with a mild clatter in the background. fear not, the clattering sound is that of the tappets which is absolutely normal for a new bullet. confirming that the bike dosent stall while idling switch her off.

Point to note : the standard 350 does not come with a engine kill switch. Use the decomp switch to shut her down. its a good practice and keeps the decomp valve free from soot formation.

Observation :

As you sip in your morning tea, take a nice slow walk around the bike and check the following :

1. Check for oil leaks - small oil marks around the head / rocker cover / clutch cover / gear box etc are normal.

2. Open the oil tank cap and check the oil level - the level should be same as that before the trip. please note that there may be a little burning smell once you open the oil cap. this is normal as in a new engine, there is a tendency of oil buring during the first hard run. but the oil should NOT smoke !!

3. Open the spark plug - is it dry ? yes - good. what is the color of the insulator ? for a new bike its actually good to run her slightly rich in the initial days, so a dark brown to chocolate color is good. if the color is otherwise and you know how to tune a bullet carb, do the needful. dont touch it if you are not confident.

4. Open the air filter cover on the right side - it should be dry and free from engine oil deposits.

Now that everything appears to be normal. you can be rest assured that your bike has accepted your first proposal of a date !!

P.S. : this test satisfies two objectives -

A. gives your bike a complete run around and makes sure that the components bed in at all rpm levels.

B. gives a thorough check if she came with any manufacturing defects. the test has this wonderful ability to pull out defects which would otherwise have not been discovered so early in the life. Please note that this is a very mild test and there is absolutely no change of anything failing due to this. it can only happen if that component was defective in the frst place.

Coming up.. setting her up for high speed riding

Thats a long list I just did the motoman running in and ripped like I wud rip the 220 3500 kms done and still going strong

@ niks

The pulsar is a modern day machine with machine cast tolerances and computerised quality control. whereas the bullet is the same 1950's tech and is hand built even today. so the tolerances are not consistent. in a way, the bullet gives the owner the option of setting the tolerances as per his riding style. so it depends upon individual taste how he wants to set the tolerances.
riding sedately will set the tolerances too tight and the machine will break at the first sign of stress.
riding in the motoman way might set the tolerances too large and reduce engine life in the long run.

Please note that the above runnin in process is focused towards the bullet only. for all other modern day bikes i would personally follow the motoman method.

Just my toughts..

i had asked the showroom guy in bombay and he said the Standard is the largest selling model of the Enfield Stable in west zone and up north esplly in The punjab.
first is the standard and second is the elctra.
And its no secret that the supposedly out of production Electra4s still sells in the north.. j.

Great post about how to give the enfield a run in, well detailed.
and since u like chrome and black combo so much may i suggest putting on chrome tank pads like in this pic it will resemble Deluxe model of standard which was sold almost a decade ago..