Got my Bullet 350 UCE yesterday

Hi All,

I got my Bullet 350 UCE yesterday. Have done around 60km since then (since I got it delivered on weekday).

Will post pictures and a review will follow for sure!

Currently I am sticking to the stock silencer as many people advised me not be change the silencer during the run-in period (i.e. at least for first 500 - 1000 km).

Best regards,
Anand

Welcome to the world of the Iron Lady, Anand. By the way, did you coin her a name already, or were you too engulfed in admiring the simple but beautiful piece of engineering that it is ?

And yes, for the coming one or two months, there shouldn't be a word called "frustation" in your dictionary. A Bullet is like a horse. You will eventually make 'her' your own, but first, you have to tame her. Why ? Well, you will know "why".

But end of the day, you will come Richer in spirit & tempermant.

Best of luck. Happy Thumping.

thanks caravans

Thanks caravans!



As of now, I still have not decided a name, but like you rightly said, I am enjoying every minute spent with / on her :-)

I am thinking of 'black beauty' ... Suggestions welcome

Cheers!
Anand

Have done 300 km, Can I change the silencer at first servicing?

Hi Caravans,

I have done 300km so far (in last 10 days or so) and will soon head for the first servicing.
The question is - should I go ahead and change the silencer at first servicing itself, OR should I wait more? I do not want to damage the engine or valves!

Also, would you recommend the Sans silencer? Their exhaust note is lovely, but I am concerned @ the damage to engine that it might do. I do not want to void the warranty :-)

Best regards,
Anand

The thing about warranty is with respect to the dealer, hence, its not uncommon that some don't bother a silencer change while another says a void in warranty. This, best, your dealer can clear out. However, mostly, it isn't a problem with them (once the engine has been run-in).

Now, this run-in is very perspective. Some think 300kms enough, some think 3000kms, some other 6000kms. Generally I would suggest, run your motorcycle for another 1000 to 1500 kms & then go for the silencer change. But I have seen people change silencers much earlier than that. Whether it affects their engine health, well, most won't agree, some do, some don't care. But I like the proverb, prevention is better than cure.

And yes, I have read positive reviews of Sans Goldie replica, also seen many goldies on the road (some from Sans or Shakeel or Munir Bhai & others) They sound melodious, its true. But I wouldn't mind not having them on my bike, since I don't feel a meatier beat is a good bargain with extra heat in my engine. But lot of people go for it together with the richer setting or bigger Carb Jet that's necessary. It's entirely your take.

One word is, if you die for the goldie beat, & you sufficiently understand what to do to maintain the optimum air-fuel mixture, you can definitely go for a goldie. Whereas, if you like to maintain the stock setting as much as possible, it's better not to go for one.

Happy thumping.
Anirban.

Thanks Anirban!!!

Thanks Anirban! The inputs are really helpful !!!

For now, I will stick with the stock silencer and forget about changing it till 3rd servicing - by then I would have crossed some 4000 -5000 km - which I think will be good enough!

I do like the melody of Goldstar, but not at the cost of engine heating.

Will Short Bottle silencer require change in carburator settings too? I hope the showroom guys know about this and will tune it properly.

Best regards,
Anand

Will short bottle require any change in the carbs ?? .. i just changed my stock to short bottle..after doing 3k kms the thump is sweet .. but i feel my engine is over heating a bit..
Also there is a small gap b/w the bent pipe and the short bottle silencer through which good amount of air is coming .. willl that create any problem ?? ..
any suggestions will be highly appreciated

Fitting a Short bottle silencer doesn't necessarily require any change in the carb settings if your carb was not set for economy (lean) previously, although technically you do need to make the mixture a bit richer to accompany the increased air. This change could be necessary only at the pilot jet (screw) for the idling mix & below 1/4th throttle slide position. The needle jet & main jet need not be touched if set at stock values.

The improper fitting does give the reason for the over-heat. It's not good for your engine. So you need to solve this problem first. One solution is to get the silencer to a lathe shop & get it cut at the fixing point to proper dia. That's what we call a juggad, lot of old bullet owners have done that & it works. If you dislike the cut surface, there's always the option of chroming. But till you do that, try to run your bike richer than normal setting.

Happy thumping,
Anirban.

Thanks caravan , will take it to the Re show room and see what i can do!!, about adjusting the idle screw is there any way to identify if the setting what i have kept is correct .. i am not knowing how to validate if the carb settings are correct.

can you please elobarte what does this mean " below 1/4th throttle slide position. The needle jet & main jet need not be touched if set at stock values. " ..

i know there is a screw that lets in the air and a screw with a spring which controls the petrol flow . what should i do to which screw?.. below 1/4 throttle slide means ...

Indore silencer experience

Just my two cents,

I have a 350 UCE electra and rode with the Indore silencer for about 5000km on it after changing it at 3500km. While it seemed nice at first to get out a bullet-like sound, it's a racy horrible sound in reality. I lost torque at high speeds and the vibrations were too horrible to handle. My horn fell off, followed by rubber gaskets on the cylinder head. And the mirrors are constantly blurred.

I reverted back to the stock silencer after getting it shortened from a good welder who also removed a bit of glass wool in it. I like it punchy and soft. It's a nicer, less louder, smoother beat now.

A well-meant request beforehand; kindly understand the philosophy of working of the carb before going into tuning change. It takes a bit of understanding, certainly not rocket-science but you should go through Mikuni manuals that is available over Internet or Pete Snidal's Bullet Manual, or manual in Hitchkock's motorcycle on the net. Other sources are there too. The reason for mentioning this is, just by reading about few tuning screws here & what they perform, it is normally not enough to understand what your actions are actually producing inside. The good part is the spark plug always shows true colours. Learn to read the spark plug of a bullet.

Now to your specific question, lower than 1/4th throttle position is when the pilot jet circuit works inside the carb. And this includes the idling zero throttle position as well. The pilot jet screw (not the idling screw, which controls the engine rpm) controls the idling mixture. In Micarb VM24 carb, (I'm not sure what carb model you have on your bike) it's an air-bleed type, meaning screwing in makes mixture richer, screwing out allows more air to pass & hence leaner. An usual shock setting of pilot jet screw is 1.5 turns from fully closed position, but this isn't absolute. Engine to engine tuning varies.

In your case, a slight richer pilot jet position is just-less (1/8th to 1/4th turn less) than 1.5 turns but your engine rpm must match your riding style. Also, on making rich, after normal running, check your plug to see if it's not too black or signs of too much carbon deposition on the insulator.

For normal running throttle positions, needle jet plays the part. But it's usually accepting of a good range of normal setting changes, unless you require to produce more power, which is off-topic, or fit a free-flow exhaust, which is not in your case. The main-jet works only from 3/4th to full throttle, which you will do only on highway touring, so it's anyway not a problem, if of correct size, which is 90.

Happy thumping,
Anirban.

thanks caravan for typing such a big reply, thanks a lot .. i did this.. i pushed the air screw a turn in and the idle screw half turn up. for me mileage matters too

one more thing , i am much of a tourer and not a local commuter. fixing this short bottle one will no way affect my longer rides right ? .. because over heating is a serious problem in long tours.

i am taking my vehicle tomorrow to RE show for the air escape in the exhaust... wondering what they ll do ....

Dude go for the short bottle neck silencers made for UCE engines, improves the thump and no effect on mileage , My bull delivers good torque and a mileage abou 45 kmpl in city conditions any issues revert me back!

Silencer Shootout on STD UCE 350cc

Hello Guys,

I have a RE STD 350cc (UCE) motorcycle. It has some 6000kms on it. I'd like to know if there any places in Hyderabad to check out different silencers for my motorcycle. The reason I'm asking this to first hear how the thumping on my motorcycle is and then choose which one sounds heavy and bassy. I don't like loud thumps...heavy is good for me. Any idea brothers? Sairam? Isee you are from Hyderabad...

Cheers!!
Kevian