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[jefrs]

The front of the tank is rubber mounted but if you over tighten the bolt you can crush the thin walled tube within the rubber - vibration can be made worse by tightening this too too much as by having it loose - as tight as needed and no tighter. Most of the vibration comes from the front frame tube that the engine is bolted to.


There is a trick of loosening the engine mounts, idling the engine then re-tightening them to re-seat the motor, perhaps when you remove the leg irons. I have not tried this on my C5, it has not needed it, but have previously on other british bikes. By 2000 miles most of the bad vibration should have disappeared. My C5 has clocked up 2000 from new but in less than a year; because your bike has achieved so little mileage in 5 years I would be inclined to treat it as if in the late stages of running-in as it may well be still loosening up. It is a big single, you're always going to feel that.



Idle speed (faltering) is the brass screw on top of the throttle body. The entire throttle body can be rotated to get at the screw. It may just need given a good run or two to get the cobwebs out. Idle is supposed to be 1050rpm. The flat spot on pickup is the EFI and without any add-on tuning kits you may want to increase idle a trifle to ~1100 (guess, by ear) to dial it out a bit.

[jefrs]

The alternator on these C5s is massive, easily enough to keep the battery tip-top without a top-up charger. If the bike is used regularly.

Check the electrolyte level.



Sprague clutch - don't be frightened of the electric wellie, if it ain't bust don't fix it. Press and hold button for 3 seconds like wot the books says, not dab the thing and get a gnashing of gears that does it no good.

[jefrs]

The rear of the tank is also the head-stay and this needs to be secure, hence no rubber mounts here, or add-on rubber pads. Try running with the head stay loose and you soon notice the extra vibration. The head stay itself only operates in tension but needs to be fastened so it is not strained i.e. hand tight its two bolts so it is loose between the two points before evenly torquing them down. The head stay is no thicker than a mudguard stay, it only has strength lengthways, not sideways or up and down. Get side strain here and you'll get extra vibration and maybe sheer the stay.

[jefrs]

The above ^^^ (side strain) use two spanners on each nut and bolt of the tank/head-stay so the head stay strap is /not/ rotated as you tighten them. Minor detail, engineering thing.

[Chug666]

Thank you, really helpful info. The bolt at the rear of the tank was quite loose so I nipped it tight, and a lovely test ride suggests the tank vibration has ceased. Revs also seemed more steady- I think Harry will benefit from a bit of regular exercise! Plenty more tinkering to go...

[sofiaspin]

You are joining a long list of Harry's. My first one of four, was Harry, then the generic is Enners. Three of my mates have Harry's. We need another name!

[Trev]

Congrats on your new bike, hope you enjoy the Ennie experience as much as most on here do. I've had mine (a 2008 efi with chrome tank) for just over three years putting 6k on it in that time. Gets used all year round and love it round the back lanes in the mucky Winter weather. No real problems, just need to keep on top of tightening a few nuts & bolts, regular oil & filter changes and the off pilot light blowing although now changed these to LED. I've added shorter silencer, K&N, 19th front sprocket and some better shocks and disc pads as gets ridden at a fair lick for an Ennie. I did have to repalce the original crappy plastic swingarm bushes just after I got it, went for the 'isolastic' ones from our hosts, good price and easy to fit.

[jefrs]

Enjoy the ride



You found the head stay loose so probably worth investing in Loctite and going round every nut and bolt on the bike before stuff falls off, "they all do that"



There seem to be minor variations between every year-model and RE do not document them. Be prepared for O-rings that don't fit, wiring that matches no known diagram, frame lugs in the wrong places, and so on. But it all works somehow.