Forum

[ridingdirty]

So....

2007 - 350 Bullet (last of the old school design)

My bike ran well enough, but I always felt I couldn't get the timing and tuning quite right. It was also using a small amount of oil but remarkably had no external oil leaks. However, it did seem to present a smattering of oil when putting my hand over the exhaust. I finally decided I wanted to do something about this issue, and from research I had come to the conclusion it was likely via the valve guides. I was planning to overhaul the head and fit the performance valve kit. I pulled the head and found a bent inlet pushrod.

Questions:
- would a bent inlet pushrod cause inconsistent timing/tuning issues?
- would a bent inlet pushrod explain oil usage/presence at the exhaust?
- Does a Samrat badge on the frame mean I've got samrat rockers? How can I tell? (see photo)
- Is the performance valve kit really worth it on a 350?
- How do I got about checking the wear on valves/guides etc?
- what would have caused a bent inlet pushrod in the first place?
- The channels through which the pushrods pass appear to be rough in various places. I would assume that this was the result of the bent inlet pushrod, but it is present on both sides. Is this normal and is it likely to cause any problem?

I'm afraid I can only upload 3 photos, but I've got a load of others I would like some feedback on.

[stinkwheel]

- would a bent inlet pushrod cause inconsistent timing/tuning issues?
Yes. Certainly in terms of valve timing/valve opening as the clearance would be inconsistant depending where the bend it facing.

- would a bent inlet pushrod explain oil usage/presence at the exhaust?
Not in itself but it may could be symptomatric of the same issue. What piston do you have fitted? The indian ones are prone to the crowns collapsing and pinching the oil control ring. The harder you ride it and the more you tune it, then quicker it will happen. The solution is a forged piston or an original Redditch era one. I have a meteor minor pison in my 350 trials bike. I als have a cupboard in the garage with three Indian pistons with collapsed crowns (and one with a valve stuck in it).

- Does a Samrat badge on the frame mean I've got samrat rockers? How can I tell? (see photo)
The samrat rockers have alloy rocker blocks. Those are original ones.

- Is the performance valve kit really worth it on a 350?
maybe. If combined with other performance modifications such as porting and a larger carb.

- How do I got about checking the wear on valves/guides etc?

Head off, valve springs off, visually inspect the valve seat and and check for play. Or a leakdown test.

- what would have caused a bent inlet pushrod in the first place?
Over-revving is one possability (even a badly fluffed gearchange). My recent spate of bent pushrods was down to insufficient travel of the cam followers having fitted a high lift cam (which has a smaller effective diameter) so when the valves were closed, the follower was bottoming out then being whacked open again as the cam rotated. Do you have standard cams fitted?

- The channels through which the pushrods pass appear to be rough in various places. I would assume that this was the result of the bent inlet pushrod, but it is present on both sides. Is this normal and is it likely to cause any problem?

That's just from the casting. Nothing should be touching the inside of the pushrod tunnels (other than oil running back down into the timing chest) so there is no need to finish it beyond the original casting finish.

[Bullet Whisperer]

A bent pushrod will not affect the valve timing if the adjustment was set correctly, but if it bent and went undetected, the valve 'clearance' would increase and this would reduce the valve opening duration very slightly, but a clattery valve would probably result, leading to likely adjustment in any case and the possible realization that the pushrod was bent. I have found oil consumption is rarely down to worn valves and guides, but loose guides are a different matter. More often than not, piston, bore and rings are the culprits.

[Duke of Wybourne.]

Its best not to overthink things regarding Enfields, the pushrod could quite possibly have been bent from the factory. Also, there is nothing unremarkable about not having any oil leaks, in general Indian Enfields are good. Re oil consumption, if you're filling to the top mark on the dipstick, keep an eye on its use. I've owned one that "lost" oil until the level reached around 3/4, then settled. Why ? I do not know. For performance, what worked for me was getting the thing breathing better, some of my own mods, and going DOWN one tooth on the gearbox sprocket, as a 350 will thrive on revs if its done right.