Hitchcocks Forum

Ideal Tickover RPM for 2004 Bullet 65.


Hi,


I can’t find any literature giving the tickover revs for a 500 bullet.

On start up the revs are 600 rpm, and when the engine is warm after a run, revs are 720 rpm. This seems to sound OK, but…….

I must say I have just bought digital rev counter off of Bay of joys from China for £7.27 Inc p&p. so I’m checking revs all the time!!!! Don’t know if it is waterproof, but it’s handy to see what revs the engine is doing through the gears on a dry day.


On a fine Gallop a few days ago along country roads I kept up a steady 80 mph. at less than half throttle for a few miles up hill and down dale……Oh come on lads, is this likely??? The revs were 3570 rpm.


According to my Exel spreadsheet 3570 rpm is a true 55 mph, but seeing 80 mph didn’t half make it seem fast!!!!


Do I need a new Speedo?


But anyway, any info on tickover revs or any other rev related stories, shaggy dog or otherwise will be appreciated.


Regards Fred

If the tickover is slow and sounds ok its fine, most Enfield speedos are way out.

Lightnings are fitted with a tacho as standard (So are Thunderbirds). My Lightning reads 60mph at 4000rpm. According to Freddys calculations, this figure would be (more or less) correct. It completely baffles me that Bullet speedos are so bad, but Lightning speedos are so good. Surely, the internals of both speedos are the same? Mind you, I do have to entertain the idea that I've got a rare accurate speedo.

Most RE speedos are wildly optomistic. Borrow a Tomtom - that will be accurate at a steady speed (they get confused while you're altering speed) At £7.27 I wouldn't altogether trust the tacho either.

80KPH = 50MPH and therefore within 10% of your Excel calculations , are you sure your speedo is reading mph and not kph? Take the bike out onto a dual carrigeway and get behind a lorry. They, no doubt, will be travelling at their max limited speed of 56mph and see what you read then. Mine reads 60mph, not too far off.

Freddy, I doubt that there is an "official tick over" engine speed. Warm the engine to normal working temoerature and then adjust the tick over to a speed which is as slow as you are happy with. This should allow it to tick over on a fully closed throttle for as long as you want. Remember that very many classic bikes, including Enfields, ahve no tacho and so the tick over is set by ear. I did once put a strobe on my Model 50 Norton and its tickover speed when fully warm was about 500 RPM, and then I slowed it down a tad more.

hi freddy,i would imagine that your digital tacho would be correct doesn,t matter where it came from ,ive had 1 years and it was probably made in china ,there are so quality bits made there then there are some shite just like over here if we still make a deal ,i aggree that most enfield speedo,s over read some under read like the 1 on my diesel bike (smiths copy)reads 50 at 56 ,although my hellectra speedo is certainly true at 50mph (checked by gps)my advice is buy a new speedo from a reputable dealer!!(note a friend of mine has sent at least 3 speedo,s back to mr h ,and his fourth is now up the spout)i saw some 120 mph digital smiths style speedo,s at stafford show they cost less than a genuine chronometric and fit any brit type bike ,i may invest if they make an 80mph 1 as the diesel would waste over half of a 120 mph clock atb paul.

Hi guys----------- FREDDY, Assuming that your engine is fully bedded-in etc, then the idle speed at first start-up will always be lower than after a run, as by then all items ( oils, metals etc.) are up to temp. and offering less moving resistance...A dirty air filter, cb points gap, ign. timing, partially blocked exhaust can also alter it...Yes, those speedo readings really DO give your ego a boost--if nothing else !! I tend to ignore it completely and stay with the flow of traffic----in town that is.LoL. There is one way to calibrate however and that is to follow your mate/wife/lawyer(?) car and get them to drive at a steady 30mph and 60mph, whilst you note the position of the needle and then mark it with a thin strip of white tape etc. Not legal for an MoT but a practical, everyday aid for you out on the road. --------------------- Finally, given the main heading of this thread I found this which seems to fit ?????? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --

I replaced the standard plastic speedo drive with the metal one that our hosts sell. The speedo now reads over by less than 10%. Easiest way to get an accurate speedo is to buy a cheap bicycle one and calibrate it using satnav.

On Alans theme first.






Picture Bill Shergold and flock, he’s the one with the pipe.

I met the Reverand Bill back in the sixties at the 59 club.
We all went up to London & seeing all these Rockers throwing bricks at scooter riders as they rode past the club was an eye opener for us country lads. The Mods couldn’t have minded ’cause they kept coming round again and again.



Regards Freddy