Hitchcocks Forum

I'm new to here and used to modern and fast Jap,Italian and British bikes. I saw an add for an 1993 Indian Enfield 500 and bought it for a project and to get some old bike spannering experience. Its not a standard bike so more of a bobber with an Amal MK1 carb,Boyer B ignition, Trials single seat and Alloy barrel. After having read the Bullet service and owners manual I cant believe how much maintenance they need after short mileages!
The first issue was getting it to start which has not been fun really.(Kick start leg now developing well). After stripping the Amal MK1 carb and replacing some bits it now starts and runs although I have not road tested it properly yet as no tax just yet.
The next job is to service it and I was surprised to read that there is 3 lots of oil in separate places and numerous drain holes to find and open.
20-50 engine oil is no problem but I'm confused over the clutch oil change and gearbox?
The clutch oil spec is different to the engine but would 20-50 be ok in the uk climate or do I need 10-40 or something?
Also how is the gearbox grease and oil changed?
What type of uk grease should go in the gearbox as we don't have veedol do we here? I have Castrol LM and CV joint grease on my shelves but are they no good?
The spec also mentions 20-50 in the gearbox as well as the grease so how much of each and is it possible to drain the gearbox without a full strip down?
Cheers for now Harvey

To answer your lube questions. ATF works well in the clutch (and the forks). 00 grease in the gearbox will last for ages topped up with 20-50 if required. You Will need to take the gearbox end off if you want to change the grease. 20-50 for the engine is fine. No need to use expensive stuff, regular changes are more important.

As Pete says. Not neccesary to remove the grease, just change the oil. Veedol is available (or it's equivalent,) from this site. Welcome to Enfield ownership, fun on 2 wheels can be had on all kinds of bikes, fast and slow, modern and old! You probably won't find a better bunch than this lot, but they are quite eccentric... REgards, Mark

Hello GINETTA LAD and welcome to the party !!.............Prepare yourself for a COMPLETE CHANGE in your biking lifestyle, and that's mainly}---- slow down!!..The bikes are slower--the work takes longer and there's more of it to do--as you are already finding out.. If I may add a bit more to PETE F's input ?? You mentioned SPANNERS......ah !! now then, about 1993 the factory changed from IMPERIAL threads to METRIC..at least that's the theory..Bearing in mind your biking history ie modern machinery, then it might pay you to obtain some IMPERIAL-based spanners eg Whitworth or BSF, BUT--- there's always a "but"---- just because the thread is, say 3/8 BSF or even a BS CYCLE thread it doesn't always follow that the hexagon bar the factory used was the right one...so just be prepared..Oils = as per PETE's listing though I would strongly recommend that the forks also have ATF in them..This really allows them to move and do their job properly..As the main engine filter is cheap to buy I personally fit a new one at every oil change---the book says you can wash them, but each to their own..That oo grade grease/oil mix in the gearbox tends to last indefinitely and is a B****r to get out anyway.. Leave well alone and top-up with 20-50 as mentioned..have a look at the "TECH.NOTES" in the L/H column of this site...especially with regards to fitting a 19t sprocket, and a quick way to upgrade those 2 L/S front brakes..If you intend to go out on the main roads then these are a must IMHO..TYRES---no need to go for expensive trendy things, the AVON SPEEDMASTER/SAFETY MILEAGE combination works very well for "normal" Bullet riding, but ones such as the BARUM economy range are just as good.. That's enough from me-----------Hope all goes well with your endeavours---- keep us posted ??-------- PS Whereabouts are you, generally ??

Ah !! MARK snuck in under the Radar just then.. 'er indoors says I'm so eccentric that I'm always throwing a "wobbly"..

I`m newish on here as well,i think i`ve made a big mistake buying an Enfield,i thought after a decades of production the bikes should have been sorted.Going off the problems on here they haven`t.

I wouldn't say that Jaffa. People rarely post to say everything's OK! I used to be on a Toyota site that would make you think that they were nothing but trouble.

I have a 1995 bike and very little is metric , you need whitworth spanners and a few british cycle thread sockets for things like the cylinder head nuts , in my opinion these are the last british tooled bikes but be warned that the electrics are terrible but I find the mechanical side of the bike were robust with regular oil changes and de-cokes ...you will find out why when you pull the head off ( I do mine twice a year ) . The fun starts now .

I used 00 grease in the old bike gearbox but only to stop it self saucing. in my 93 engined 350 I use straight 50 and it doesn't leak a drop. ATF in the chaincase cause its perfect for chains and works well with the clutch and straight 50 in the engine although if I were in your frostier Northern climes I'd go straight 30 in winter. 20-50 I'm sure is fine but whenever I put it in anything of mine it seems to leak and generally play silly buggers. It's true that the Jap bikes seem to go well with less care and attention but they all go pop in the end if you don't maintain them. The relative neediness of old Brit or old Brit styled bikes is that they demand regular tinkering and consequently if carefully maintained go for ever.

I don't think these Bullets are any worse/different than the other brands of old vintage bikes. You would'nt just hop on an old Norton or BSA and ride off without checking and adjusting things and then park it until your next ride out, to do the same thing over and over and expect it to run like a Honda. Any old design bike needs tinkering to keep it in tip top running condition. To think otherwise just because its a recent model shows a misunderstanding of what one thinks their getting into. You have to compare apples to apples. Work on these bikes until there are no bodges, no loose ends, everything adjusted properly, and lubed, ride within it's limits and I see nothing wrong with them, and that they are every bit as reliable as any other vintage style bikes. It's only when someone with either limited or no mechanical skills, or that tends to be neglectful, ends up blaming the bike as being rubbish, or junk, etc.... when it really just shows it is the owner that is lacking with abilities or involvement. Just my opinion of course. Love my Bullet, I'd buy another without a doubt!