Hitchcocks Forum

Hello all, On teh way home last night I think I experienced a heat sieze on my RE500 65. On a dual carridge way, indicated 70 for about 5 miles. Felt like back breaks being applied. Pulled the clutch in and glided to a halt. I could smell hot oil. Quick check of any oil loss, none to be seen, re started no problem and drove the next 10 miles home, at around 50mph. Checked the oil, it was low and smoking out of the filler neck. Was this a heat sieze? If so would any real damage have been done?? I am always filling up with oil, a good glug after a 60 mile commute. Any advice help woudl be welcome. Am I just riding too quickly?

Hi guys----------555}--- YES & YES... On a Bullet 65 in standard trim, an "indicated 70", and on a dual carriageway probably means that you were going flat-out ????...Oil low and smoking out of the filler neck ?? This should never happen if all was normal and OK......A good "glug" after a 60 mile commute is too much I would say....I think your general riding style is proving to be detrimental for a 1950's design...And now it's trying to tell you that an indicated 50mph is where you should have been all the time...Any experienced 2-stroke riders (Bantams especially)will have recognised your description as a "partial"seizure--- usually of the piston upper and the barell liner....Given the nature of the standard piston fitted to the Iron Barreled Bullet I would say that a Cylinder Head and Barrel removal is called for and examine all components for imminent failure...have a look at the recent thread headed}-- PISTON RING IS TIGHT....and in particular the photo....because that's where you might be heading if you don't strip and check immediately..

Thanks Alan, thought that would be the case. Would a simple solution be to replace with one of our hosts new barrel and piston? Maybe the 535, could help a bit with my riding speed, not to increase the speed, but to have a happier bike at the speed. I have the amal carb and a stubby exhaust.

I don't think a very small increase in cc's will make much difference without changes to gearing as well as the mods you've mentioned. These bikes just ain't intended to thrash along the motorway at 70. Sure, some people here will say my classic/electra/uci will cruise all day at 70 and easily hit 80 overtaking. But from someone who's been riding indian enfields since 1980 I will just say this - take a deep breath of air, can you smell anything? Bulls**t perhaps?
It takes a lot of money and TLC to make these bikes quick and consistantly reliable as well, usually it's one or t'other. Maybe a second bike for the motorway commute and the enfield for fun is the way to go.
As Alan suggests, if you're filling up oil after 60 miles this is excessive and it sounds like you've already busted something, better look at that motor before you decapitate a piston and it all gets too expensive.

And when you have done all that fit a size bigger main jet to the carb it will help keep it cooler.

Hi Eddie, exactly right, we have 2 612's here with 22 tooth gearbox sprockets that just lope along the freeways pull out and pass cars and trucks without any problems but as you say it costs money. I always chuckle when I read that "my 350 will run at 80mph"

Another option is to carry a spare piston like in Australia, in the middle of nowhere, you can change a seized piston at the side of the road.

Hi Leon, he doesn't carry a spare anymore, because he now has an Ace piston in it and at $500 a pop I don't think he would carry a spare. He has just ridden 8,000ks on it in the last few weeks through the outback and apart from a flat and a new rear tyre and running over a dead kangaroo at 100kph it was pretty uneventfull. The roo damaged the rear Ikon shocks which upset him a bit.

---------------- nice to see a roo showing concern about Ikon shocks !! God knows they cost a fair bit to replace these days !!!!

I tuned the engine with many of our hosts parts and I gave it some extensive porting and raised gearing and it goes very well at 60 to 70 mph but I keep off the 70mph for anything longer than 10 mins or so...anyway the speed limit in NSW is about 68 mph .
If needed the bike can go very fast as the camshafts dont realy kick in till 3500 rpm but with all the money spent and a clean licence I just plod around.
The engine is nowhere near as stressed as STD spec .
I agree with the others , strip it down and change the rings and maybe a very light hone . A forged piston is a great move as well .