Hitchcocks Forum

Dear All,

Own a 2011 Bullet Classic 500 EFI (Battle Green). Standard less for Hitchcock's Goldstar EFI exhaust and K&N filter.

Starting has become progressively more difficult over last few months (well after any mods made to bike). Of late it has become difficult to the point of requiring a bump start (which works every time) to get it going.

Symptoms of the difficult start:

-Compression is present and normal (when tested at spark plug socket and exhaust).

-Starter motor turns but starter pawl does not always catch. Teeth all healthy and nothing visibly wrong when taken off.

-Spark plug remains clean and has a healthy spark when tested.

-Engine runs beautifully when it's going.

-No starting problems when engine is warm.

-Choke cables well seated.

Worryingly of late there is a small clunk from deep in the engine body each time the bike fails to catch.

Although I consider myself mechanically aware getting inside the bowels of the engine is outside the capabilities/space I have!

Can anyone a: suggest any ideas as to difficult starting with symptoms above or more importantly,

b: recommend an Enfield sympathetic garage in the South Hampshire region (i.e. within 10-15 miles of Portsmouth)?

Many thanks all

Tom

Tom, the sprag sounds like it is giving up if the starter doesn't catch all the time

Does it kick start ok? Or is there no kick fitted?

Norm,

I agree about the sprag clutch probably giving up the ghost. They are cheap-ish to replace and also easy enough too, I think (no pullers/specialist tools required).

Michael,

Alas it doesn't have a kick- I wish it did and have made enquiries about fitting one- I have been told by a few experienced dealers around my previous address that doing so would require a complete engine rebuild and would probably be cheaper to buy a bike with one fitted already!

Definitely sounds like the sprag. Same sound and symptoms on my EFI too, but thankfully I have a kick start. Sprag plus sprockets is easy to get out - but you need to get the clutch basket off, which can be tricky. I have a thread on here with pics for the EFI despragging. Won't take long if it's all free enough though, although not so cheap in my opinion!! As for the kick start, since the engine and 'box are unit construction the entire KS mechanism is inside the inner crankcase - so a split and rebuild would be needed. Let us know how you get on.

Hi Tom, Whilst agreeing the previous comments, make sure that your battery is definately 100% (& connections all good & starter solenoid o.k.- easy to bypass if in doubt about internal resistance). I've had 2 bullets with electric start (500 'classic' engine & Electra carb. model) & more by luck than anything else maybe, I never had any sprag problems. With the Electra I started to get starter only spinning & sometimes the feared clunk when bike cold yet the battery seemed o.k. Feeding from my car battery it started normally every time. Replacement battery cured problem though I'm sure more regular use of the bike & the electric start subsequently helped. REgards, Mick

Hi Tom,
Is your automatic decompressor working? If not it will cause the sprag to slip.I have repaired one with a similar problem.

Hi Pilot, out of interest... how can you check if the autodecompressor is working? And working properly?


m

Hi Tom,
Without a kickstart it is difficult as the centrifugal decompressor does not totally decompress the engine but gives enough compression to start and once approx 300rpm is reached the engine gets full compression. If the decompressor goes faulty it remains on full compression all the time so straining the sprag. You may be able to hear the decompressor kick in as you shut down the engine (sort of a click and pfft and no kickback)i'ts difficult to describe.
John

So by way of a follow up to this- and with many thanks to Downey's Motorcycles Portsmouth- it turns out the sprag clutch inner cage had shattered into nearly a hundred parts (72 to be precise). By some small miracle this shrapnel has done no further damage to the innards of the engine- just my wallet- £440 to make good of which nearly £300 was parts. I intend to speak to the new importers as the bike is 2011 plated and both Mr Downey and myself don't believe a key part like this should fail so catastrophically at this age! (photos available by request)