Hitchcocks Forum

Hi all,
i have a 2003 500 es bullet,2nd ride out this year and guess what?returned home in my van. I have had the bike for about a year and due to work and farming commitments i didnt ride at all last year just a quick go on a private road.Spent a bit of time servicing and putting right bodges from previous owner.My main question is can these bikes be turned into reasonably reliable machines and what are the best mods to do.This already has the oil breather mod but still runs on the points. Havent investigated the latest breakdown yet and the enfield hides in the barn in disgrace. The motor just died and will start and tick over but cuts out as soon as throttle is applied. Any hints here would be helpful too.
Regards chris

Main jet blocked

A man of few words,
Thanks for reply,
Regards chris

You can't expect a reliable machine unless you use it reasonably regularly. Once the machine is full of fluids and products of combustion any long period of inactivity will cause issues such as blocked jets as Beezabryan says, flat batteries and a host of other corrosion and neglect issues.

I had and loved a 2004 ES classic sold to some guy in Wales who got a totally sorted machine. On mine the big issue was shorting thanks to previous owner installing non-standard side panels so wires were hitting the modded metal side panels under load. Anyway I did lots of mods and it was a blast. Sudden stopping - always worth checking the coil as they failed on me twice. It could well be electrics with a part failing somewhere. Simple machines, which is why I want mine back!

Sorry main mods being - Mk 1 Amal concentric with open bellmouth; open triumph pipe high rise; 5 plate clutch upgrade; gearbox stiffener; progressive front fork springs; 21 inch front wheel; avon roadriders and more.

If you left petrol in the carb all that time then Bryan is very likely to be right.

I agree with last speaker! I always drain and clean out the carb before winter storage on all my bikes. Normally I also let the engine run the carb dry when stopping, unless I know I am going to use the bike again within a couple of days. After cleaning out all the tanks and fitting some petrol filters, I've never had any problems with blocked jets or owerflow due to dirt around the float needle. .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- On the other hand, I have seen several carbs that have not been crained and cleaned regularly. No wonder they suddenly can cause trouble! .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- regards, Anders F. R.