Hitchcocks Forum

Colleagues: on the EFi engine, what is behind that small plate on the right hand side of the engine, pretty much below the electric starter?



I started to remove it to find out, but it seems to have a spring behind it so I left it alone.

If its the round plate with three bolts Im thinking of its the Oil filter assembly.

Ah, thank you! Very convenient place for it.

Oil filter... and if you are lucky you will have a single piece spring thingy behind it... if not then you will need six hands to refit, or buy a hitchcocks replacement

Thanks guys. So what's the large hex plug on the left hand case do? On the older bikes it was for putting oil in the primary chain case, but I assume that is no longer necessary.

Thats for putting a wee bit oil in the chain/clutch case, and also helps you remove the chain/clutch case when you need to. Inside there is the engine sprocket, sprag clutch, primary chain and tensioner and clutch. There is a substantial drilling from the sump to the case which supplies oil, but it is not at the very bottom, meaning that on first start up after an oil change (or if you are low on oil for some reason) then that side is not supplied well with oil, mainly leading to sprag problems. On changing oil, save half a coke can's worth of your new oil for dropping in that plug so that the case is primed on first start up. It should pool thereafter.

I take it you are first service time Thack? NB TWO drain plugs... one crankcase plug held in by 2 8mm bolts with a gauze filter inside which needs cleaning, and one sump plug further back (19mm sized) which has a magnetic post on it. I also recommend some 'bike tilting' if you want a good change due to the pooling in the right and left engine cases...

Hi Michael - yes, I am. Well, not quite, but imminently. I've been trying to get the first thousand miles on the bike as quickly as possible so it will be properly settled and run in. After that I can just kick back and enjoy it.



Already I'm loving it, and am starting to feel properly comfortable with it. To begin with I was unhappy with the behaviour of the fuel injection system, so I experimented a bit with it (disconnecting the engine temp sensor, disconnecting the lambda sensor), but found that just fitting a BPR6ES plug made a big - REALLY big - improvement to the idle stability. I've been able to slow the idle down to about 750-800rpm and so far it hasn't stalled. (Yes, I know it's supposed to be too slow, but I don't care - a Bullet ticking over at 1050rpm is just wrong.)



As you say, the 1000 mile service is imminent and I'm looking forward to it. The first tentative tinkerings are an essential part of the bonding process. For me, after it's fully run in and had it's first service with MY hands, it will feel properly mine.



Thanks for the info, guys, about the various servicing bits. I'll be placing an order with H's for the parts.

Thack - on the latest engines there are THREE things to undo to get the oil out. I'm sure you know this....

Am a novice too, but mine is an older Eletra X, and doing my own oily bits. Enjoying it, and advice and guidance from these pages. Thank you