Hitchcocks Forum

Hello,

I was looking for some general information. I've recently purchased a 1955 bullet 350, and had a few questions.
1. can I fit an indian folding kickstarter? this one hits my leg.
2. What do I need to install a mikuni carb onto this bike? it has the oval air filter.
3. Is it possible to install an alternator onto this bike, or would that require changing the crank?
4. Is there a downside of the half width rear hub as opposed to the indian one?
5. I read that changing it to 12v would only require a different R/R and bulbs. I think I have a Lucas MO1 Magdyno, is this correct?
6. I've heard it run and it runs great, is there something I should check before running it? It was last MoT'd in '65, I have the documents and the taxdisc!
7. What oil should I put in the gearbox and transmission? I have some 80W90 synthetic oil, is this suitable? Equally, which engine oil should I use? I used to put 20w50 in my indian bullet, should I do the same in this redditch one?
8. There is quite a hole in the muffler, can I fit a cheap indian one?
9. My seat cover is in a sad state and I cant seem to find a rugged looking one for a redditch bullet anywhere. Can't I use an indian cover?
10. Does anyone have more information about the changes in the engine from 55-65? The only info I can find is the same text from Wikipedia copied all over the internet.
11. Are the rear shocks servicable?


now for the silly questions:
1. which way do I pull the lever to advance the ignition? towards the front of the bike or towards me?
2. It has an amal type 276. I know very little about amal other than their reputation. Is this one of those carbs that won't let it idle, like the goldstar's?




(hope one of those worked)

thanks on forehand!

It is a lot better if you just ask a couple of questions at a time, too many questions get jumbled up with too many answers and in the end nobody has a clue as to what the original questions were, I'll start with a few 1 Indian kick starter will fit 2 Why fit a Mikuni if the Amal still works 3 Alternator can be fitted but quite a bit of work and money 4 half width hubs, only you can decide if it stops or not. 5 least of your problems. Oil questions I will ignore. To me with all these questions your only contemplating buying the bike

Norm is right, that's a lot of questions and they are rather open ended! Also, and this is not your fault, your post has ended up full width and I can't read much of it. Can you re-post just a few related questions at a time please? If you have just bought it and are looking to get it running lets concentrate on those urgent issues first. You should buy a Workshop Manual from this site, it will save a lot of questions. I have a 1955 350 under rebuild at the moment as well so I understand what you're going through. Can you tell us where you are located?
REgards, Mark

Yes I had the whole thing layouted just fine, but apparently the return key does not register a new line on this forum.
I understand oil threads are controversial as usual. But usually it's pretty obvious if one should use synthetic oil or mineral oil. Same for gearbox lubricant. Engine oil in a bmw transmission would be a terrible idea for example.
It runs very good for an enfield, very little vibration. I need to check the primary chain, it seems a bit on the loose side. Right now the issue is removing the remains of a reasonably sized forest from the bottom of the bike. After this I will have to sort the wiring, I'll just save myself the trouble and put a new loom in.

I'm on mainland europe. The reason I asked these questions is to avoid having to pay postage a few times, should I need to add some items.

If my code is correct then this will work, if not then prepare for a post full of rubbish!



you need the following for a new line,

forgot, you need the angle brackets as well as the 'br'

Stef you are dealing with an old Enfield, worrying about postage is the least of your problems, ask the questions, work out what seems the best ideas then work out where in the world you can find the parts that you need, it all takes time and you have to be patient

First thing I have to do is fix a hole in the gearshift cover. The hole is quite big, so I will probably order a second hand one from our host's website. Theres also a small tear in the gearbox cover. I think, since there's no high pressure oil system behind the gearshift cover and a replacement costs 50£, an expoxy bond should do? There's still some remains of a previous bodge on the cover from years ago, seems to be epoxy based as well.
I've been thinking about what could have caused the crack. It's a very specific place, on the top left side of the cover. I can't seem to find any aditional damage in that region either, other than a peculiar hole in the exhaust silencer on the top side.