Hitchcocks Forum

I hope to collect my brand new 500 Classic in about a weeks time.. and tips for 'running in' procedure?

I have to put 300 miles on her before the first free 'service' which is the oil and filter change..

The running in procedure is detailed in the owners instruction manual that comes with the bike.

Ah, but you ain't got the book yet.

Yes, do run it in!

I got additional advice from dealer.

0-500km (300 miles) to first service) keep below 35-40mph and under half throttle, this is a slow pootle, put-put-put, boring but do it. At first service the dealership replaced foc mudguard bolts that had fallen off and one on rear mudguard stay that had sheared. Loctite! Oil and filters changed out were clean. First service is not just oil and filters but full inspection - check entire bike over for defects and fix. They gave me the C-spanner for the rear shocks then. Get a bottle of Loctite and keep an eye on the nuts and bolts. Most of the screws are small diameter, they do not need to be stripped or snapped off by a gorilla.

500-1000km (600miles) keep below 45-50mph, avoid full throttle.

You will feel the bike loosening up. Above 1000km "avoid use of full throttle". I've got close to 1000 miles on the clock and am still riding 'gently'



Some daft advice in the book of words such as, "Do not exceed 70mph riding solo" (55mph with pillion). If you can find a good bit of road the bike will easily go over 70 and is rock steady, apart from the wind buffeting due to upright position.

New tyres need running in too (!), they get more grippy after a couple of days.

jefrs, new tyres need running in for 200 miles at no more than 60mph. Which is not likely to bother most Enfield owners.

Other daft advice in the booklet, "Do Not exceed 5-lb in each saddle bag" (panniers), if you've seen what the indians load them with this actually means stuff that would break a camel's back. Max payload given as 178kg, I weigh 100kg and the wife ain't sayin', it does not bottom out. It's made like a gun and built like a tank, and has enough torque to haul it all.
goes over 70mph - the bike is basically under geared (for about 85mph max downhill with the wind behind it). The B5 has 17T and 19-in wheel, The C5 has 18T and 18-in wheel. It's no motorway cruiser but will cope with a short stretch. A 19T sprocket is available.

papasmurf, yes indeed they do. New bikes come with new tyres, they're Avon Roadrunners which are pretty good but have next to no grip at 25mph when brand new. They made for a very interesting first ride home. Slithery. Do not be disparaged, they get a whole lot better.

I mostly ride B roads and lanes where over 50mph would invite a visit to scenery then A&E but the new bikes will comfortably easily go over 60 and cruise 65. They can cope with cage traffic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElfIGVyPg8M the gopro make the roads look wider and straighter than they actually are

jefrs, the saddle bag weights are a misprint the safety limit for not compromising handling safety on most motorcycles is 12 kilos in each panniers and 6 kilos in top boxes.
Years ago when a police force in the UK used K75 BMWs they managed to break the pannier mounts because the weight of kit the police squeezed in the panniers plus the high speed "scratching" police motorcycling sometime entails was well beyond design and safety limits.

I have a near new Roadrider on the rear and an original (06) Roadrunner on the front, mine, handles the best Enfield I've had, reasonably confident in the wet, cautious on ANY tyre make in the damp/greasy/mulched leaves that are around at the moment.
Who remembers the original Road Runners of the 70's?
Chucked the nylon Bridgestones off my near Suzuki GT 250 for them, worked well on my Kettle as well, brilliant tyre of its time!

Using Roadrunners on my Bullet for the last 3,000miles and value for money probably the best tyres around at the moment. I'm running 27psi front, 29psi rear.

Just wish there was a less restrictive brake pedal - I've started grinding mine away through the twisty bits and at just over 70Kilogramms I'm not exactly compressing the suspension either!