Hitchcocks Forum

Back in Autumn 2017 I decided to take the plunge with my 2005 Electra 500 and invest in the Hitchcock stage 1 performance upgrade kit, I further decided that I would fit a 20 tooth front sprocket.
Unsurprisingly the choice of upping to a 20 tooth created much opinion as to the over gearing with some suggestions that it wouldn't pull top.

Having now put a few hundred on the clock in its new configuration I can report that its been transformational.

I can now cruise easily at 70mph on motorways, do 0 to 60mph in around 12 seconds and reach a top speed of 84mph. In truth I suspect it would have reached slightly more but the trails tyres don't give me confidence at high speed.
In fourth gear the bike is wonderful on country lanes and will just hold down to 34mph in 5th.

In my opinion I have the best of both worlds, a bike thats a joy on back lanes but one that can run happily on A roads in busy traffic if needed.

Enough of me writing about the bike so I have made a short video, I am aware my RE analogue speedo wasn't working but the iPhone app is ultra accurate.

Hope you enjoy

Any thoughts ?



https://youtu.be/BvGnqCIWdNk

If the link doesn't work just look for Enfield Speed Trails on you tube.(and yes I know trails should be spelled trials but darn spell checker wouldn't agree !)

Regards

Russ

Well done!

A documented account of the results of tuning an Enfield (and without relying on the original speedo!)

Thanks for posting.

Hopefully this will work.

Eric, all up weight with gear on I'm 12 stone. Too many meals out recently is upping that by the week !
Several contributions to the original discussion suggested that 20 teeth would be too many. On Thursday night I held a comfortable 70mph from Grantham to Peterborough. Now I know Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire are not known for hills but there are several sections of climb on the route. I didn't have to change down once nor did I use full throttle.
Hitchcock's suggested it might work, they were right.
My riding buddy on Thursday was on a KTM 1050. He was amazed following me as I pulled out and passed vehicles. Incidentally as my iPhone said 74 his speedo was convincing him we were do 80!
My biggest regret is not accurately establishing the performance before the changes.
I'm not suggesting I'm any sort of expert but the 80% increase in cross sectional area in the exhaust header pipe combined with the greater Amal area suggests the potential to burn more fossils?
Russ

The stuffed-up double-skinned factory exhaust and very lean-jetted CV carb, which formed the original package on this bike, were the means of achieving the AVL models' "lean burn" emissions-dodging cred, great for getting it past the Eurocrats (until they moved the goal posts again for Euro 3), not so good for a fun bike. However to get this the factory/AVL/Dr McGuigan needed to boost the compression from 6.5 to 8.5:1 and knew the original bottom end might struggle, so at least we got steel con-rods, needle roller big-ends and some big gear-type oil pumps out of the deal. The same con-rods and big ends are still used on the EFI models.



Perhaps try this run again with the speedo re-connected for an idea of its (in)accuracy!



A.

Adrian, will do. Sadly the cable simply fell from the base of the speedometer whilst I was on the A1.
Within 15 minutes of being home all was fixed.
I guessing my actual speedo it More accurate that the KTM that was following me.
Russ

Adrian, thanks for the technical explanation as to why there's was so much unused potential in the engine.
If as you suggest it was being held back my our wonderful rule makers it was a poor effort to limit emissions. Frustrating that our Eurocrats run around in vehicles with engines the size of a Sherman tank, I know this I used to work on periphery of central gov.
Last year as I rode the Enfield the last third throttle just didn't seem to have much effect. I guess you might find it difficult to breathe with someone strangling your throat !

It now breathes really well. After a bit of fine tuning it ticks over better than before. Last week was hot but as I sat with a very hot engine at the train gates in Sleaford whilst British Rails train left Kings Cross (OK it just seemed an eternity), the bike ticked over reliably and didn't miss a beat. When eventually Sammy the Shunter (am I showing my age?) Went past the Enfield cleanly responded to throttle and we were away. Perhaps why they are popular in India?

As you can tell, I'm loving the bike. Last year I ran around for a while on a BMW RS 100. We never quite gelled. I hated the sheer size and weight. My 225bhp Ducati is a joke and cripples my back and wrists, it looks like the Electra is a keeper !
As a footnote a couple of friends commented " how nice", my vintage Enfield sounds as I pass their house ( seems a shame to tell them its a £1500 quid modern runaround !), perhaps they are just relieved I'm not revving the Panigale?
Regards
Russ

As this version of the Bullet engine was originally designed to run hot (in India!) we also got alloy cylinder barrels as standard, just to stop things getting too hot. The Electra-X and its variants for the USA and Indian home markets were very nearly great bikes, but with a handful of poor design features (besides the emissions control stuff) and some quality control issues to spoil the party. Nothing that can't be put right, fortunately.



A.