Forum

[nickbarber]

In regards to aggressive running in: not enfield related but there seems to be a shift in thinking towards running in. Typically you 'baby' the engine and progressively apply more power/torque, but many people in the automotive/aerospace industry are now running the engines 'hard' from the get go, with fantastic long term results. The lycoming aircraft piston engines I build for a living require running in of at least 75% max rpm at all times and power not to go below 30% of max rpm for longer than 5 minutes or so. How you would go running in an EFI Bullet hard, I'm not so sure about that!!

[Presto]

Seems 'running in' serves a number of different purposes. I'd be very cautious about running an Enfield engine hard from day one. Experience has shown time and again that trouble often occurs in the first few miles of a new engine if the motor is run hard from day one and not carefully run in. On an engine made to 'different' standards of finish on its internal parts 'running in' may follow a very different method.

[Alan R]

HI SCOTTY--- Honda made the XBR500. Mine's a 1986 and still going strong with just routine maintenance required...I believe Yamaha did a similar type of thing as well ??.......So why have I just returned to the RE Bullet fold after a long absence ?.... Because I actually "Enjoy" this Owner-Input thing that these Classic 500 machines thrive on...This is now my 2nd Bullet 65 and 3rd Indian Bullet in general and it's already giving me lots of things to do ( not least of which is the rats'nest of Brit wiring repairs involving those large Lucas-type blue connectors in the headlamp and tail lamp assys..)....I've not owned or ridden the other two RE types so can't comment first hand but by catching up on my Forum reading it would appear that they are Modern design/built but still in the "old style" as it were.........I'm rather glad in an individual, perverse sort of way----It's sort of creating your own niche in a world hell-bent on H&S, conformity, mass compliance etc...etc......Damm !! caught ranting on a Tuesday afternoon !! Sorry...

[Rattlebattle]

I remember reading a few years ago about running in modern bikes, in this case Jap crotch rockets. Apparently if you thrash them from new you get a faster bike but it wears out more quickly. I've had several new bikes in the last few years and without exception the manufacturers advocate restraint in the early miles -Honda advise no more than 80% throttle. Usual advice re not lugging the engine and use the gears a lot. Break-in is a better term, I feel. As for new RE bikes, they seem to be old school in terms of manufacturing tolerances too, as well as being air-cooled. I would (did) not thrash mine in the early miles and if you'd seen the rubble she that was in the filter after 300 miles neither would you. There may be a case for giving it a good thrashing now that it's done a few more miles though. As for character if I wanted something that kept breaking down I'd have bought an old Brit. A key selling point of the RE is that you get the feel etc of a fifties bike with the reliability of a modern one. Yes, right. If they're that unreliable might as well just buy a Brit one.

[ric]

Despite the problems which may or may not be present on any new bike
the one thing which we can ensure is done absolutely correctly is how we run it in.

Amazingly some of us even can't be bothered to do that.
I have an acquaintance that took his brand new bike back to the dealers the day after he bought it complaining bitterly it would not reach anywhere near the top speed printed in the glossy brochure.