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[Reds]

Hi,

Just bought myself a 2005 Electra x 500 with 9000 k on her , what are these models like as never had one also fitted with a highway kit.

Reds

[Paulk]

I thought mine was great, had it 5 years with hardly an issue, including the electric start - however some folk will tell you it's the worst Enfield ever made and will send you hate mail:-)

[papasmurf]

Paulk, not hate mail, condolences. (I expect my Electra X (ish) to blow up every time I press the starter button.)

[Jojje]

Nice acquisition! I've had one from new (2005), fitted Highway kit a year later. 57,000 km's this far. Had once an issue with Dell'Orto: float started leaking. Minor electric troubles, e.g. fuse holders are not up to the job.

[Adrian]

Hi Reds,

the Electra-X was ALMOST a great bike, some examples have run good and strong from new, most have been OK with a few rectifiable problems, and the occasional example has been a total lemon. I enjoyed mine a lot, actually built an Electra-oid hybrid in a Redditch frame, and I have another one on the go. The rather odd styling can be improved by removing the two sausage boxes at the rear. The Highway kit devised by Watsonian-Squire has a decent Dell'Orto 32mm pumper carb but kept the stuffed-up exhaust pipe. If this has not been replaced by one of our hosts' plain pipes, or the lean burn inner pipe hasn't been removed from the original, performance will be hampered to some extent.



THINGS TO WATCH FOR



Electric start sprag clutch failure. Repairable, or you can removed the ES gubbins altogether. Not helped by the poor exhaust valve lifter, the cylinder head can be modified to take the decompressor valve from the classic Bullet model. To keep the 4lectric start working rather than self-destructing the bike needs a really top-notch 14AH AGM battery (clue: Motobatt) and the carb needs to be set up as well as possible to minimise harmful backfiring.



Cam follower failure. The stems can be a bit fragile and snap where the cam follower foot is attached. Can be repaired or replaced with the tougher cam followers and guides from the classic Bullet model modified to fit.



Big end failure. The hardening on the early batches of crank pins can fail, where did that clonk-clonk-clonk suddenly come from? The cranks are rebuildable, so start saving for a replacement rod and big-end kit with the UK made crank pin and the sleeved big-end eye in the conrod, also you ideally need some sort of sump magnet fitted BEFORE the big end fails, in order to trap steel particles of failed bearing being picked up by the oil scavenge pump, otherwise the strainer gauze in the front sump plug still lets damaging particles score up the oil pump.



So, get out and enjoy your bike, knowing if anything does go t*ts-up, it's fixable.



A.

[Leon Novello]

Norm could give you his opinion, but I think he is still undergoing therapy.

[Adrian]

Norm's Electra-X was a bit of a disaster, but usually they're a lot better.



With a freed-up exhaust (though not TOO noisy) and the right carb you can have a fun bike to blat around on, though more serious tuning can also be done. Don't be tempted to fit bigger gear box sprockets with the standard Electra-X engine, at 18T the one on there is already one up from the classic Bullet's 17T. Being of larger build and sail area, I found the 17T was actually more suited to my Electra, it pulled better in 5th gear with no apparent loss of top speed, and as a bonus was much more responsive (fun) in city traffic. If you're a 5'6" marathon runner the 18T is probably fine.



A.

[Exile]

You just bought it... a bit late to ask for advice now...


Hope it's a good 'un..!!

[Bullet Whisperer]

Hi Reds,there is one I tuned at 17000 miles, which the owner told me the other day is now on 27000 miles and still running fine. All the major components are the originals, only the cams and valve springs were changed, as well as the barrel shortened when the tuning work was done. Here it is, getting a bit of stick,especially near the end of the video, after a second visit to me, several thousand miles later, to replace a couple of gears which were causing selection problems. Regards, Paul. https://youtu.be/obBjjB4nPiw