Forum

[sideslipper]

Hi Phil, I have recently finished the build of my 1950 Model G and its now running nicely and I agree that riding it does put a smile on your face, its a real bike. I have the "Marmite" front guard and I must admit that it took some work to get it to fit. The Indians dont seem to understand the meaning of tolerances. It was too tight into the fork shrouds and also all holes didnt line up so it took a lot of metal bashing and drilling. Also the exhaust downpipe fouled the guard. Its on now and looks good if you like that style (which I do). I think I did actually see that bike in Northwich, if so, it looked good.
Good luck with it and enjoy it.

[Frosty]

Got out yesterday and covered 96 miles (according to the cronometric). No problems. I’ve put it in a new post title G Wizz.

Couldn’t upload the photo though. Any suggestions?

Thanks sideslipper for the info on the mud guard. Can't understand why the Indians get it wrong. It is just as easy to make it right as wrong. I'll more than likely buy one as I really like the bike and it would look much better than the blade fitted at the moment.

Phil

[Anders F. R.]

Sorry for my late answer, but here are some thoughts on the Model G: .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
I have had mine since 2001 and covered approx. 7000 km on it. I have (almost) worn out the first K70 on the rear wheel, bought a new one last week and will start the 2014 season with a new one. .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- We may have different opinions and definitions of “slow” and “rubbish brakes”, but I don’t find mine so slow, and the brakes are adequate for the performance if set up and maintained properly. I can easily lock the rear wheel on dry road (not gravel!). Comfortable cruising speed is around 70 km/h all day long. Can do 80, but with much increased petrol and oil consumption and more vibrations. Top speed recorded is close to 120 km/h on the Smiths chronometric, which translates to close to 110 km/h in reality. (This confirms a road test from 1949 stating 69 mph as top speed.) .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- My clutch is not heavy at all. I find it rather light, actually. It is important that the cable is good and well lubricated with not too thick oil (of course). I spent some time to route the cable in the straightest possible way, without any sharp bends. .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Also check that the clutch operator lever on the side of the gearbox is correctly adjusted. It should be a SLIGHTLY less than 90 degree angle between the lever and the wire before you pull the clutch lever on the handlebar. I.e. the angle should reach 90 degrees and a little beyond when you pull the clutch. This gives you the maximum leverage and the lightest operation. .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- good luck with the G! .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Regards, Anders F. R.

[Frosty]

Hi Anders,
69mph! Not with my brakes as they are at present . I think I’ve discovered the problem with the brakes. The shoes are Indian. I’m going to replace the linings with better material. There is a member of our VMCC section that specializes in brakes, so he’s going to reline both brakes. Then I suspect they’ll be OK.
The clutch is set up correctly and the cable is good. I suspect it’s down to incorrect springs. I spent a lot of time setting it up, trying to make it lighter but it’s still heavy. My Gold Star clutch is lighter!
There are always teething problems with a new bike (new to me) so I’ll work through them all eventually. Great to hear from people like yourself that have first hand experience of the same model and reassuring to hear you have good brakes and a light clutch. These are not just poor design and can be made good.
The bike does run very well now I’ve done the mag and carb. A few minor leaks but I’ll get those fixed. I did over 90 miles yesterday and found the bike a joy to ride. Couldn’t use the neutral lever kept hitting the kick start leaver with my heal. I think the kick start leaver needs realigning. Either that of the neutral lever needs extending.
Any hints or tips about the bike are welcome. Nothing better than the knowledge of someone that has already “been there and done that”, save a lot of trial and error.
Phil

[Anders F. R.]

Hello again, Frosty! I didn't say that the brakes are "good", merely "adequate for the performance". And besides, the brakes are not doing anything for the top speed....... Anyway, I have brake old fashioned riveted linings, supplied by Hitchcocks and riveted by myself. Probably full of asbestos etc., but we are all going to die sooner or later anyway etc. etc. I guess you will note some improvement with better brake linings. By the way: The rear brake (well both, actually) is very sensitive for incorrect angles between the brake pedal, the rod and the brake cam lever. Any deviation from straight angle at the point of contact will affect the performance negatively.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Incorrect clutch springs may be a thing, yes. Double check those. Get new ones if in doubt: Part no. ST181. At GBP 0,77 each, I bet you can afford that. (That is really a good price! I almost want to buy a whole bunch of those, just because of the price.)

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Regarding the ride comfort: Given the relatively poor rear suspension (rigid frame, for those not familiar with it) and the not so advanced fork, you will have to take it slower on pumpy roads. That's just a fact, after all it is a 1930-es design. On the other hand, on good roads a rigid frame is much better than a floppy and wobly sprung rear frame.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Yes, the kick start is a little in the way of the heel, but I can still use the neutral lever fine. I use the heel on it! It is probably just a matter of adjusting the pedals and the foot rest. I have my right foot rest angled as high as possible and the left rearwards. Not because I drag them when cornering if not, but because that's the only positions I have found that allow proper adjustment of both the gear and brake pedals and at the same time give the right foot rest support on the edge of the gear box (it's rather long and flexible otherwise). Have a look at the pictures here, and you will see: http://foto.no/cgi-bin/bilder/vis_bilde.cgi?id=684876 (hope this link works). .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I have done one small but probably sensible modification to the front brake. The brake plate is only supported by a narrow distance collar. This part gives the brake plate no support. I have exchanget it for a much larger diameter washer wich fits the axle exactly, so that the brake plate is supported better between this one and the conicak nut on the outside. I found an article on this on the www once, but can't find it now. Hope you get my point anyway. Can't tell how much this helps, but it is an easy fix, looks like good enginering practise, and doesn't harm anyting, so why not? .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It's just a pleasure having an opportunity to talk about the Model G too, not just these modern Bullets with their sprung frames and all that...... .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Regards, Anders F. R.

[Frosty]

Another great day out on the G yesterday. Just over 100 miles. Getting the feel of it now and thoroughly enjoying it. Either the saddle springs are softening or I’m getting better at avoiding holes in the road. It seems to have more torque than the MAC Velo I had a couple of years ago, it’s climbing some of the local hills easily in top without any hint of labouring where the Velo had to drop to third. This suits me perfectly, a nice lazy ride.
It’s now time to cure some of the leaks, bin the Indian brake shoes and generally adjust and tighten things. I got a couple of bangs in the exhaust on the over run as I approached home so better check for air leaks and check the tappets too. No apparent change in power though.


Anders, thanks for the pictures of your bike, a very nice ridden machine. I notice the kick start is at a slightly different angle to mine (mine’s vertical), which would account for the fact that I can’t catch the neutral leaver with my heal. That too will be addressed over the Christmas holidays. Like the rack too, I’m looking for one for mine. Not a clue how to upload pictures onto this site but if you send me your email I’ll send some pictures.
Cheers
Phil

[Frosty]

Another great day out on the G yesterday. Just over 100 miles. Getting the feel of it now and thoroughly enjoying it. Either the saddle springs are softening or I’m getting better at avoiding holes in the road. It seems to have more torque than the MAC Velo I had a couple of years ago, it’s climbing some of the local hills easily in top without any hint of labouring where the Velo had to drop to third. This suits me perfectly, a nice lazy ride.
It’s now time to cure some of the leaks, bin the Indian brake shoes and generally adjust and tighten things. I got a couple of bangs in the exhaust on the over run as I approached home so better check for air leaks and check the tappets too. No apparent change in power though.


Anders, thanks for the pictures of your bike, a very nice ridden machine. I notice the kick start is at a slightly different angle to mine (mine’s vertical), which would account for the fact that I can’t catch the neutral leaver with my heal. That too will be addressed over the Christmas holidays. Like the rack too, I’m looking for one for mine. Not a clue how to upload pictures onto this site but if you send me your email I’ll send some pictures.
Cheers
Phil

[Anders F. R.]

Hello again! The luggage rack is a modified Hepco&Becker rack from a BMW which I had no use for on my BMW. When i found a length of steel tubing of the same diameter in a container (I often look in containers at construction sites), I suddenly got the idea. Works great and doesn't look too bad either. I am not good at welding, so it is riveted and brazed. That works too! .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Would be interesting seeing some pictures of your G. Don't spread this all over the world, but you can reach me at and-hild (at) online.no . Remove spaces etc. etc.... Please write something like "Royal Enfield" in the subject field. Most of the e-mail i get in English is spam and is deleted unread if I am not 100% shure of the sender. If I see Royal Enfield I will know what it is. .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- Regards, Anders F. R.

[Anders F. R.]

One little question: You wrote: " Marvellous, very smooth, very quiet ...." Mine is actually rather loud, or at least I think so. Not much mechanical noise, but the exhaust noise is not "very quiet" at all. May we have different silencers? Mine is almost empty inside. Just a little perforated inner lining, but no padding or stuffing. I have to add that my reference is a 1956 BMW, which was VERY quiet for it's time. Regards, afr.

[sideslipper]

Hi Anders, I must agree that my 1950 Model G exhaust volume is very loud. When I ride up the road all my neighbours are aware I am out and about. They all say it sounds good and like an old bike should sound but wifey is always embarassed by its loudness. It is nice to hear of others with the model G and to hear of their experiences. I have only recently finished my bike so it will be ready for next year after ironing out a few minor niggles over the winter.
I also have another model G now to rebuild from scratch so may call on your experience later if needed. This is the completed bike.