Forum

[Rattlebattle]

The basic problem is that it's hard to access the filler plugs in situ. The w/shop manual advises that the fork leg be removed ...

Not done the job yet on mine, but I believe it's easier than on the older UCE models covered in the manual.

[nigelphoto]

As Rattlebattle said on the current B5 and C5 the fork legs have to come out of the casquette - which requires a 13mm Allen key - and they are left hand thread just for a laugh. This would have been normal British engineering practice at the time and as one who likes to do 'awkward' I can understand that but we are now 68 years on and the opportunity to redesign this nonsense should have taken place years ago. However, not long to go until 1st january 2017 and the Bullet and Classic 500 will disappear off the menu for good . . . . . Why? Well Euro 4 of course.

[Mark M]

I still don't understand, on previous models you remove a cap in the Casquette, expose the top of the stanchion where you can see the 13mm hexagon (half inch for the Redditch models,) and simply pour the oil down the centre of the hexagon hole, it leads directly inside the stanchion. Is that a blind hole now?

REgards, Mark

[jefrs]

That's why I used inverted commas on 'better'. The straight leg forks on the C5 are double action damping with progressive springs but you do have to dismantle to change the fork oil. The offset-axle forks on the B5 are the older single action design with the drain screw. I see a design flaw in the newer forks but, something odd, there is a hole up from the bottom which should have led to a drain plug with the spindle removed but they did not implement it. You have to remove the wheel, mudguard and whatnot then unscrew the fork legs from the casquette to invert and re-fill them, and though I doubt it would take 4 hours, it's a lot more involved than pulling the plug and plunging the forks.

If it was easy to do I would change the fork oil as I don't entirely trust the indian lubricants, but then I'm not having a problem with the fork action. If it ain't bust, it's not...



There are differences in rake and trail (caster). Rake is the angle between vertical and the steering head. Trail or caster is the horizontal distance between where the wheel touches the ground and the line through the steering head axis (not the fork legs). The current C5s have 19/18 wheels which will increase rake and trail and hence need the fork offset kink moved back straight to compensate; the forks do not appear to be quite the same length as on the B5, this again alters the geometry. And a few (Battle Green?) C5s came with 18/18 wheels and offset forks. The current C5 straight forks seem to be designed to be stiffer (twisting) with improved rebound action. Whether they really work better is another matter.

[jefrs]

I shall correct myself - the latest B5 Bullet models do have the newer straight forks. RE are rather infamous for not advertising changes to specifications during production.



The instructions for servicing the newer forks are given (rather badly) in the workshop manual, but that dates from 2010 and there were major revisions to the bikes 2011-on.

[jefrs]

Mark, Nigel - on the new forks the 13mm Allen cap screw is not a cap but used to unscrew the fork legs from the casquette. On the older casquette you could fit a Smiths tacho in place of the cap, you can't do that with the new casquette (and the hole is bigger).



I suspect we will see 2017 bikes with rear disc brakes to meet Euro 4. RE already have rear disc bikes. Personally I don't believe a rear disc stops you any better than a good rear drum but there you are, the drum can be fiddly to set up properly and they don't do properly at the factory.

[scotty]

Dont know why the indians did not make one frame for all, use the gt one make all engines 535. Why run 2 or 3 production lines and different spare parts, cheaper in the long run 535 is much better on motorways be interesting to see what a mess they make of the new twin.

[Mark M]

Jefrs, on Redditch models the half inch hex is a hollow part of the stanchion, when in situ it is then covered by the plug in the casquette. That's why you can pour oil down the hole. Would it be possible to drill a hole in the bottom of the later 13 mm hex for easier oil re-filling? Scotty asks why they have different frames, it could be because RE have several different factories it's actually more convenient to stock different parts. Remember in India there are tax incentives from the individual states to build job-creating factories, that might compensate for the additional part lines! I imagine that when the twin turns up production will probably centre round that as the frame will be common to the GT range.

REgards, Mark

[jefrs]

Mark, I once had a Redditch 350, and I like they way you can change oil easily on them but the forks have been evolved India; the legs have variations in mudguard mounts, and brakes. The new forks are described as 35Ø so I assume they are larger diameter, damping is double action plunge and rebound and they have progressive springs. Hayballs of Salisbury have offered £90 to change the oil and they have a range of oils to adjust their bounce i.e they do the job regularly, and time-wise that's less than I could do it for myself.



Nor do I see why a company as big as RE should have one frame option, they currently produce a range of eight bikes (the 350s have smaller frame/wheels):- CGT-535, Thunderbird 500, Thunderbird 350, Bullet 500, Bullet 350, Classic Bullet 500, Classic Bullet 350, Himalayan.

https://royalenfield.com/motorcycles/ (India)

[Waltr]

What is meant by Double-Action. For the US market there are only a few 2017 bikes at this time, When I went on the RE India site I was surprised to see the forks on the 500 Bullet to be the straight vs offset type. As of 2016 the 500 Bullet here had forks with the easy oil change capability.
Now I have a choice to make. I wonder that the geometry of the new front end is?