Forum

[MadMike]

JB perhaps a slightly different slant on having an Enfield, or similar, as a first bike. I have been riding for 53 years now and when I started out as a schoolboy of 16 there simply were no bikes of what we might now claim to be of modern standards. My first bike was a 1948 BSA bantam which had been a Post Office telegram delivery bike and had then had more bodgers, sorry owners, that you and I have had proverbial hot dinners. I was lucky as my father was a motorcyclist and he set about teaching how that little engine worked, how to strip and rebuild it and how to make do and mend at the side of the road. All of which became useful at the first breakdown. The Banty was followed by many bikes in different states of mechanical repair and disrepair, before I could afford a brand new bike. Among the motley collection were a couple of Enfields plus a host of others, all British. I learned and as you had to, learned fast as my only way of getting to work was by a 20 mile commute on my motorbike(s). So there is no reason at all why you should not have an Enfield as your first bike. No reason at all. many of us old guys started with much worse and we still ride them. Tales of self destructing engines etc etc are plentiful, but I have friends who will tell you similar stories about most Japanese bikes. All mechanical breakdowns have a reason, and unfortunately many people attack the result rather than the root cause. Reliable bikes are a result of good quality regular maintenance, plenty of oil changes, and sensible riding. So if you want to start on an Enfield then you should do so. Look hard at any bike on offer, try and get some sort of warranty (that is a polite way of saying buy from a recognised dealer initially), learn about maintenance, contact your local REOC and ride with people who have Enfields to start with. I don't know where you are, but if you are near Leicestershire you are welcome to come and see my old bikes and see how an old bike can still be an easy bike to ride. Sorry no Enfields but mine are certainly getting on a bit. HTH.

[apparently lucky eddie]

I have to add to the glass half full brigade here. I have had several classic pre-unit enfields, 350's and 500's including one riden back from india around 1980 and have never managed to break a piston or big end. I would estimate that in somewhere around 80,000 miles, apart from regular oil and filter changes,the only thing that could be termed a breakdown was a front brake drum going out of true and juddering. I don't even recall ever changing a clutch or throttle cable. The electrics are shite but if you carry a bit of silver foil and some gaffer tape in the tool box most things can be fixed easily. As for sprags, never had problems at all, just stop the engine correctly with the decompressor not the ignition switch. Dunno about these new fangled EFI machines though, they're not my cuppa tea at all.

[Thack]

MadMike writes: ".....when I started out as a schoolboy of 16 there simply were no bikes of what we might now claim to be of modern standards. [...] I learned and as you had to, learned fast as my only way of getting to work was by a 20 mile commute on my motorbike(s). So there is no reason at all why you should not have an Enfield as your first bike. No reason at all. Many of us old guys started with much worse and we still ride them."



I, too, am old (although not as old as MadMike!), and I disagree with that completely.



The reason we rode knackered Bantams and clattery B15s is because there was nothing better - we had no choice. And of course we proved that you CAN use pretty well ANY bike as your first bike. But I think that argument is completely irrelevant today.



Why? Because unlike 50 years ago there IS a wide choice of great quality Japanese bikes, so we must answer this question in the context of today, not of 50 years ago. Even today you COULD use a Bantam as your first bike, you COULD use a 1950s Bullet or a BSA C15, or you COULD use a modern Indian-made RE. The trouble is, you could also use a CB500, or an ER-5, or any one of countless other ultra-reliable, durable Japanese bikes. So, given the choice, which would you recommend TODAY?br>


I'll bet my pension that if - by some time-travelling magic - 50 years ago MadMike had had a choice between a BSA Bantam and a Honda CB175, he'd have chosen the Honda any day of the week, because it's STREETS ahead in every way.



Well guess what? Because it's now the 21st Century JB DOES have a choice between an Indian RE and a Honda Anything for his first bike. And there's no doubt which would be better by all practical measures.



Mike goes on to say: "All mechanical breakdowns have a reason, and unfortunately many people attack the result rather than the root cause. Reliable bikes are a result of good quality regular maintenance, plenty of oil changes, and sensible riding."



I think this oversimplifies things. Reliable bikes are a result of all those things, PLUS good engineering by the manufacturer. Some of the crap that came out of the British factories back in the 60s would NEVER reach modern levels of reliability, no matter how lovingly you changed the oil and fiddled with the tappets and points.



I stand by what I originally said: the RE is a superb hobby bike. If you want your first bike to be a hobby bike, then that's great. If you want to go to work on it every day, winter and summer, then a Japanese bike would be a wiser choice.



Just my opinion, of course!

[papasmurf]

Thack wrote:- Some of the crap that came out of the British factories back in the 60s would NEVER reach modern levels of reliability, no matter how lovingly you changed the oil and fiddled with the tappets and points.



Quite. I was at a motorcycle rally a few years ago, when a lady turned up with a motorcycle she had built herself using an old Triumph 650cc twin engine. (Lovely looking machine, I wish I could weld like that.)

She asked me, "have you any idea why the engine is leaking oil?" I replied, "because it has oil in it."

[mauri]

don’t blame the bike, blame the rider



i can believe that is my opinion

[Craig]

Hi Folk's
Just To Add that the reason i dont come on Here Much is that My Enfields have been More reliable than any Bike (CX 500) apart that i have owned..My longest running 350std India home Mrkt Modle was used day in day out for over 10 years (Cables apart) No problem...Once had a coil go on a 500 and the famous Mystery Spark plug Prob..But they have been reliable,easy to work on (All my work is in the Garden)and Cheap..All My Enfields have been the Pre unit Modle..Though I have a 350 Lean burn (Think Electra) that I treat Like a Jap other Than Top Speed,,,So great Bikes,regular Oil Change and dont thrash em (To Much).........Now go's Touch wood ;0)

[Bertie the Bullet]

Go Norm, the voice of doom and gloom, you've obviously had a bad experience with a Bullet, but was it the bike or the way it was treated?

[Norm]

Bertie, countless numbers of Bullets, couldn't imagine how many of these motors I have rebuilt, haven't kept any records but I will no longer rebuild any more, just sick of them

[Jack the Lad]

Hi JB

I see no reason not to get an EFI Enfield as first bike. A pre EFI model is, I think, a different proposition though as they do need a lot more attention.

The perfomance of an Enfield is about the same as a good sports 125 or a commuter 250, but the big torquey long stroke motor means it is much more relaxed and doesn't need thrashing to make make decent progress. There is enough perfomance as long as you are happy riding at the speed limit. It is easily capable of long motorway journeys at 65-70 and I've done quite a few 400 mile days on mine to prove it.

Mine is a 2010 Electra EFI bought privately 18 months ago with 2000 miles on the clock for £2600. Enfields are often sold by old boys who have cherished them, rather than ridden them so, as long as you are careful, there is no reason not to buy privately and save yourself some money. I've put another 12,000 miles on mine since, mostly on a 75 mile round trip commute. Service intervals are reasonable at 3750 (same as modern suzukis) and are easy to do yourself for about £30 in oil and filters. Don't pay attention to the doom mongers - they need no attention between services apart from lubing and adjusting the chain.

No learner 125 or commuter 250 has the style and cool factor of an Enfield. Even girls who normally have no interest in motorbikes like them. Mine is ridden all year round and is a bit tatty with the effects of road salt (same as any bike that actually gets ridden) but it still looks good enough if I can be bothered to wash it.

It is fair to say that I have had one breakdown - when the battery cam loose and was hanging on its wires, one of which eventually shorted after about 150 miles riding in torrential rain. It was a reminder to check all fastenings at every service, not just the ones you can see. I think it was a one-off, so don't let it put you off. Even £12,000 BMWs have electrical problems - ask the owners stranded by their dodgy switchgear, often replaced several times under warranty before it is sorted!

Whatever bike you decide to get, motorcycling is great fun - so just enjoy it and be comfortable with your choice.

Good luck with test and ride safe.

Martin

[Count Johnny]

Broadly speaking, I'm with Mad Mike on this one - although I suppose it depends upon whether you will get satisfaction and enjoyment from the regular spannering that these bikes require.



Personally, I do, so my '96 bobbed version of events has given me a lot of fun, both on and off the road.



Just one observation is that - although I've never owned one - it seems to me that the EFI is rather more complicated than the earlier versions which, in Indian speak, means more to go wrong (and, in particular, more to go mysteriously wrong thanks to 'two-bob' electrics and an electric boot) so I'd by an earlier bike.



But Norm also has a point, in that our friends in Chennai do have a somewhat casual attitude to tolerances, materials and workmanship.



Oh, and the 4 speed box is absolute sh*ite, so if you're buying an earlier bike with a 4 speed box, keep back a few (well, about 8 hundred) quid to lob a 5 speed box on it.



Oh, and - unless you are accustomed to old bikes, or not accustomed to new bikes - the TLS front brake is hilarious by any standards.



Have I just talked myself in circles?