Jump to content

Vintage Royal Enfield question


jmwildi

Recommended Posts

I know this is a really general question but any help you guys can give would be much apreciated. Does anyone know of any horrible problems or shortcomings that the late 1960's Royal Enfields had or have? I'm not sure of the exact year or model so I'm not really expecting specifics, just looking for general kinds of problems such as "the electrics on all of them suck." I might be able to post some pics of the bike on Saturday if I can get ahold of them. Thanks in advance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really don't remember any specific problems with the Royal Enfields. I only knew one guy that had one back then. I don't think they had problems like the Nortons or Triumph/BSA. The Lucas electrics will be troublesome, there will be that. A scratch built wiring harness will usually go a long ways to fixing most electrical problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you haven't already check out this site. www.enfieldmotorcycles.com

yeah but... those are the new Enfields. A lot of those parts won't fit. Aren't vintage either, if you're trying to maintain the vintage status. There are places in Britain that stock and/or make the vintage parts.

Burton Bike Bits

Feked Classic Bike Parts

Hitchcock's Motorcycles

WebBikeWorld Royal Enfield Rebuild

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome, thanks. I'm not even sure I'm going to buy it yet, the guys who's selling it is kind of a flake. He got the bike for free from his uncle. It doesn't run, he doesn't ride, and his total plan was to fix the bike up and sell it but he doesn't really know anything about bikes. I think he underestimated the amount of work it would be. I did look at the Enfield mc site and was kind of saddened to see the new Enfields are from India. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the new enfields are produced in india, and parts are available, and the electrical systems still continue to suck. I can't say much for the old ones other than they look neat, and the shifter is probably on the right instead of on the left, just like the triumphs where, but I can't garentee that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty sure the controls are reversed but it's not the end of the world. If I even buy it I've got to get it running before I need to worry about riding it. The Indian owned and produced Enfields are dispointing but I also saw that Norton is making bikes again and they look nice. Not sure if they're made in England or if they were sold off too but they only have a handfull of dealers in the US right now anyway.

Edited by jmwildi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was an article in Sport Rider a few years ago that dealt with a motorcycle trip to India, they rode Enfields for it. The writers kept saying the damn things were bulletproof, and if I remember correctly, one even ended up in an open sewage pit.They just pulled it out, wiped it off, and started it back up. I can't find the article online though. Sorrty

It's hard to believe now, but British production used to be the best of the best. And I think that Enfield was out of business before the quality of Britain went belly up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was an article in Sport Rider a few years ago that dealt with a motorcycle trip to India, they rode Enfields for it. The writers kept saying the damn things were bulletproof, and if I remember correctly, one even ended up in an open sewage pit.They just pulled it out, wiped it off, and started it back up. I can't find the article online though. Sorrty

It's hard to believe now, but British production used to be the best of the best. And I think that Enfield was out of business before the quality of Britain went belly up.

Who says britain has bad quality products? :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
There was an article in Sport Rider a few years ago that dealt with a motorcycle trip to India, they rode Enfields for it. The writers kept saying the damn things were bulletproof, and if I remember correctly, one even ended up in an open sewage pit.They just pulled it out, wiped it off, and started it back up. I can't find the article online though. Sorrty

It's hard to believe now, but British production used to be the best of the best. And I think that Enfield was out of business before the quality of Britain went belly up.

I've actually been on that trip. Got better than 2500 km on Indian Enfields. IMHO, they suck. The reversed controls aren't an issue, but the front brake is positively useless and the rear is dangerous--long mechanical lever gives you enormous leverage which leads to easy lock-ups. So the bike sucks. But if you're a real wrench, they are bullet proof. I had a roadside mechanic re-set the timing by eye--open cover, insert screwdriver, twist and you're all done. If you're an Indian mechanic. Transmission is a 10-speed--4 forward, 1 neutral and 5 false neutrals.

All that said, they are an endearing ride. Classic single cylinder blat from the exhaust. Street, dirt--they don't care. And the Indian versions (since 1958) are at least as good as the English. Don't let that distinction fool you. It's a hobby, not a reliable ride by today's standards. If you really like the old English classics and you're a good wrench, go for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool, thanks for your take on them. I'm not what you might call a "real wrench". I can do basic maintenance but that's about it. I was looking for something to learn more mechanical skills on. The guy with the Enfield I was looking at flaked so I went with another bike that was a better deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...