So what do you think is the weakest point on UCE bikes?

[TWinOKC]

IMHO it is the ends on the battery cables. 

I have had the end break off twice in a little less than three years I have owned my bike.   

Having some extra cable ends in the garage is a good idea or carry some with you = even better. 

[Gypsyjon]

Sounds like good advice.

What about clutch cables?

[shamelin]

IMHO it is the ends on the battery cables. 

I have had the end break off twice in a little less than three years I have owned my bike.   

Having some extra cable ends in the garage is a good idea or carry some with you = even better.

Structurally, I agree.  But once you replace them, they should be good to go.  Both of mine broke, but I picked up a pair of all-purpose battery terminals from NAPA, bent them a little, soldered them on, and I've had no problems since.

Mechanically, I'd say the weakest point on my B5 is the rear brake.  The zone between no brake and lock up is very narrow.  I've given thought to replacing it with a disc brake, but there's too much I'd rather do first (new rear shocks, upgraded headlight, etc.).  Plus it seems like it'd be a PITA.

I've also been irritated at the tank bolts.  I've had to pull out my took kit to tighten them during group rides, much to the amusement of all the Harley riders.  Apparently they enjoyed watching someone else having to work on their bike instead of them.

[Desi Bike]

Chains wear out far to early.

[Craig McClure]

Not a weakness, but one of the most annoying features on my bike, is an engineering flaw that could be remedied in future production. I have had one hell of a time getting my oil level correct, & I am an experienced motorcycle mechanic. They need to make it possible to read the correct oil level with the engine at rest. The way the crankcase on my 2010 is chambered, my sight glass shows full before starting, after running a little while it shows under half way up the window. This is to difficult a way to judge oil fill, compared to most other motorcycles in the world. My addition of an old school breather tube out the tail (over the fender) automatically jettisons any overfill. But I don't like this trait, so I'm making this complaint, that I hope someone in the engineering department reads. 

[Den]

+1 Craig McClure

[Royalista]

Craig McLure
That feature is in all the Bullets and the difference you describe in the looking glass is just right. As long as the level is between the two markers it should be ok, wouldn't it?

I had to learn to be way more relaxed about stuff on the Enfield. So far I added only once a tiny bit of oil (half a cup, after it had been ridden hard).

As far as the weakest point goes, I would say quality control. Components tend to fail sooner than later, but then again the warranty does cover that brilliantly. Just make enough miles in those two years.

[barenekd]

If you lube the cables when you buy the bike, the cables will last a long time. I had 16,000 miles on my G5 and the clutch cable looked like new. The throttle cables didn't get lubed and made it to about 12,000 miles. The replacements got lubed. I use Dri-Slide.
The stock chain is garbage. Replace it before they ruin your sprockets. The stock battery seems to be a bit short lived. Get an AGM. I replaced mine before it was 3 months old. It was a good thing too. I layed the bike on its side and it stayed there for 24 hours. If I'd still had the wet battery in it, it would've leaked acid all through the middle of the bike and destroyed it!
A little ACF-50 sprayed will on it protect it from rusting. They are somewhat susceptible to this!
Blue Loctite should be applied to most or all the nuts and bolts. The bikes stays in one piece a lot better!
Now that all the bike prep is done, you have a nice reliable machine to have a hell of a good time on!
Check your shifter and make sure you can easily shift it up and down with the same ease. If it's off one way or the other, pivot it around the shaft until it's right. It will miss shifts a lot less. It's a good gearbox, but it does take time to break-in, and for the two of you to get used to each other.
If you have Skid Master Avons, you might want to look for some tires that offer traction! The truck tires tires that come on the G5s and, I think, B5s are pretty crappy.
Bare
 

[Craig McClure]

[Craig McLure
That feature is in all the Bullets and the difference you describe in the looking glass is just right. As long as the level is between the two markers it should be ok, wouldn't it? ]

ROYALISTA, I have owned many legendary motorcycles. I'm not giving Enfield a pass, or saying it's OK just because all EFI bullets have the same problem. I am certain it's a design fault, & it really annoys me . Thats my studied oppinion, based on experience with dozens of machines with NO oil monitoring issues I've owned, & it will remain so. You're entitled to your opinion also

[GlennF]

A few people have complained about sprag clutches but I think this is more a generic weak point in big singles rather than anything specifically Enfield.

On my bike the auto decompress has recently failed making it difficult to kickstart.

[Kevin Mahoney]

We don't really see that many sprag clutches. Paint is better than it has ever been (new paint system), EFI is bullet proof as is the disc brake (pun intended). I agree about the oil level window. We have seen some battery leads as has been mentioned here. Lately they have been using a different battery. We used Exides for years and they were not a good battery. It was probably the single biggest cause of problems. About a year ago they switched to a battery made by FIEM from Italy. (made in China of course) and they have been much better. However you cannot beat an AGM battery. Stock non-oring chains are pretty weak, the o-ring ones are OK. I wish the front fender were a bit narrower in the middle on Classics. If the dealer installs them correctly they are not a problem but if they do not they scratch the fork covers. I am not thrilled with the snail type wheel adjusters. I do think they look cool though and in practice they are fine. While ideally nothing would ever go wrong when problems do occur they generally show up pretty quickly well within the warranty period.

[ace.cafe]

The two biggest things wrong is that the Cafe Racer isn't available yet, and we don't have a twin yet either!
 

[TWinOKC]

I had a problem getting the oil level just right also.  I got a paint measuring bucket from O'Reilly's (free) they have lots lines on the side for paint measuring.  So drain the used oil into the bucket, make a note of how much you drained out or put a mark on the side with a felt tip pen.  Now you just put that much oil back in and you are very close to where you need to be.

I wish I could claim this idea as mine but the truth is I stole it from someone on this forum, maybe Scott.

[barenekd]

The way the crankcase on my 2010 is chambered, my sight glass shows full before starting, after running a little while it shows under half way up the window.

If you read the owner's manual, it tells you when to check the oil, which is a two minutes after you shut it down. The level should be at or slightly over the middle of the sight glass. Pretty simple and pretty consistent
Bare

[barenekd]

I've also been irritated at the tank bolts. 

A little blue Loctite takes care of that problem. Obviously you haven't properly loctited your bike! Saves a lot of frustration and lost parts!

It seems to me that a lot of the complaints about the bikes comes from a lack of proper setup and lubing of the bikes when they are bought. The buyer's are generally stuck with that on these. The new owner needs to read the manual, lube the cables and pivots, Loctite the nuts and bolts, learn how to adjust the rear brake, (there are several threads on this forum about that). And generally finish up what the factory or dealer didn't! As the old line goes, a Royal Enfield will turn a boy into a mechanic! Not that there's anything wrong with that! If you've owned old Brit bikes in the past, it won't be much of a revelation. If not, Welcome to the old world!
Bare