freeway riding

[jonapplegate]

Hi! have a question about any experiences with freeway speeds. Where I live, if I want  to go to my dealer, I have to ride freeway for at least 20 miles. I have a new 30mm carb, k&n, and classic exhaust. Would switching to a larger (18 tooth) sprocket help drop rpm enough to make this feasible? My dealer says no matter how much power is added or rpm is dropped, holding a steady speed for a while will cause harmonic vibrations that will wreak havoc with lubrication.

Thanks,
             Jon

[Spitting Bull]

Hi Jon,

the way I see it is - the classic bullet is mechanically a 1956 British bike.  In Britain in 1956 there were very few roads which allowed a sustained high speed for at least 20 miles.  There was always a bend, a narrow bridge, a village with a speed limit, something like that to keep making the rider throttle back and slow down periodically.  That's the kind of riding the Bullet was designed for, I think.  There were bikes which could could run at consistent high speeds, but riders who wanted to do that didn't buy Royal Enfield Bullets.

It seems to me that most of the problems reported with modern bullets are the result of trying to make them go faster and for longer than their 1956 design allows for.  I don't think the Classic engine was designed with any built-in room for too many improvements of this kind.  If you increase the power output in one area you put extra stress on other components somewhere else.  Take care with the freeway riding.  I avoid freeways (motorways) because my bike just struggles on them.  If I have to use motorways, then I accept that the bike is dangerously under-powered for these roads and take great care.


Tom

[justin_o_guy]

I've never heard of a lubrication/harmonics issue, but, lots of stuff Ive never heard of. I have heard of running at any given RPM on an engine not yet "Run in"or Broken In & setting up vibrations in the rings & creating problems in the bore. Vary the engine speed. Watch your mirrors & when no one is running up on you, slow it down, a lot, & cruise at a low speed for a bit, a few minutes when possible. There is a place where the bike "Feels" better. A spot that's got less vibration & if you goose it, it still has some accleration left, with torque, not just" I twisted the throttle & i THINK I can feel it accelerating". When I am breaking an engine in, I don't go past that spot for long & I don't do it often. Also, I have been told by a guy who is a pretty sharp mechanic, tho he may be full of it here, I dunno, But,, he says, Get an engine running up in the RPM range, then just slap the throttle shut & let the engine vacuum suck the rings out against the bore & seat them.
Every time I run past the recommended speed during break in, I only go there for a few seconds, then slow down & allow any hot spots to cool. Ride calm for a while, at least 15 minutes, before I would dream of doing it again. I have a Suzuki 650 that runs very nicely & a Moto Guzzi with 4,500 miles on it that seems to be still breaking in. The folks who sold it to me said wait till it has 6,000 miles on it to se what the MPG will be. I hope its like a pocketnife that is hard to sharpen. Once ya get it sharp, it stays sharp.

Good luck on your trips. Yes, the larger sprocket will slow the engine down, which allows you to cruise at a higher speed or cruise at the same speed as before the sprocket change & save fuel & lengthen engine life by decreasing the revolutions per mile.Still, if it's not broken in, vary engine speeds. I dont know how many RPM is needed, so I would vary a lot, unless someone I trusted chimes in.

[Kevin Mahoney]

I would concur with the advice given here thusfar

[deejay]

My bullet is nice and broken in, and I wouldn't dream of taking it on the freeway. 65mph usually means others will be traveling at LEAST 70-75mph. The fastest I run my bike is 50-55, and it still feels like I should give it a rest every few minutes. If anyone tells you that they take their Bullet on the freeway, then I can guarantee they will be rebuilding their engines MUCH sooner than I will be.

I have found many "alternate" routes around my local freeways that give me great pleasure to ride and enjoy the scenery, without the high speed madness.

[prof_stack]

A fellow who bought his Bullet new and broke it in properly and had several thousand miles on it decided it was time to take his RE on the freeway for a trip.  On I-90 heading east from Seattle he lasted about a half hour at 60+ MPH before the engine blew. 

The shop owner had warned him against it.  This owner is a stickler for proper break-in.

[jonapplegate]

Thanks for the info everyone! I think I get the point.

[justin_o_guy]

My bullet is nice and broken in, and I wouldn't dream of taking it on the freeway. 65mph usually means others will be traveling at LEAST 70-75mph. The fastest I run my bike is 50-55, and it still feels like I should give it a rest every few minutes. If anyone tells you that they take their Bullet on the freeway, then I can guarantee they will be rebuilding their engines MUCH sooner than I will be.

I have found many "alternate" routes around my local freeways that give me great pleasure to ride and enjoy the scenery, without the high speed madness.

 I am curious as to what it is about the bike that makes ytou feel/think it needs a break. Not that I doubt you for an instant, just that I am not that "In Tune" with anything that I ever felt anything liie that. Is it a vibration?

[deejay]

I am curious as to what it is about the bike that makes ytou feel/think it needs a break. Not that I doubt you for an instant, just that I am not that "In Tune" with anything that I ever felt anything liie that. Is it a vibration?

Just to clarify, when I said it feels like it "needs a break", I meant drop the rpms down, not pull over and shut the bike off. I could run all day at 5th gear 50-53mph. 54-60mph would require dropping the rpms every so often (IMO). It's a bunch of different things, vibration is one of them, sound is another, but anyone can tell when an engine is being overworked.

I know you don't own one yet, but have you test driven one?

[FiferWD]

Hi! have a question about any experiences with freeway speeds. Where I live, if I want  to go to my dealer, I have to ride freeway for at least 20 miles. I have a new 30mm carb, k&n, and classic exhaust. Would switching to a larger (18 tooth) sprocket help drop rpm enough to make this feasible? My dealer says no matter how much power is added or rpm is dropped, holding a steady speed for a while will cause harmonic vibrations that will wreak havoc with lubrication.

Thanks,
             Jon

I have the same set up with the original carb and 18 tooth sprocket.  I frequently have to run at higher speeds, and I find that the bike doesn't like it.  If I take it up higher that 50-55 for 20 miles or so, I find that the engine sounds unhappy and I use a lot, and I mean a lot, of oil.  I have about 10,500 on my 2005 Bullet, and I am going to decarbon and probably put in new rings and valve guides very soon, after which I will try never to abuse it again.

It is really tempting to take it up there, but I guess I'll just have to talk the-lady-who-rents-the-other-side-of-the-bed into letting me buy another bike for those long fast rides.

I have about a 45 mile ride to my dealer, so I bought a folding 4x8 utility trailer from Harbour Freight to haul it with.

[RagMan]

I have about a 45 mile ride to my dealer, so I bought a folding 4x8 utility trailer from Harbour Freight to haul it with.

How do you like your 4x8 trailer, does it tow ok, keep stable, etc??

[FiferWD]

How do you like your 4x8 trailer, does it tow ok, keep stable, etc??
[/quote]

It's great, but it is also dangerous as hell to handle by yourself when folding and unfolding..  On one occasion, I lost control of the tongue while unfolding it and got a huge bruise where it hit me in the side and back.  As far as roadability, no problems.  It tows well and doesn't bounce around with a load.  Empty it does bounce a bit, but is still very manageable.

 I painted the wooden deck with a skid resistant paint, and built a sort of removable chock for the wheels.  I also used eyebolts at the four corners for tie downs, and replaced the plastic casters with sturdier rubber ones.  To load the bike, I remove the trailer's license plate and the tongue clevis pins, tilt the bed down, and push the bike on board with a running start.  I then have one of my kids or a neighbor push down on the front to level it and put the clevis pins in.  I need to find a better location for the license plate  Another modification I did was to make 8 clevis pins out of 3/8 inch bolts to hold the stake sides on.  That way you don't have to be running around with a socket wrench every time you use it or put it away.

If I had it to do over again, I would prefer to spend a little bit more for the Red Trailer, made in Pennsylvania.  I had one before, and it is easier to deal with.  It has a straight bar tongue instead of a vee, for one thing.  But the Harbour Freight version is pretty good.  Needless to say, it has a lot of other applications, and stores well in the garage without taking up a lot of space.

Oh yeah, you want the one with 12 inch wheels.  My first one had the 8 inch, and they are really too small. 

[RagMan]

Thank you for the review - I am looking for a small trailer to haul one or two bikes around with.

[hutch]

I am curious as to what it is about the bike that makes ytou feel/think it needs a break. Not that I doubt you for an instant, just that I am not that "In Tune" with anything that I ever felt anything liie that. Is it a vibration?

54-60mph would require dropping the rpms every so often (IMO). It's a bunch of different things, vibration is one of them, sound is another, but anyone can tell when an engine is being overworked.

You know that is realy strange, My 2005 Bullet Classic only has bigger jets and a free flowing pipe, and at 60mph it is the happiest. It smooths right out as far as vibes, the motor is not working hard at all. It falls into a groove there and is happy. I rode for 179 miles at that speed and only went through a few small towns that were like 40 miles apart. I got 80mpg and used no oil that I could tell on the stick. I am used to riding by sound(no tach) after 40 years of riding. I changed my Suzuki Savage into a chain drive just for the reason you are talking about. That thing was screaming RPM's at 75mph, with the stock belt gearing. Maybe I just got a "special" Classic. By no means would I ride it on the super slabs. Mine tops out at 80mph with a tail wind, but 55-60 mph all day is no problem. It had less than 3000 miles on it when I did the 179 mile trip. Most of the time I don't even look at the speedo, I know where it seems to be the happiest by sound, and when I look down, there it is 55-60mph.     Hutch

[deejay]

yeah, i baby my bullet too though, so take that into consideration.