The 612 conversion kit

[CMW-Rhett]

I think we should start a separate forum that is exclusive to ideas for convincing wives that you NEED these parts for your bike.

  Maybe we could set up a mailing list for Royal Enfield wives!

[Robb]

Or, do what I did:  Buy the Enfield for your wife...  She likes it a lot better than the motorcycle lift and new tool chest that I got her for Christmas the year previous.

[Bullet500Dude]

    OMG..... Why 612 cc ?  THESE ARE ANTIQUATED DINASORS !  They go SLOW !  I've owned my 01 500 seance April 02, and she was absolutly wonderful to ride stock for over 28K miles crusing at most 55 mph ( but usually not over 40 to 45 mph).
  I've also had the pleasure of ridding and maintaining two other 05 65's owned by a couple of guys from India who live in my town, and they were also a pleasure to ride stock.
  Some modifications can be beneficial.  My first were Hitchcock's high volume oilpumps, the shift bushing kit from DRS, Classic's blieprinted cluch kit, 18 tooth countershaft sprocket, long header/short muffeler, rejetted carberator, premimum cables, and that made her so sweet to ride.
  But I just had to get STUPED, and start making performance modifications on her.  Oh yes, I just had to have the head worked over, 9 to 1 compression piston(JUNK), Amal 32mm MK2 carberator(JUNK), and cams.
  It's been a total nose bleed, and I regret ever messing with her.  The carberator has been a total pain in the butt getting dialed in, and needs constant attention.  Timming has been a pain, and luckily Classic came out with a stiffer advance spring whitch helped.  Finding gas can be a problem at times, and she WILL NOT run on anything but highest octain available with booster.  She gets hot ridding around town because of the high compression, and I live in Bakersfield, California where it get over 100F for months at a time.
  She was such a pleasure to ride and own before, and now I dread the thought of having to ride her.  Now I'm in the process of saving the money up to put her back to stock, and I can't enjoy her.  Leave them alone. Buy a Yamasaki or something bike if you wanna go fast.
 
                     Take CARE, be BAD ;-) and ride SAFE...................D.B.
 

[Peter]

Put a 2mm compression plate in and put your stock carb back on.
(Or did you have the work done at a shop and they kept the parts?)
That would be less than $20.
Alloy barrel would be nice, though.
None of what you are reporting is a REAL problem.

Peter

[JLR]

deejay---You have apoint about the money not covering the house. But I need to hold off until I get used to ahuge payment every month. Gotta love those kids tho 

Robb---Wife is not impressed with looks of the Enfield, but supports that I like it. Looks like a solo and pad will be the ticket eventually (gotta take the kids for a spin ya know)

Found myself eyeing the parts book my father-in-law brought back from a recent trip down in Oklahoma...brain started looking at the performance parts (must go faster it says). Haven't even ridden one yet, but I think I'll be fine with mostly stock anyway and enjoy that for awhile. I can tinker later in life.

[dave48]

 "OMG..... Why 612 cc ?  THESE ARE ANTIQUATED DINASORS !  They go SLOW ! "

Have to agree with 500Dude on this. Surely if one wants a FAST(ER) bike, then that is what one buys? Presumably Bullets (and most other bikes) are designed/built AS A WHOLE. The engine/drive train/frame/suspension/braking etc etc are compatable one with each other. Change one element of the equation....and the rest don't work as intended (or certainly not for long!).
They are slow by nature - and intention. 
A 125 RS Aprillia will surely blow any hopped up RE into the weeds - and be no more fragile!!

[dewjantim]

Hop it up!!!! Nothing like going fast on a slow bike.....Dew.

[deejay]

500Dude and dave48, i have to admit, this was my thinking originally, just leaving the 500 as is. But if you look closely at the 612 kit, and all thats included, you will see a vast amount of superior parts made in england. Such things as high quality main bearings may negate the effects of higher compression and speed on this old dinosaur. To me, it looks as if the kit was done right, and that is what sparked my interest. There are many good reviews of the kit "over the pond", with owners racking up the miles trouble-free.

Right now I don't need a faster bike, I had one a few years back and it never saw over 75mph. But when the day comes when I feel the need to go a little faster, gain a bit more power, you can surely bet I won't be trading in my Bullet for a honda or an aprilia. I'll be pulling her guts out and adding a proven kit, to make her suit me better. Thats all.

[RagMan]

A few years ago I would have spent time and money getting amazing advances of power in the Enfield. But after every professionally built race spec engine I have ever own has blown away to mangled dust, I reckon I will just leave everything as near to stock as works right.  Nothing built as one thing lasts long as something else, and I have done the twin ton, and scared the heck out  of my self on the Bonneville flats.  I may be getting old, I suppose, but it seems counter productive to make everything faster. If I add up the money I have spent on 'improvements' I could have bought a dealership, and have all the Royal Enfields I want.

[luoma]

I have to admit I got a bit obsessed with potential imrpovements when I got my RE. There just seemed to be so much that could be done. Kinda like the old air-cooled VWs. However, my bike runs so nice now I don't think I will be doing anything else to it. All I have done is add the CMW performance kit to help it breath a little easier, and added a 19-tooth sprocket for easier cruising. I can run faster now, but the enjoyment ends after about 60mph. And that's not just me. I seldom find guys on the monster cruisers doing much beyond that. I also seldom see bikes of any size cruising the interstate, they all stay to the backroads and secondary highways.

I am still interested in other people's modifications and can't wait to see what CMW comes up with on their 570cc project bike, like sport cams, bigger carb, etc., but at my age I want to enjoy the remaining rides I've got rather than see how fast I can get to the end.

[Spitting Bull]

In this discussion I think everybody has been right.  One man's "change one thing and you put extra stresses on something else" is another man's "one challenge leads to another." You buy your bullet and then do what you like with it. 

I like old bikes, and I like everything about them - the primitive brakes, the notchy gearboxes, the limited power.  For me the 350 bullet was an opportunity to buy an old bike that was brand new, with no chewed-up fasteners, no worn or impossible-to-find parts, no rust, everything clean and easy to work on.  It was like a fully restored 50-year-old bike, but without having had to do it myself.  Apart from de-restricting the bike by removing the standard exhaust and re-jetting the carburetter to suit, I haven't done anything.  I like the bike with all its limitations.  I was happy last weekend to go on a 220 mile round trip with only the standard tool-kit on the bike and a Leatherman and small adjustable spanner in my pocket.  The only spare I took was a spare set of points. The bike performed faultlessly and I was pleased with that too, because I do all my own maintenance.

But if anybody wants to tweak the engine, squeezing out every last drop of power and constantly looking for ways to find more then if that's their idea of fun that's OK.  We're all on the same side.

Tom

[Peter]

I'm not interested in the last drop of power. That's just asking for trouble.
Performance tuning does not necessarily mean top speed.
It is really important to define your goals before you start.
The stock engine has a number of modifications from the original design which are undesirable and a nuisance.
The exhaust system and poor compression are the things which are most important from a performance point of view.
If your goal is to have a tractable engine and to pick up a little speed and to do this with a budget,
address the compression and the exhaust and change the sprocket.
A larger carb is easy to bolt on but may not match the rest of the engine and is expensive.
In the case of the Bullet, it won't get you any closer to a properly running cycle for everyday riding. Especially when you don't have the experience to dial it in or to just realize that it's a poor match and ditch it.
Forget cams, carbs, head mods, velocity stacks etc. unless you are intent on building  a high performance engine. I don't know if the stock air box is a problem never had one. Mine had the filter directly attached to the carb. I don't understand why most everyone is doing that to their intake tract. Looks maybe?
Bottom line is that every single modification needs to be done with a clear objective in mind.
And most importantly, the most sensible modifications are not necessarily the ones most easily done. (carb vs compression comes to mind)
It is not only about stock or all out performance, there is a sensible middle ground.
Just be aware that when you leave the "sensible" middle ground you will find yourself in an entirely different situation. The need for funds, knowledge, frustration tolerance and determination go up exponentially. Someone mentioned ambition, I guess that's what it is.

Peter


Here is my pride and joy, a 2003 Bullet Military:


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[RagMan]

A military without the added bits.. Looks very nice.

[JLR]

Peter--That is a nice looking Military. They aren't my cup o' tea but it does look good.


I think you all have some valid points. It is all relevant to the desired end. Performance mod, high peformance, stock...just depends on what you like and what kind of risk/challenges you are willing to take.
This is why I love reading this forum, I don't own one, haven't sat on one, and already know tons about them. Good, bad, quirks, tricks, tips, solutions and frustrations...and I still beleive that I would like to have one. Of course I'll have to sit on one first...but I'm  potentially going in 'informed' as opposed to blind when i do look at one. And for that

THANK YOU ALL.

[Peter]

Thanks.
It was a MIlitary at some point and now only the painted engine and the color are left.

Peter