2 weeks for dealers to get recall parts?

[LJRead]

Nothing personal here - we have all chosen R E for a variety of reasons - now we need to learn to live with our decision, including storing away a lot of patience.  It is definitely worth it!!!

What really sucks is negativism, which we all are plagued by and which I fight against every day!  It is quite simply a choice.

[Thumper]

Nothing personal here - we have all chosen R E for a variety of reasons - now we need to learn to live with our decision, including storing away a lot of patience.  It is definitely worth it!!!

What really sucks is negativism, which we all are plagued by and which I fight against every day!  It is quite simply a choice.

I'm with you LJ. Frankly, PitViper might be better off selling the RE and moving on to a Hondawskimaha.

[Kevin Mahoney]

Please let's not disparage another member, I really don't want to have to shut the thread down.

[r80rt]

I know my constant cheer leading for this new engine may be getting old. But I promise the wait will be worth it, these are fine motorcycles!

[Pitviper]

I know my constant cheerleading for this new engine may be getting old. But I promise the wait will be worth it, these are fine motorcycles!

I can't wait to get to the point your at (past break-in) and really do some riding. I got to ride it for 320 miles before notice of the recall and am going crazy wanting to ride again. Hopefully something will happen this week with the recall parts and work.

[r80rt]

I know you must be frustrated as hell, but man this bike is so worth it, I'd give anything to be able to help you get going faster. when you get her back you'll forget the whole thing, you have a great motorcycle waiting for you.

[LJRead]

I'm pretty sure that pitviper knows most of what we say is tongue in cheek and he is welcome to vent his frustrations.  I'm frustrated that they are out of epoxy resin in town, slowing my finishing work on the rickshaw a little.  But there is so much left to do that I can work around the problem. 

I'm curious to see how the UCE will hold up over the miles.  Teething problems wouldn't concern me much, but how well it does long term might.

Have a friend who rented my commercial site that is wanting a Royal Enfield.  He is good at upkeep, but maybe not so good at fiddling - so maybe a UCE is in his future.

[r80rt]

I know it's early, but I'm positive RE got this engine right. There is absolutely nothing that I can find that I don't like about it, or anything I think could have been done better either. I believe this little wonder will pop along for many years.

[PhilJ]

Ok r89rt that's enough of that. I've got a great AVL withonly 12K miles and I really don't want to be thinking about the really quit engine and and see there I told you to back off.

[r80rt]

Sorry, I can't believe how smitten I am with this thing 

[Cabo Cruz]

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

I offer the two following short stories to, in particular, those colleagues who are experiencing the UCE recall.  Both stories are true and, among others, include lessons about patience and positive thinking.  I sincerely hope you put them to good use in your less than ideal – but very temporary – UCE recall situations.

Absolutely No Regrets

I know this fellow who first spoke of getting a motorcycle to the small group of family members and close friends who followed him out of the funeral home, as he stepped out for a cigarette, during his mother's viewing.  All those around him were very surprised to hear his statement "I'm going to start looking at motorcycles."  This was especially the case with his wife and soul mate of 31 years at the time.  She and the others in the group asked questions like what are you saying and why at this point in your life?  His responses were: "When I was about 10 years old, I drew the first art work worthy of going on the refrigerator's door.  It was a motorcyclist leaned over on a curve ahead of a cloud of dust.  As all of you know, my father" (who had passed away 9 years earlier) "was a car guy.  Although he thought motorcycles were dangerous, it would have not killed him to have seen me on a motorcycle.  When I was 15 years old, my mother, on the other hand, said to me: 'It would kill me to see you on a motorcycle.'  This is why I am now going to start looking at motorcycles."  He was 52 years old when he buried his 85 year old mother.  

This fellow can be seen on his motorcycle all over town and even when he visits his parents at the cemetery.  You cannot miss him because he wears an open face helmet and he rides with a huge smile on his face.  Those that do not know about his two-wheel career and ride with him make comments like you have ridden all your life or you have ridden a ton.  Those who do know him and his motorcycle story have asked him do you regret not having started riding earlier in life?  His response has always been: "Absolutely no regrets."


The Happy Young Man Who Won the Poker Run

The Greater Atlanta British Motorcycle Association (GABMA) held its 24th British in the Blue Ridge Rally from June the 4th through the 7th.  The Poker Run was held on Saturday morning.  I helped two other club members at the last station.  This was where the riders drew their 5th card and the three of us kept the scores.  At approximately 12:30 PM two participants drew the best hands of the day.  These were Four Kings and immediately following a Straight Flush.  These hands were drawn by a fellow in his late forties and his nephew in his late teens.  The Straight Flush hand held until 1:00 PM when we closed the event.  Later in the afternoon and without giving away the winner of the Poker Run, I took the time to talk to these two fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.  It turned out that the uncle lived in Florida and the nephew in Georgia.  The uncle trailers his two impeccable 1969 Bonnevilles and he and his nephew get together every year for the rally.  The two of them were quite the enthusiasts; they were very positive individuals, they were really "good people", so to say!

All the awards for all the events were handed out starting at 7 o'clock in the evening by the club's president.  The announcement of the Poker Run Award came at about 30 minutes into the ceremony.  When David heard his name, he sped through the crowd toward the club president on his two wheels.  He flashed an ear-to-ear smile at the audience, as he accepted the plaque.  And, the happy young man who won the Poker Run sped back to his place on his wheelchair.

Yes, the uncle has a Velorex sidecar attached to one of his beautiful Triumphs.  His nephew cannot – and will never – ride a motorcycle on his own.  But David can count on his uncle – once a year – to allow him to enjoy and participate in his favorite sport: riding motorcycles, especially in his uncle's sidecar!
    
My friends, I close by listing some of the positive elements associated with the UCE recall.  For the record, I do not draw a paycheck from either REM or CMW.  In the interest of full disclosure, nonetheless, I am a shameless agent for the Bullet in all of its variations.  In addition, I do feel bad for those of you who are going through your temporary trials and tribulations.  

The "filter" I include below should distill the matters we know into the pure truth or the facts and, obviously, trap the impurities or the emotions of the moment.

The Positive Elements Associated with the UCE Recall
  
Quality Control
We have proof that REM has actually instituted quality control standards, measures, procedures and records because the factory employees were able to pinpoint the range of the VIN Numbers affected by recall.

Identification/Solution/Plan of Action
REM readily identified the cause of the problem and its solution and developed a plan of action to fly the factory technicians and the parts to repair the affected units.

Transparency
REM and CMW (1) put the recall and its cause out in the public domain in a very prompt manner.

Clarity and Frequency of Communications
Kevin Mahoney (1) has made very clear announcements regarding the recall.  He has posted informative updates through the progression of the matter.

Expediency
Mahoney (1) got the Federal Government of the United States of America to move in an atypically expeditious manner.

Other Elements
All of these are there if you reread the public record in the CMW Forum we access and post into.    

Note 1: I exclude the other international importers and distributors only because I am not aware of the steps they have taken with regards to this matter.

In the end, I hope this post helps all, most or some of you.  

El Fin

[REpozer]

Well Said!! Br Juan

Bravo!!

[Cabo Cruz]

Br. Poz, I thank you!

(On another note, how's that book coming along?)

[REpozer]

(On another note, how's that book coming along?)

Still in progress. Thanks

[fun2drum]

Here's an example of how bad it could be:

My 03 Land Rover is within a VIN range that had a possible oil pump problem that was caused by the engine pump mount holes being slightly out of allignment with the ones on the pump.  This causes stress on the pump that eventually causes the pump housing to crack and fail.  To put it simply,  these Rovers that were affected could suddenly lose oil pressure and blow their engines with no warning.  The engine blows about 2 seconds after the oil light comes on.  There was even a service bulletin from Land Rover that admits the defect and specifies the VIN range. 

Did they recall?  NO.  Will they fix the problem if out of warranty?  NO. 

The engine failure will usually happen before it hits 50,000 miles, and mine has 130,000 miles so I'm out of the woods on it, but many owners who paid more than 50,000 dollars for their Rover were left to fend for themselves on this serious problem. 

I am extremely impressed with the way this Royal Enfield problem is being handled, though... 
Yes it does "suck" that the problem happened, and I'm sure if you asked the people from your dealer all the way up the chain to the CEO of Royal Enfield, they would agree and say, "It sucks".   The reality is things sometimes suck.  What makes a company great is how they HANDLE THINGS when they suck.