Restoring my Royal Enfield Bullet 500 - Part 2

I take out the air filter housing, carburetor and top end, and check the crankshaft to see if it's bad (hint - it's really bad). I go step by step, so you can see the entire process and use this as a reference for your own bike. And good news, a shiny new crankshaft is on the way. #royalenfield #bullet500 #motorcycle #losangeles #motorcyclerestoration
Link to my Rider Magazine article about this bike - ridermagazine....

[@PAGallagher]

Enjoying the videos. The free play on that big end bearing is amazing, can't believe it didn't knock itself to pieces. It might be an idea to plug that small metal pipe coming off the bottom of the inlet manifold to stop sucking air and weakening the mix. Looking forward to part 3 :)

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, the crankshaft was really bad. I’m lucky nothing catastrophic happened. And I already removed that metal pipe and I’m definitely filling that hole. Part 3 is coming soon

[@PAGallagher]

@@Cyclingwithgasoline Had a thought, rather than plugging that hole, you could fit a nitrous injector ........? ;)

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

@@PAGallagher 😂😂 Might as well make it Mad Max ready 🔥

[@mikebolasna7596]

I have a 2002 RE Bullet 500 e. I have noticed that when starting the bike if I open the compression release and kick the bike over 3 or 4 times it makes the bike start much easier. I believe that it brings in fresh air and gas in to the combustion chamber. I am not a great wrench. Just another person added to his Bullet

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

You’re also circulating oil when you kick it with the compression valve open, which is always good. Thanks for watching!

[@WOLFIE-96B-UK]

I'm getting on in years, still bike nuts and riding and not really up with all the modern Internet and social media way of the world these days! I find it pretty amazing that I can sit in my house and watch a fellow biker wrenching on his bike thousands of miles away in a different country. It's mind blowing really!! Looking forward to seeing the next instalment.

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks for watching and yes, it’s crazy what we can do online these days. Part 3 is coming soon! Never stop riding

[@twostroke350]

With regard to the carb, you may find if you fit a pod air filter, the rubber manifold has a lot of load on it because there's no support from the intake rubber. It's not unheard of for the carb to pop off when you go over a bump or for the rubber to split. One worthwhile modification which isn't too expensive is to fit a mikuni plate manifold instead (In the US it's called a mounting flange or holder boot I think?) which would also delete that spare hose. I think you'll have 60mm stud centres and a 35mm OD. So mikuni part number VM28-200. Don't worry too much about the intake tract length, it's nowhere close to a mathematically calculated length anyway. I found a neat solution to the load on the carb which was to clamp the pod filter on using a munsen clamp instead of the standard clip. These have a captive nut on them which you can use to attach a small bracket (a bit of bent thin aluminium plate works fine) up to the rear tank mount, fully supporting the carb at both ends.

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks for the advice. I’ll definitely look into it.

[@wickedangel7]

IF possible please try to upgrade the carbs to a BS3 UCE 500cc model & try using a dual Electrode spark plug for better performance and if possible change the Point system to an electric one.. its a simple one but makes life easy for cold starts esp. in the morning..also the Air filter can be changed to the 1962 type one which is an oval shape which can house the modern 500cc round shape air filter or a performance one.

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

It's a little late for these upgrades now, but I'm open to changing things around in the future

[@MarcJmoss]

Getting a mikuni plate manifold is a great idea!

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

I’m very impressed with this comment 👍. I’m just plugging the hole of my current one 😎

[@brianjackson4960]

Take the india made carburetor off and throw in the scrap bin and fit something else. I run mine on a 32mm amal concentric runs great and more power

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Agreed. The carb has been causing a lot of headaches. It’s being replaced with an Amal carb

[@RB87NL]

You might want to reconsider replacing the decompressor valve. Virtually all single cilinder bikes have a decompressor to prevent premature engine failures. Nowadays it is usually done “automatic” with a spring retained weight on the exhaust camshaft that opens the exhaust valve ever so slightly when RPM,s drop below idle speed. Even your Classic 500 has one. The manual operation of the decompressor valve only adds to the charm of an iron barrel Enfield. Cheers Rick

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks and I definitely will consider it. I’d replace the old one that was there anyway, so I have time to think about this and fit a new one prior to reassembly

[@g.t.ncreations8798]

Decompression valves will get the kick really smooth

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

I’ve always done without them 😂

[@keithwilson1408]

Why throw parts on the floor? You only have to pick them up again!

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Dramatic effect 😎

[@arvindkumar-kx4ex]

Awesome video! It's great that you are ready to go the length! my suggestion as a viewer and novice mechanic who likes to watch videos before I work on the engines is to know what size wrenches you use so I don't have to guess the size! Where do you source your parts locally in the US?

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks and I’m definitely going the distance with this one. New crankshaft will be here next week. And sorry about the wrench sizes. I meant to do that and it just fell through. Just have a good set of sockets and wrenches, and you should be covered. I’m sourcing parts from all over the world actually. Only a couple of things are coming from the US. Hitchcock’s in the UK is an incredible source. I also got some things elsewhere in the UK and India.

[@arvindkumar-kx4ex]

Nice! I have used Hitchcock's a few times. Just wondering what else is out here locally!

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

@@arvindkumar-kx4ex Unfortunately very little in the US for these older Bullets. Chain, sprockets (maybe), that kind of thing

[@twostroke350]

They are problematic that way. They started off using british imperial sizes (mostly cycle thread and whitworth) and as the years went on, moved over to metric as tooling wore out. So most Indian bullets are a mix of both, in some places you'll even have a stud with cycle thread on one side and metric on the other. The newer it is, the more metric you'll find. So the size it is on this one wont necessarily be the same on another one. I do find you manage most things with a comprehensive metric tool set though. 13mm is near as damnit 1/2" and 11mm fits the 1/4" nuts. The threads can be very poorly cut too so it's worth keeping a note of which nut/bolt came off where, sometimes you have two seemingly identical nuts and only one of them will screw on.

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

@@twostroke350 I definitely agree. There’s a weird mix with my bike and I’m careful to track exactly where nuts and bolts came from.

[@PatHaskell]

You’re not restoring, you’re modifying.

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

I’d say a bit of both 😎

[@felixVanDiemen]

Thanks for this entertaining and highly informative video series. I am actually on the way to the island state of Tasmania on the ferry from mainland Australia to pick up a 2000 iron barrel Royal Enfield Bullet. So this video is very timely. Cheers mate!

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks for watching and I’m glad you like it! New video coming tomorrow night.

[@WOLFIE-96B-UK]

Excellent video! Informative and entertaining. I could watch you work all day!! (Dig your cat, I've got 4!)

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks, I really appreciate that! And the cat was a stray that just walked in my house as a kitten a few years ago and never left 🐈. Very cool that you have 4!

[@edreyes1391]

Great job 👏 thanks!

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks!

[@giovannydoonai1453]

Just replace your float bush from aluminum to brass. It can be made in a lathe machine. Did the work for me. And make sure to service ur engine oil after every 2000 km. The main cause is of all this is always engine oil not service on time, which then causes it to become thick and viscosity compromise.

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Definitely change the oil on time! As I said in a previous video, the bikes are only as good as they’re maintained. I’ll look into the float bush. Thanks for watching!

[@Mr.Engine21]

Hello brother! Remember me? I have genuine question. Since you don't have a fuel guage in most Royal Enfield is it possible to install an aftermarket one? Can you make a video on that? BTW I love your Bullet 500. Keep growing up 👍. And can you import any used or new bike? If you can I really would love to watch a Royal Enfield Machismo A500 on this channel.

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

You can definitely install an aftermarket fuel gauge. Some people even put on sight glasses or external hoses to see the level. Unfortunately, I’m going to keep this one original. I also can’t import bikes from India. I wish I could! Thanks for watching!

[@Blueknight-il9nc]

Looking forward to the next part

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Thanks! Coming soon

[@gruffrossi5420]

yer got the dears on wrong side mate on my bullet gears on right brake onleft i done away with filter box my enfieled is older than this one think its a 66 engine in a 1999 frame drum brakes

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

Some of these more recent exports have the shifter on the left. Us humble Americans prefer this setup 😂. And that’s very cool having the 66 engine

[@gruffrossi5420]

@@Cyclingwithgasoline my pall got the same but his is trail bike 8000 on clock some one only rode in now an then after riding big bikes an now I gone back to the bullet I wana change up all the time 😂 I'm 60 now allways luved singels I'm a British long hairy bearded bloke he he bit smaller. Over here amount of people stop an chat about bike I've had all sorts but allways getting pics of bike and me LOOKING GOOD MY MAN I like a n y bikes if it moves goes bang I luv it I've found some old British army panniers proper old surplus I've metal ones had to put some wd 40 jus waiting fer the rain to stop UK 🇬🇧 Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 us wet know for it I live in a flat u on Facebook I'm same name on there need help been fix bikes 50 years now a zundap an I waz 10 amped had pedals I feel old now lol

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

@@gruffrossi5420 I’ve had a lot of bikes myself and ride a Kawasaki ZH2 all the time, but still like the Bullets just as much. A real throwback to the 50s and 60s. Never stop riding my friend

[@gruffrossi5420]

@@Cyclingwithgasoline my last one before this was a firestorm vtr1000 hahahonda rip off the profile pic is the kh 2. The the two stroke triples or we talking modern bikes I'm not up on any new bikes had kids so had a few years where I dident have a bike soon kids growen an ex gone got the big bike faster stuff gone back to where I started riding brit bikes again can't go wrong so rare to see someone use a classic bike for wot it's for RIDEIN EVERY DAY for me

[@Cyclingwithgasoline]

@@gruffrossi5420 Mine is the new supercharged ZH2, not the classic (although I’d rather have the original). And I’ll be riding the Bullet all the time when finished. Several times a week. I think it’s great that you’re on classic bikes