(Jon Bushey Photo)
While three engineers from India demonstrated the features of the new Royal Enfield motorcycle engine to dealers recently, one man was carefully taking notes. To Jon Bushey, of Rapid Cycle in South Jordan, Utah, the technical tips sounded like selling points.
When he got home, Bushey typed up his notes and shared them with me.
"I think the dealer meeting went well and I am excited about Royal Enfield's future," he wrote. Here are excerpts from his notes about the new Royal Enfield motorcycles and their new unit constructed engine (UCE).
"There will be two new models for 2009 with the G5 available now and the C5 available in July. Both models have the same basic engine, a 500cc UCE EFI.
"Engine selling points:"
- The genuine sound (long stroke thumper) of the Royal Enfield stays the same.
- Horsepower and torque are improved over the old engine – stock is 27 hp.
- EFI system is the Keihin brand, used in Honda motorcycles and scooters.
- Fuel injection mapping is able to process at altitudes up to 18,000 feet.
- Two-year warranty on engine, parts and labor.
- High quality parts used like Brembo brakes, Deniso starter, Italian suspension.
- Reduced maintenance for life, just change the oil.
- Has catalytic converter in muffler.
- Muffler can be changed without remapping fuel injection.
- Bolts and nuts are metric with consolidated fastener tool sizes.
- Clutch is heavy duty – much improved over old.
- Now has seven plates and larger plate surface.
- Clutch pull is greatly reduced, about half the effort of old clutch.
- Engine has one oil for all parts and has sight glass for checking oil level.
- Oil pump is improved type and pumps four times the volume – improves engine cooling.
- Primary chain is now self-adjusting.
- Engine does not require break-in, but do not tell the customer that!
- Crank is balanced three times to insure minimal vibration.
- Computer simulation was done for three years to insure quality and reliability.
- Engine uses modern multi-layer gaskets. Gaskets protrude slightly around sealing edges.
- Engine parts are now pressure-cast and polished.
- Check Engine light is used to tell rider of possible sensor malfunction.
Jon Bushey samples new UCE G5 Royal Enfield; below, his dealership.
Quote: 3,000 engines in use in Europe for over a year and no failures.
ReplyDeleteBeg your pardon Sir! Where are these engines?
Whose fantasie is this?
There were a handfull of oil leaking hardly runable prototypes for importers and nothing else.
Thank you for your comment. I was present at the same dealers' training session and we were given a number of figures. The only one I wrote down was that 200 C5 motorcycles were already in Europe. My recollection is that the total number of UCE engines in Europe "without a failure" was 300, but I didn't write it down and Jon did, so I went with his figure. Maybe one of us got it wrong. I will remove the sentence.
ReplyDeleteEven with a zero less very optimistic numbers.....
ReplyDeleteSince Nov.08 the german importer advertises the G5 for immediate availability about the same time as the british importer. I don't know how many they have sold so far if any. Many dealers haven't even listed the new models for sale. But winter in Europe is not a good time to sell any bike at all.
About a handfull G5's were sold in France.
The C5 is expected to arrive soon in March '09 in Britain as well as in Germany.
200-300 UCE models G5 may be on storage at the dealers compounds in Europe but not on the road.
Shipping 200 UCE G5's to Europe is one thing. Selling such an unknown bike is another.
Why not mail the European importers how many they've already sold?
e.g. the spanish and czech importers you've reported about.
Could be a nice research with real numbers for this blog.
Regards
P.S.
French importer >heritage.import@royal-enfield.fr>
German importer >info@zmtgmbh.de<
British importer >bullet@watsonian-squire.com<
A fine suggestion. I will do that. Your point about winter is a good one, too. Even if customers have the bikes, they probably are not riding them much yet. The true test will come this summer.
ReplyDeleteGreat work. Bravo Enfield!
ReplyDeleteI have spotted a Belgium (Europe) importer on the web.
ReplyDeleteverhagen.a@skynet.be
link : http://www.verhagenmotors.be/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=56
Greetings from
a old style bike lover from Belgium
Ps : i have no connections with the Belgian importer.
I was lucky enough to ride one of the pre-prototype efi Electras last autum, here in the UK, and I can assure anyone/everyone that it ran perfectly well and didn't leak a drop of oil. I got about 60 miles on it and it felt just like a carburated pre-unit electra but with a tad more acceleration from the lights and maybe 5mph more top end. There were no glitches in the fuelling either. Clutch pull was simply amazing. I think Enfield has done a brilliant job with the new engine, retaining all the character of the original whilst giving a bit more zip that let's you ride in the flow of modern traffic. And it looks great too - but personally, I prefer the look of the new Classic rather than the old Electra..... styling.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reassuring comment!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOops, I made a typo on that comment which made it read wrong, please will you delete the other one David. here is the corrected version.......
ReplyDeleteI am quite dismayed that Royal Enfield are claiming that the new E.F.I. engine does not need running in. It is of course probable that the engine is built loose so that you can GET AWAY with not running it in, but this does not mean that there will be no benefit from running it in.
I proved this when I was a courier. The 'standard issue' bike was a Kawasaki GT550, I was given a new one and told there was no need to run it in, and ll the other riders laughed at me when I stuck a 'running in' notice on the back and proceeded with a careful 1000 mile running in. The result was that mine was the only GT550 in London that did NOT rattle like a can of nails, it was also faster off the line and did better petrol mileage.
So if you buy a new E.F.I. Bullet PLEASE run it in, you will be glad you did.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHELLO MY SELF MR AMIT PATEL LIVING IN HARI JIVAN KENI CHAWL,ON NEW LINK ROAD,NEAR RENUKA NAGAR,DHANUKAR WADI, KANDIVALI [WEST] MUMBAI 400067 I have purchase the new model twin spark royal enfield thunder bird bike four months later now it is giving problem to me like oil lekage, vibration of engine, no smooth pick up, gear shifting is also hard, as i do the regular service of bike at authoriesd service center at goregaon sharda motars over there iwas not satisfied so i go to other service center at mira road lotus automobile there one the mechanice open the cluth plates and do the setting of that then till twenty days the bike performance was nice and then again the problem started and apart of that the big problem i face is the noise of the engine typid which is very iritable i also tell about this problem to service center and they told me to change the engine timing gear which cost of 2800 rupees as the the bike is only four years old and this problem occurs so what is benifeit of purchasing the new bike as it cost is also high then to also the problem is faced by me in four months as bike is also in warranty period if any body can help me so please( contact me on my mail id that is shivshaktico@gmail.com mobile no:- 09821199539 very urgent as i have to give my bike for 4 service
ReplyDeleteThe new UCE Classic has arrived here in California, USA for review by the new California dealers. I have ridden it and inspected it over the past two weeks. Although the emissions approval is pending so that we can actually start selling the new EFI bikes I'm really excited about the prospect. As a Triumph dealer we know how popular classic style bikes with modern technology is! This is a great bike for both the dealers and for the new owners.
ReplyDelete